“From the Miners to Major:
A League of Change in
Recent British Politics.”
Jeremy Lewis PhD, Huntingdon College,
For presentations at Buena Vista University,
Iowa, 11-12 Sep. 2005
See www.Political-Science.org
John Major stereotyped as the
grey man of the Tory party
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The whiz kid whose fast rise up the greasy pole
culminated in a slippery slide downwards
economic stagflation and low approval ratings
unable to prevent bickering, scandal and policy
drift
echoes of Churchill’s “modest” depiction of Atlee
[cartoon] Major as Mr. Underpants, the spindly
superhero.
PM as Mr. Underpants
until, that is, Edwina Currie’s revelations in 2002.
Now Sir John Major seen as
• the creator of Northern Ireland peace agreement
• the warrior of the 1991 Gulf War
• the international statesman and peace
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negotiator
the last successful Conservative party leader
returned a party to the moderate “inside right”
electorate
Major in the context of British
Politics
• PMQT shows integration of legislature and
executive
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Commons culture of Oxford Union debating
PM confronted by MPs
articulate ministers, well informed & gladiatorial
patronage power of the prime minister
cabinet and shadow cabinet: loyal Opposition
front bench (ministers) versus backbench (MPs)
Multi-party system with cross-benchers:
• First Past the Post system favors Con & Lab,
disfavors Lib Dems
Uncodified Constitution
• doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty
– no supreme court, no constitutional review
• flexible terms of office and votes of no
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confidence
cabinet’s collective responsibility: “government
are”
ministerial responsibility & resignation
rise of PM and staff, public relations
embourgeoisement: decline of class-based
politics
postwar welfare state
consensus:
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equality over individualism
full employment over productivity
“fair shares for all”
“no jumping the queue”
“homes fit for heroes”
“Butskellism” (Butler & Gaitskell)
“corporatism” (tripartite economic discussions)
1960s and 1970s, consensus
declined
• Labour & Conservative governments
• economic deterioration
• winters of discontent 1974 and 1979
• “bloody-minded” unions & “out of touch”
management
• Miners brought down Heath Tory
government, 1974
Thatcherism revolution:
• tax cuts: larger shares for some
• property holding democracy: shares for all
• market forces in all institutions: scramble to
head the queue
• Privatization of 11% of economy
• Broke miner’s union 1984
• Over 20% shareholders
• Council house sales
• Self-budgeting universities and hospitals
Public Opinion:
• now more polarized
• mostly favors postwar consensus (I.
Crewe)
• by 1990, only 17% of Tory MPs actually
Thatcherite (P. Norton)
Understated leader
sandwiched between two
prima donnas
• not an Oxford Union debater
• Citizen’s Charter a minor reform
• Thatcher’s budget cuts, privatization,
supply side revolution
• Blair’s Third Way reforms
John Roy Major’s early life,
1943• untypical British leader
• name “Roy”not even on birth certificate
• son of traveling circus performer, Tom Major-Ball
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– Late discovery of half-siblings
impoverished by unemployment
rejected as bus conductor
made garden gnomes with brother Terry
not upper middle class -- free school uniform
not Eton – just grammar school
not Oxford – not even university (J. Callaghan)
Early Career:
• Banker 1965-1979: very successful
• Married Norma 1970, two children
Major’s climb up the greasy
pole (Disraeli)
• Spring 1991, most popular PM in 30 years
• Prime Minister 1990-97
• Leader of the Conservative Party 1990-97
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Over Michael (“Tarzan”) Heseltine and Douglas Hurd (diplomatic)
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first TV budget speech, TESSAs
UK joined ERM, 1990
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Chief Secretary to the Treasury 1987-89
• Chancellor of the Exchequer 1989-90
• Foreign Secretary 1989
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Minister of State for Social Security 1986
Under-Sec for Social Security (welfare & OAPs) 1985
Treasury Whip 1984
Assistant Whip 1983
Parliamentary Private Sec. 1981
MP for Huntingdon (1976) 1979, 1983, 1992, 1997.
Lambeth borough council 1968-71, created housing
Soap box speeches in Lambeth, 1964-68.
Conservative party factions
• Leadership elections post 1965 among MPs
• 1922 Committee (revolts in private)
• Thatcherite free-market insurgents (“dries”)
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17% only
aristocratic High Tories declining (trad cons)
“Hang ‘em and flog ‘em” brigade in shires
One-Nation moderates larger group (“wets”)
dropping leaders after lost elections
all included in cabinets except 1984-87
Major as Conservative Prime
Minister, 1990-97
• More inclusive, genteel style
• Moderates back to cabinet
• Only 47 on accession
• Early success with Gulf war, 1991
– Record popularity
• Abolished poll tax which had brought
down Thatcher
Unpromising re-election
prospects
• longest recession since 1930s
• consumer unconfidence 1990, Tories
drooped
• Tories 30% 1990, Lab 53%
• voters polarized by Mrs. Thatcher
• Short bounces from Major’s accession and
Gulf War
Economic policy U-turn
• Major eased interest rates Oct 1990
• Lamont increased PSBR (unThatcherite)
Won 1992 election by upset
• Polls predicted hung Parliament
• Neil Kinnock’s welsh oratory
• Labour’s slick American-style campaigning
• Major’s Lambeth soap-box speechifying
• Major’s man in the street style.
Won 1992 election by upset
• voters lied – or opinion polls skewed?
• Late deciders Tory
• “best to control economy” swing to Tory
• Tories returned with small majority
• Lost only 41 seats, retained 43% of vote
Economic difficulties
• Stagflation 1992-93
• Black Wednesday, 16 Sep. 1992, ERM
withdrawal
Statesmanship
• European engagement:
– EU’s Maastricht Treaty 1992, despite
– Tory “bastard” eurosceptic rebels (Lilley, Portillo &
Howard)
– Labour tactical forced vote defeat on EU Social
Chapter
– Major forced vote of no confidence, won by 40
– Opted out of Euro currency, protected British
economy
Northern Ireland
• Irish peace talks earned Companion of
Honour
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IRA ceasefire 1994
despite mortar bombing of No.10
denied negotiating secretly with IRA 1993
“it would turn my stomach”
till exposed
Angered by Clinton’s reception of Gerry Adams
Domestic policy issues
• “Back to Basics” campaign, 1993
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intended: economy, education, policing
inferred by media: trad values
scandals, sleaze and backbiting
(mistresses, Corp. directorships, cash for questions)
• Economic recession and stagflation 1992
– Changed policy
– 5 successive years of recovery:
• growth, reducing inflation and unemployment
• Economic recovery by 1997
Leadership of party
• constant backbiting from Thatcherites &
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eurosceptics
1995 Major resigned (but not PM position) (a
first)
won leadership (218 MPs) over eurosceptic
Redwood (89)
Dec. 1996 Cons lost majority in Commons
economy improving, but 5 year limit on term
May day 1997 election lost
• New Labour landslide.
• Lab 418 seats, Con 165, Lib Dem 46
• Lab majority 179
• 179 Con MPs lost seats – worst in century
• “curtain falls, time to get off the stage” &
cricket
Retirement life:
• Backbenches, few political interventions
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Chancellor Lamont: Major slow Black Wed. ‘92
criticized Hague’s move to right
criticized Thatcher for “warrior characteristics”, unconservative
2005 criticized decline of civility
cricket at MCC
declined life peerage but Knighthood of garter
2002 Edwina Currie’s autobiography
Discovered half brother and half sister
Feb. 2005 Major & Lamont held up release of papers
– on Black Wednesday under FOIA
• Carlyle group chair
• Successor, William Hague, more unpopular