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(crowd chattering)
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One in four of our children
leave secondary education
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and can't read properly,
can't write properly,
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and are not competent in arithmetic.
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And what are they going to do?
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They can't all be Prime Minister.
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(audience laughing)
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(audience clapping)
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[Reporter] The Princess
Elizabeth has agreed
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to accept the crown and rule
as Queen.
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[Narrator] Queen Elizabeth II,
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the longest reigning
monarch in British history,
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she ascended to the throne
and was crowned Queen
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at the tender age of 27.
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During her entire 70 year reign,
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Her Majesty worked with over
a dozen prime ministers,
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each of whom formed successive
governments on her behalf.
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I can now,
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I can now accept that the
country have elected me
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in my own right to be Prime Minister.
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I'm immensely proud of that.
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I shall try and ensure
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that I reach the aspirations
of people
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and that I let no one down.
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That is, I'm delighted to have it.
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This will give the cabinet
authority of a sort.
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(crowd laughing)
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[Narrator] As a high school dropout,
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the teenage John Major could
simply never have dreamt
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that he would one day become
a powerful political leader
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and get elected as
Britain's Prime Minister.
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Major became Her Majesty's
ninth Prime Minister,
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having fought for the
leadership of the Conservative Party
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after Margaret Thatcher's
formidable 11 year premiership.
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It is a very exciting
thing to become leader
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of the Conservative Party
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and particularly exciting, I think,
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to follow one of the
most remarkable leaders
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that the Conservative Party
has ever had.
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We may, by the end of this
year, have before us a treaty,
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a treaty that could, amongst
other things,
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allow Europe to develop a
single currency
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at some time in the future.
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Is it moral to impose obligations
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on employers like the social chapter,
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like the minimum wage,
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that will cost jobs and
prevent those without jobs
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from having the opportunity
of getting them in the future?
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Again, I think not.
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Like me or loathe me,
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don't bind my hands when I am negotiating
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on behalf of the British Nation.
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After five months of peace,
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surely it is time to look ahead,
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judge our proposals as a whole.
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There is nothing you need fear.
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And the fact of the matter is
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that what the pessimists say
is not true
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and ought not to go unchallenged.
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I do not intend to let Britain
be sidelined in Europe.
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Is it moral to compulsorily
take too much tax from people
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for government to spend,
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and in so doing, diminish
individual choices?
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My answer is no.
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1992 is not a year on
which I shall look back
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with undiluted pleasure.
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In the words of one of my more
sympathetic correspondents,
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it has turned out to
be an annus horribilis.
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The Queen, beyond doubt,
is the best known woman
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in the world,
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probably the most loved
woman in the world,
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I would think as well.
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[Narrator] But what would
the Queen make
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of her new Prime Minister?
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When the curtain falls,
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it's time to get off the stage,
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and that is what I propose to do.
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[Narrator] Sir John Major,
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Her Majesty's ninth Prime Minister.
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(slow contemplative music)
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The relationship between
the British sovereign,
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the government and their Prime
Minister is somewhat complex
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and not always easily understood.
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As head of state,
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the monarch must remain
entirely neutral
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with respect to political matters
and must be seen to do so,
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even though he or she may
have been quite outspoken
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prior to their ascent to the throne.
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The sovereign does not vote
nor stand for election.
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However, they do have
vitally important ceremonial
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and formal roles and
particular responsibilities
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in relation to the government
of the United Kingdom.
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The British Legislature
comprises the sovereign,
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the House of Lords and
the House of Commons.
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The monarch's duties are
to open each new session
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of parliament, announcing
to the nation the agenda
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for their government for that term.
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[Reporter] The Queen
arrived at the House of Lords
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to open a session of parliament
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that all know must end
in a general election.
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She came in the Irish State Coach,
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accompanied by the Prince
and Princess of Wales,
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just back from their tour of Canada.
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The speech she came to deliver
is the first written for her
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by John Major.
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This time last year,
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he was still Chancellor of the Exchequer
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and Mrs. Thatcher the
occupant of Number 10.
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Throughout White Hall,
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the police and security
services were taking no chances.
