Originally Posted by Venetian:
“Probably not Martin.
Churchill was not despised after the war but never forget the people voted him out immediately after the conclusion of WW2. So many remembered the abject poverty existing in parts of the country prior to the war, and yes, Churchill wasn't PM at that time, but was he genuinely revered then?”
No, he wasn't, and he wouldn't have been if WWII hadn't come along. Same with Wellington, who was a superb military leader, but failed miserably in politics in peacetime. Military leadership is not compatible with success in politics, because to be a good military leader, you have to make a decision and live by it - you can't afford to sit there considering all the implications or nothing would get done.
By that reasoning, Churchill and Thatcher were both superb military leaders, but neither was good in peacetime, because they couldn't adapt to the completely different decision process that's necessary for everyday life. Blair tried to emulate them, but he lacked both their insight and their common touch.