People Like Us

The first ever female private secretary to any British Prime Minister, Caroline Slocock had a front-row seat for the final eighteen months of Margaret Thatcher's premiership. A left-wing feminist, Slocock was no natural ally and yet she became fascinated by the woman behind the Iron Lady façade and by how she dealt with a world dominated by men. As events led inexorably to Thatcher's downfall, Slocock observed the vulnerabilities and contradictions of the woman considered by many to be the ultimate anti-feminist, and witnessed the astonishing way in which she was brought down by her closest political allies. In this vivid first-hand account, Slocock reflects on the challenges women still face in public life and concludes that it's time to rewrite how we portray female leaders. A remarkable political and personal memoir, People Like Us charts the dying days of Thatcher's No. 10 and reflects on women and power, then and now.

Caroline Slocock was a civil servant for thirty years, becoming the chief executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission between 2002 and 2007, an NDPB which promoted equal opportunities between men and women; and then moved on to become chief executive of Refugee and Migrant Justice, a not for profit organisation providing legal advice to asylum seekers, between 2007 and 2010. She is the founder and director of the think tank Civil Exchange, where she uses her expertise and experience to help government and the third sector work more effectively together. She lives in London and Suffolk and is married to the crime writer John Nightingale, with two daughters.