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(horns blaring)
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Back in the Lord's,
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the full court was gathered
for the Queen,
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ambassadors, judges, peers,
spiritual and temporal.
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Black Rod was dispatched
to fetch the Commons.
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It's the last time he'll
knock on their door.
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He's retiring at the next election.
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[Narrator] With their signature,
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They also grant royal
assent to legislation
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and approve orders and proclamations
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through the Privy Council.
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During her mammoth reign,
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the Queen also had a very
special working
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and private relationship
with her prime ministers.
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Her Majesty retained the right
to appoint her Prime Minister
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and also to meet with him
or her on a regular basis.
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My government attach
the highest priority
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to improving public services.
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They will implement the
program of reform
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in the white paper on
the Citizen's Charter,
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including bringing forward charters
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for individual public services.
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[Narrator] Those private
weekly meetings
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have offered great solace and support
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to her prime ministers,
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each one honoring the
absolute confidentiality
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of these informal talks,
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but each of whom has also
acknowledged the personal support
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they have received from the Queen
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in what must often be a lonely
position of responsibility.
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(chiming music)
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John Major was born on
the 29th March, 1943,
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son of Gwen Major and Tom
Major-Ball.
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Living in middle class Surrey,
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Major's mother was a part-time
teacher
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and his father made a living
selling garden ornaments.
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Major later described his
younger years
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as comfortable but not well off.
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Facing the same struggles as
many families
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during wartime Britain,
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and things took a turn for the worse
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when his father became unwell.
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The young John Major was
admitted into Rutlish School,
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a grammar school in Merton Park
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in the southern suburbs of London.
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Facing financial difficulties,
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the family had to move home
into more modest circumstances
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into a small top floor apartment
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in Coldharbour Lane, Brixton
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in what was a very
impoverished area of London
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in those days.
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Perhaps his reduced circumstances
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in life were a bitter blow to him,
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but young John Majors soon
lost interest
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in his academic studies at school
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and he left full-time
education at the age of 16
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with just three O levels.
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The teenage John Major decided
to pull himself together
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and to turn his fortunes around.
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He started applying
himself to self-improvement
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and to hard work, which
paid dividends for him
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in the end.
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His interest in politics
began as he kept up to date
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00:09:08,523 --> 00:09:11,486
with current affairs
on his commute to work.
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His political ambitions
were sparked in 1956
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from watching Harold
Macmillan present his budget
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00:09:18,243 --> 00:09:20,535
to the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
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having been invited to watch
by local MP Marcus Lipton.
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We've all been thinking
a great deal about Suez,
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but you know, the Egyptian
crisis isn't the only threat
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to our future.
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There is another dread, more
familiar, less dramatic,
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and perhaps it's harder to realize,
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but in the long run, it's just
as serious,
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and that is the danger that,
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because of our lack of foresight
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or if you would like, our selfishness,
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we drive ourselves out of the rank
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of first class industrial power.
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[Narrator] By 1959, Major
joined the young conservatives
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in Brixton.
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00:10:03,789 --> 00:10:08,460
He began to give speeches in
the soapbox in Brixton Market.
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In 1964, he stood as a Councillor
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in the Lambeth London
Borough Council election
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at the tender age of 21,
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00:10:16,675 --> 00:10:18,993
though he lost to labor.
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00:10:19,618 --> 00:10:23,433
Major worked in banking
before his political days,
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00:10:23,433 --> 00:10:27,270
taking posts with District
Bank and Standard Bank.
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He was even briefly
seconded to Jos, Nigeria,
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as part of his banking role.
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But politics was still in the mind,
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and in 1968, Major stood
as Councillor again
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00:10:38,697 --> 00:10:42,452
in the Lambeth London
Borough Council election.
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The conservatives received a
boost following Enoch Powell's
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famous anti-immigration
Rivers of Blood speech.
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I have three children.
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All of them have been
through grammar school,
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two of them married now with family.
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I shan't be satisfied
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00:11:02,137 --> 00:11:06,749
till I have seen them
all settled overseas.
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00:11:07,251 --> 00:11:12,147
In this country, in 15 or 20
years time,
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00:11:12,147 --> 00:11:15,776
the Black man will have the
whip hand
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00:11:15,776 --> 00:11:17,676
over the white man.
