MBTI Type: ESTJ

Margaret embodies the thinking style of a Te-dom in her approach to social welfare – the belief that everyone should carry their own weight in society through becoming a “productive member” of society. She wants to create an environment in which people learn to (and have the ability to) “fend for themselves.” Where others are less concerned about losing the Falkland Islands, Margaret knows they are important not only as a military base but also to protect the canal, so she takes direct physical action to protect them through “a war.” Her reasons for blocking liberation attempts in the African colonies have to do with potential repercussions for the citizenry there (business-wise, and protecting their lives), a move which even the queen does not understand and finds “heartless.” She is highly principled, dutiful, and has strong moral standards for herself, but also the luxury of not caring whether she makes enemies or not – as long as her husband approves of her, that is enough to keep her content. Though she does sometimes crumble under pressure, becoming emotional when her son goes missing and hating the fact that she is “breaking down” in front of her sovereign. Margaret is also hard-working, and admits to her husband that she finds the royal family to be “boorish” (rude) snobs. She has an approach built on an understanding of how society works, but is also keen to make massive shifts in its forward direction, and is not interested in taking the “slow path.” Margaret is a mother as well as a Prime Minister, and insists on doing her own cooking for members of her Cabinet who visit her. She has a preference for traditionalism, showing her disapproval when a palace member of staff tries to unpack her husband’s things (“what were they thinking? That’s a wife’s job!” she rails). When her husband suggests he sleep in another room in Balmoral so she can get her work done in peace, Margaret tells him that is how bad habits start; little things lead to bigger ones and then become a problem. She is also quick to see the broader implications of losing the Falkland Islands, even before the various members of her Cabinet.

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Like all 8s, Margaret is a polarizing figure. She gets into office and “makes enemies left, right, and center,” according to the queen. But to do otherwise, in Margaret’s mind, is cowardice. She says that if you never make enemies, you have never done anything worthwhile. Her determination is to change England for the better, and she powers right through anyone who tries to stop her. When various members of her Cabinet don’t like what she is doing and denounces her in public, she fires them all and replaces them with newer, younger, more ambiguous men not of the “old snobbery establishment.” Margaret engages in subtle power plays with everyone she meets, including the queen—and though she is often treated terribly by the royal family, she really only becomes offended when the queen goes behind her back to the press to “go against” her without having the moral backbone to do it in person, to her face. She speaks often of her fondness for her father, who taught her “courage.” And she admits to her daughter that she prefers her son, that he is her favorite, because he is “strong” (and you are not).