Although David Hare began his playwriting career in England during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, he grew to popular prominence during the "Thatcher Decade" of the 1980s, an era that has influenced his work to the present day. During the 1980s, Hare was an outspoken critic of the "Iron Lady," as Great Britain's Prime Minister from 1979-1990, Margaret Thatcher, was known. As the leader of the reigning Conservative Party (or "Tories") in Great Britain, Thatcher stood for everything Hare and the liberal Labour Party were against. During her terms in office, she sold and privatized many government-operated businesses such as British Airways and British Telecom. She also fought to damage the influence and control of labor unions in Great Britain, and her administration drastically reduced the welfare benefits offered to Britons, particularly in the areas of education and health.

Thatcher's methods produced boom years for many...