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00:11:18,345 --> 00:11:19,364
[Narrator] Major won,
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00:11:19,364 --> 00:11:22,534
despite disagreeing with
Powell's views.
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00:11:22,534 --> 00:11:25,035
Major's focus was on housing matters,
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00:11:25,035 --> 00:11:29,999
and he oversaw several large
council estates being built.
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00:11:29,999 --> 00:11:33,319
He lost his seat in 1971.
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00:11:33,319 --> 00:11:36,964
In April, 1970, Major met
Norma Johnson
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00:11:36,964 --> 00:11:40,050
at a Conservative Party event
in Brixton.
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They married in October that year,
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moving to a flat in Streatham
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00:11:44,930 --> 00:11:46,681
and welcoming their first child,
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00:11:46,681 --> 00:11:50,353
Elizabeth, in November, 1971.
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00:11:50,353 --> 00:11:53,689
Major's personal family
life was going well
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00:11:53,689 --> 00:11:57,693
but his political one
faced multiple setbacks.
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00:11:57,693 --> 00:11:58,694
Though he managed to get
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00:11:58,694 --> 00:12:02,697
on the Conservative Central
Office's list of potential
MP's,
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00:12:02,697 --> 00:12:07,702
he lost in the February and
October elections of 1974
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00:12:07,702 --> 00:12:12,707
in the labor dominated St
Pancras North constituency.
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00:12:12,707 --> 00:12:15,503
He went on to try for more
promising seats
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00:12:15,503 --> 00:12:19,714
but continued to be
unsuccessful until 1976,
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00:12:19,714 --> 00:12:24,219
when he secured a conservative
seat in Huntingdonshire.
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00:12:24,219 --> 00:12:28,933
He went on to win Huntingdon
in the 1979 general election,
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00:12:28,933 --> 00:12:32,378
which brought Margaret
Thatcher to power.
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00:12:33,671 --> 00:12:37,756
[Reporter] Plain clothes
police out of a car behind her,
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00:12:38,425 --> 00:12:42,656
and Mrs. Thatcher out onto the doorstep.
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00:12:42,656 --> 00:12:43,616
(crowd shouting)
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00:12:43,616 --> 00:12:44,658
Thank you very much.
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00:12:44,658 --> 00:12:47,742
[Reporter] How do you
feel at this moment?
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00:12:47,742 --> 00:12:51,997
Very excited, very aware
of the responsibilities.
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00:12:51,997 --> 00:12:54,459
Her Majesty the Queen has
asked me
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00:12:54,459 --> 00:12:59,213
to form a new administration
and I have accepted.
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It is, of course, the greatest honor
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00:13:00,755 --> 00:13:04,176
that can come to any
citizen in a democracy.
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00:13:04,176 --> 00:13:07,722
[Narrator] He was well
liked, had a relaxed, genuine,
249
00:13:07,722 --> 00:13:09,391
and sincere charm.
250
00:13:09,391 --> 00:13:12,767
In 1987, Major was promoted to
the Cabinet
251
00:13:12,767 --> 00:13:15,355
as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
252
00:13:15,355 --> 00:13:18,983
Thatcher promoted Major
quickly within the party.
253
00:13:18,983 --> 00:13:20,775
It was clear she liked him.
254
00:13:20,775 --> 00:13:24,364
She went on to give him the
title of Foreign Secretary
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00:13:24,364 --> 00:13:25,864
in July, 1989.
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00:13:25,864 --> 00:13:29,784
He went from being the most
junior member of the cabinet
257
00:13:29,784 --> 00:13:32,287
to playing a significant role.
258
00:13:32,287 --> 00:13:33,748
Under Thatcher's premiership,
259
00:13:33,748 --> 00:13:36,792
Major learned a great
deal about being a leader
260
00:13:36,792 --> 00:13:39,504
and the inner workings of the cabinet.
261
00:13:39,504 --> 00:13:41,796
The round of UN diplomacy
took him
262
00:13:41,796 --> 00:13:42,633
to a first meeting
263
00:13:42,633 --> 00:13:44,883
with his Argentine opposite
number this evening
264
00:13:44,883 --> 00:13:47,886
and talks about resuming
relations disrupted
265
00:13:47,886 --> 00:13:49,472
by the Falklands War.
266
00:13:49,472 --> 00:13:52,684
Tomorrow, Mr. Major will turn
his attention to Hong Kong,
267
00:13:52,684 --> 00:13:56,354
discussing the colony's future
in a private meeting here
268
00:13:56,354 --> 00:13:58,939
with the Chinese foreign minister,
269
00:13:58,939 --> 00:14:01,900
but the Foreign Secretary's
making it clear he intends
270
00:14:01,900 --> 00:14:04,111
to continue efforts to rally support
271
00:14:04,111 --> 00:14:05,821
for the drug war in Colombia.
272
00:14:05,821 --> 00:14:08,724
"We must all do more," he said.
273
00:14:11,850 --> 00:14:13,788
[Narrator] Despite
Thatcher's successes,
274
00:14:13,788 --> 00:14:17,832
there was a growing unease
among some of her colleagues.
275
00:14:17,832 --> 00:14:20,670
Issues of unemployment
and inflation were still
276
00:14:20,670 --> 00:14:24,006
in people's minds, along
with poll tax riots.
277
00:14:24,006 --> 00:14:27,301
And fears of future strife
caused Thatcher
278
00:14:27,301 --> 00:14:29,136
to begin to lose her popularity.
279
00:14:29,136 --> 00:14:33,098
One of the many bones of
contention was Thatcher's
stance
280
00:14:33,098 --> 00:14:37,061
on Europe and the European
Exchange Rate Mechanism.
281
00:14:37,061 --> 00:14:40,981
Thatcher was adamant that
Britain should not be ruled
282
00:14:40,981 --> 00:14:43,526
from Brussels and she was concerned
283
00:14:43,526 --> 00:14:46,488
at the gradual erosion
of British sovereignty
284
00:14:46,488 --> 00:14:50,240
and the country's ability to
be allowed to manage itself.
285
00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,828
The creeping federalism
of Europe would be one
286
00:14:53,828 --> 00:14:54,829
of the main themes of some
287
00:14:54,829 --> 00:14:57,707
of her most powerful
speeches in Parliament,
288
00:14:57,707 --> 00:15:01,876
sowing seeds of doubt on
the unification of Europe.
289
00:15:01,876 --> 00:15:05,880
The beautifully oiled
machine was starting to fail
290
00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:07,216
and a plot was being hatched
291
00:15:07,216 --> 00:15:10,885
to unseat Thatcher from
her position of power.
292
00:15:10,885 --> 00:15:15,265
For eight years, Margaret
had this remarkable capacity
293
00:15:15,265 --> 00:15:18,710
to judge public opinion and
get it right.
294
00:15:19,418 --> 00:15:21,980
And after eight years, inevitably,
295
00:15:21,980 --> 00:15:25,777
surrounding by the
trappings of Prime Minister,
296
00:15:25,777 --> 00:15:30,448
inevitably you lose that
acute ear for public opinion,
297
00:15:30,448 --> 00:15:31,199
not a criticism of her.
298
00:15:31,199 --> 00:15:34,577
I think it was true of at
least one successor of hers
299
00:15:34,577 --> 00:15:36,746
and of others earlier in history
300
00:15:36,746 --> 00:15:39,690
and I think she was wrong
about poll tax.
301
00:15:39,938 --> 00:15:41,041
[Narrator] Geoffrey Howe,
302
00:15:41,041 --> 00:15:43,418
her longest serving cabinet minister,
303
00:15:43,418 --> 00:15:48,173
chose to plunge the dagger
and he offered an ultimatum.
304
00:15:48,173 --> 00:15:50,885
He threatened to resign
unless Thatcher agreed
305
00:15:50,885 --> 00:15:54,597
to join the European
Exchange Rate Mechanism,
306
00:15:54,597 --> 00:15:56,455
which she refused.
307
00:15:56,582 --> 00:15:59,811
No, the people of Britain
do not want petty bureaucracy.
308
00:15:59,811 --> 00:16:03,648
They do not want taxation
rates imposed upon us
309
00:16:03,648 --> 00:16:08,611
without the consent and agreement
of the British Parliament.
310
00:16:08,611 --> 00:16:10,488
[Narrator] Ultimately, he
did resign,
311
00:16:10,488 --> 00:16:13,948
and his resignation speech
left the House of Commons
312
00:16:13,948 --> 00:16:16,661
questioning their Prime
Minister's ability
313
00:16:16,661 --> 00:16:19,954
to continue to lead her
party and the country.
314
00:16:19,954 --> 00:16:22,249
In his infamous resignation speech,
315
00:16:22,249 --> 00:16:25,795
he said, "The time has come
for others
316
00:16:25,795 --> 00:16:27,962
to consider their own response
317
00:16:27,962 --> 00:16:30,048
to the tragic conflict of loyalties
318
00:16:30,048 --> 00:16:35,244
with which I have myself
wrestled for perhaps too
long."
319
00:16:35,994 --> 00:16:37,097
After just three months
320
00:16:37,097 --> 00:16:39,934
in his role as Foreign Secretary,
321
00:16:39,934 --> 00:16:42,977
Major became Chancellor of the Exchequer.
322
00:16:42,977 --> 00:16:48,776
Major insisted on joining the
ERM against Thatcher's wishes.
323
00:16:48,776 --> 00:16:51,278
Thatcher's popularity was declining
324
00:16:51,278 --> 00:16:54,489
whilst Major's was excelling.
325
00:16:54,489 --> 00:16:56,074
Eventually, in 1990,
326
00:16:56,074 --> 00:16:58,703
Thatcher succumbed to mounting pressures
327
00:16:58,703 --> 00:17:01,996
and announced they would join
the ERM.
328
00:17:01,996 --> 00:17:04,626
(mysterious music)
329
00:17:04,626 --> 00:17:07,001
Things came to a head in 1990
330
00:17:07,001 --> 00:17:09,547
when Michael Heseltine
challenged Thatcher
331
00:17:09,547 --> 00:17:11,465
for leadership of the
Conservative Party,
332
00:17:11,465 --> 00:17:16,428
in part due to differences of
opinion on the European Union.
333
00:17:16,428 --> 00:17:18,180
Thatcher won the first vote
334
00:17:18,180 --> 00:17:22,894
but the majority was too small
to be an outright victory.
335
00:17:22,894 --> 00:17:23,519
One by one,
336
00:17:23,519 --> 00:17:27,021
she was advised by her
cabinet members to resign.
337
00:17:27,021 --> 00:17:30,860
I said to each of them
individually beforehand, I said,
338
00:17:30,860 --> 00:17:33,320
"If you don't speak the truth
to her
339
00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:34,363
when you go and see her,
340
00:17:34,363 --> 00:17:36,030
I shall be extremely angry.
341
00:17:36,030 --> 00:17:37,825
You have to tell her what
you've told me
342
00:17:37,825 --> 00:17:42,061
'cause she must know where
she stands," and they did.
343
00:17:43,229 --> 00:17:45,023
I went in first.
344
00:17:45,314 --> 00:17:48,753
I said she'd been defeated
and should step down
345
00:17:48,753 --> 00:17:50,713
and she wouldn't win the
second ballot
346
00:17:50,713 --> 00:17:51,547
against Michael Heseltine,
347
00:17:51,547 --> 00:17:55,049
but she should allow, talk to
certain John Major to come in.
348
00:17:55,049 --> 00:17:57,679
She said I was being
defeatist and try to rally me,
349
00:17:57,679 --> 00:18:00,305
you know, get me to pull
myself together and stop being so,
350
00:18:00,305 --> 00:18:04,936
you know, sort of defeatist,
and we failed to agree.
351
00:18:04,936 --> 00:18:07,021
[Narrator] Realizing her
time was up
352
00:18:07,021 --> 00:18:10,482
but not wanting to fall
victim to Heseltine's plot,
353
00:18:10,482 --> 00:18:13,527
Thatcher decided to resign.
354
00:18:13,527 --> 00:18:15,822
On November 22nd, 1990,
355
00:18:15,822 --> 00:18:19,826
she resigned as leader
of the Conservative Party
356
00:18:19,826 --> 00:18:21,075
and as Prime Minister,
357
00:18:21,075 --> 00:18:24,664
after 11 consecutive years in office.
358
00:18:24,664 --> 00:18:26,874
[Reporter] Number 10
is a house and a home
359
00:18:26,874 --> 00:18:27,583
as well as an office,
360
00:18:27,583 --> 00:18:30,084
and as Margaret Thatcher
left it after so long,
361
00:18:30,084 --> 00:18:31,085
there was applause to be heard,
362
00:18:31,085 --> 00:18:34,381
and I'm told, a tear or two
shed among the unseen staff.
363
00:18:34,381 --> 00:18:37,927
Mrs. Thatcher's own voice
had an emotional edge to it.
364
00:18:37,927 --> 00:18:41,430
Ladies and gentlemen,
we're leaving Downing Street
365
00:18:41,430 --> 00:18:46,936
for the last time after 11
and a half wonderful years,
366
00:18:46,936 --> 00:18:47,813
and we're very happy
367
00:18:47,813 --> 00:18:50,940
that we leave the United Kingdom
368
00:18:50,940 --> 00:18:53,107
in a very, very much better state
369
00:18:53,107 --> 00:18:56,696
than when we came here
11 and a half years ago.
370
00:18:56,696 --> 00:18:58,530
[Reporter] But then
the Iron Lady's composure
371
00:18:58,530 --> 00:19:02,035
almost broke, watch her
face as she reaches her car.
372
00:19:02,035 --> 00:19:04,996
(audience clapping)
373
00:19:04,996 --> 00:19:06,914
(slow music)
374
00:19:06,914 --> 00:19:10,316
She recovered quickly for one
last wave.
375
00:19:10,316 --> 00:19:12,962
Friends say though that
she is deeply shocked
376
00:19:12,962 --> 00:19:15,089
by the seeming injustice of it all.
377
00:19:15,089 --> 00:19:16,130
Three election victories
378
00:19:16,130 --> 00:19:18,383
and a clear though
insufficient majority
379
00:19:18,383 --> 00:19:20,134
in the first ballot rewarded,
380
00:19:20,134 --> 00:19:22,136
as she sees it, with the sack.
381
00:19:22,136 --> 00:19:24,724
[Narrator] In her final
bid to hold her head up high
382
00:19:24,724 --> 00:19:27,894
and to outwit her arch
enemy, Michael Heseltine,
383
00:19:27,894 --> 00:19:30,312
she moved her chess pieces to
make certain
384
00:19:30,312 --> 00:19:34,256
that John Major would
become her successor.
385
00:19:34,673 --> 00:19:39,237
Famously, Thatcher always
maintained she was undefeated.
386
00:19:39,237 --> 00:19:44,158
She never lost an election,
and she resigned herself.
387
00:19:44,158 --> 00:19:45,410
(chiming music)
388
00:19:45,410 --> 00:19:49,916
One can only imagine the
conversation at the final meeting
389
00:19:49,916 --> 00:19:50,751
when Margaret Thatcher,
390
00:19:50,751 --> 00:19:53,961
Prime Minister for 11 and a
half years,
391
00:19:53,961 --> 00:19:55,170
went to Buckingham Palace
392
00:19:55,170 --> 00:19:58,172
to offer her resignation to
the Queen.
393
00:19:58,172 --> 00:20:01,199
(chiming music)
394
00:20:05,203 --> 00:20:09,226
Major won the vote for
leadership with 185 votes.
395
00:20:09,226 --> 00:20:13,355
Though Douglas and Heseltine
could have challenged it,
396
00:20:13,355 --> 00:20:14,398
they conceded.
397
00:20:14,398 --> 00:20:17,466
(chiming music)
398
00:20:19,217 --> 00:20:23,221
[Announcer] Michael
Heseltine, 131.
399
00:20:23,556 --> 00:20:25,391
Douglas Hurd, 56.
400
00:20:26,935 --> 00:20:28,310
John Major 185.
401
00:20:29,395 --> 00:20:31,206
(audience cheering)
402
00:20:31,206 --> 00:20:33,333
[Reporter] Huntingdon
Conservative Club members
403
00:20:33,333 --> 00:20:34,794
knew they were on a winning streak.
404
00:20:34,794 --> 00:20:38,822
Their domino team has won
its last three matches,
405
00:20:39,363 --> 00:20:41,759
but there was just a slight
hint of doubt
406
00:20:41,759 --> 00:20:43,827
about what the figures meant
407
00:20:44,242 --> 00:20:46,872
until the Heseltine concession,
408
00:20:46,997 --> 00:20:49,767
and that was received in
the appropriate manner.
409
00:20:49,767 --> 00:20:50,435
(audience cheering)
410
00:20:50,435 --> 00:20:53,227
Huntingdon tonight is no
longer the constituency,
411
00:20:53,227 --> 00:20:54,772
it's the Prime Minister's seat.
412
00:20:54,772 --> 00:20:56,190
(audience clapping)
413
00:20:56,190 --> 00:20:57,691
I think he's a fantastic guy.
414
00:20:57,691 --> 00:21:02,236
I mean, he'll make a first
class Prime Minister.
415
00:21:02,236 --> 00:21:03,157
Gray image?
416
00:21:03,157 --> 00:21:06,784
There's no gray image. What
you see is what you get.
417
00:21:06,784 --> 00:21:07,702
Fantastic guy.
418
00:21:07,702 --> 00:21:09,244
I've known him now for 20 years.
419
00:21:09,244 --> 00:21:12,456
I've always seen that
steely determination in him.
420
00:21:12,456 --> 00:21:13,833
He'll do a fantastic
job as Prime Minister.
421
00:21:13,833 --> 00:21:17,251
He'll, first of all, heal the party,
422
00:21:17,251 --> 00:21:18,213
and he'll take the party
423
00:21:18,213 --> 00:21:19,337
to victory the next general election.
424
00:21:19,337 --> 00:21:22,424
What sort of changes can we
expect?
425
00:21:22,424 --> 00:21:23,301
You'll have to ask John that.
426
00:21:23,301 --> 00:21:25,760
I don't think you'll see many things.
427
00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:26,471
He thoroughly approves
428
00:21:26,471 --> 00:21:27,637
of what the government's done
to date.
429
00:21:27,637 --> 00:21:30,975
You may well see some changes
in style and presentation,
430
00:21:30,975 --> 00:21:34,145
but I think you'll find he'll
be pursuing the policies
431
00:21:34,145 --> 00:21:35,437
of the present government.
432
00:21:35,437 --> 00:21:37,689
[Reporter] Huntingdon
produced Oliver Cromwell.
433
00:21:37,689 --> 00:21:39,691
Now it's produced a Prime Minister,
434
00:21:39,691 --> 00:21:41,903
tonight, something to be celebrated.
435
00:21:41,903 --> 00:21:45,279
(slow contemplative music)
436
00:21:45,279 --> 00:21:48,034
[Narrator] On the 28th
November, 1990,
437
00:21:48,034 --> 00:21:51,453
John Major accepted Her
Majesty's invitation
438
00:21:51,453 --> 00:21:53,287
to form a government.
439
00:21:53,287 --> 00:21:56,416
It is said, as he drove
out of the golden gates
440
00:21:56,416 --> 00:21:57,919
of Buckingham Palace,
441
00:21:57,919 --> 00:22:00,294
he thought about how far he'd
come
442
00:22:00,294 --> 00:22:04,050
from a boy growing up in
a cramped flat in Brixton
443
00:22:04,050 --> 00:22:06,718
to Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom,
444
00:22:06,718 --> 00:22:09,889
living in Number 10 Downing Street.
445
00:22:09,889 --> 00:22:12,999
(chiming music)
446
00:22:14,332 --> 00:22:15,477
(crowd shouting)
447
00:22:15,477 --> 00:22:17,188
[Reporter] What's your
reaction, Mr. Major?
448
00:22:17,188 --> 00:22:20,314
I'd like, I'd like, firstly
if I may,
449
00:22:20,314 --> 00:22:22,902
to thank my many parliamentary colleagues
450
00:22:22,902 --> 00:22:25,319
for the tremendous support
they've given me today.
451
00:22:25,319 --> 00:22:28,282
It's an enormous encouragement
to know that so many people
452
00:22:28,282 --> 00:22:30,659
in the parliamentary party
are prepared to entrust me
453
00:22:30,659 --> 00:22:32,619
with the leadership of
the Conservative Party,
454
00:22:32,619 --> 00:22:35,664
and I will endeavor to
discharge those responsibilities
455
00:22:35,664 --> 00:22:37,749
to the best of my ability.
456
00:22:37,749 --> 00:22:38,333
If I may,
457
00:22:38,333 --> 00:22:41,003
I do think this particular
election has enhanced
458
00:22:41,003 --> 00:22:43,338
the democratic process
quite substantially.
459
00:22:43,338 --> 00:22:45,091
It's been a very clean election,
460
00:22:45,091 --> 00:22:48,342
an election based on
substance and not personality
461
00:22:48,342 --> 00:22:51,180
and an election that has
dealt very constructively
462
00:22:51,180 --> 00:22:51,722
with the issues,
463
00:22:51,722 --> 00:22:53,933
and I'd like to offer
my very grateful thanks
464
00:22:53,933 --> 00:22:55,977
to Douglas Hurd and to Michael Heseltine,
465
00:22:55,977 --> 00:22:58,271
both for the way they
conducted the election
466
00:22:58,271 --> 00:22:59,981
and also for the very gracious way
467
00:22:59,981 --> 00:23:01,065
in which they have conceded
468
00:23:01,065 --> 00:23:03,985
that they will not stand
on the third ballot.
469
00:23:03,985 --> 00:23:04,652
It is, it is,
470
00:23:04,652 --> 00:23:06,360
it is a very exciting thing
471
00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:08,906
to become leader of the
Conservative Party
472
00:23:08,906 --> 00:23:10,199
and particularly exciting, I think,
473
00:23:10,199 --> 00:23:12,243
to follow one of the
most remarkable leaders
474
00:23:12,243 --> 00:23:14,452
that the Conservative Party
has ever had.
475
00:23:14,452 --> 00:23:19,041
I believe, as time proceeds,
and Margaret Thatcher's period
476
00:23:19,041 --> 00:23:22,003
as Prime Minister is seen
in a proper perspective,
477
00:23:22,003 --> 00:23:22,670
that it will be seen
478
00:23:22,670 --> 00:23:25,339
that she has been a very
great Prime Minister indeed.
479
00:23:25,339 --> 00:23:27,424
Our job now I think is quite clear.
480
00:23:27,424 --> 00:23:28,383
We're going to unite.
481
00:23:28,383 --> 00:23:30,719
We are going to unite
totally and absolutely,
482
00:23:30,719 --> 00:23:32,470
and we're going to win
the next general election.
483
00:23:32,470 --> 00:23:36,142
Thank you all very much
indeed. Thank you all very much.
484
00:23:36,142 --> 00:23:37,184
My first task immediately.
485
00:23:37,184 --> 00:23:38,685
[Reporter] How do you
feel this, Mrs. Major?
486
00:23:38,685 --> 00:23:40,687
- Delighted.
- My first task immediately is
487
00:23:40,687 --> 00:23:42,396
to go and thank the enormous number
488
00:23:42,396 --> 00:23:44,108
of my parliamentary colleagues,
489
00:23:44,108 --> 00:23:44,734
friends and others
490
00:23:44,734 --> 00:23:46,735
who've been working in this campaign.
491
00:23:46,735 --> 00:23:47,486
Thank you all very much.
492
00:23:47,486 --> 00:23:51,615
Thank you all very much indeed
(reporter shouting)
493
00:23:51,615 --> 00:23:54,035
(solemn music)
494
00:23:54,035 --> 00:23:56,162
[Narrator] Unfortunately for
John Major,
495
00:23:56,162 --> 00:24:00,707
he inherited a government
dominated by the 1990s recession
496
00:24:00,707 --> 00:24:05,419
caused by high interest rates
and falling house prices.
497
00:24:05,419 --> 00:24:11,425
Unemployment rate by the
end of 1991 was 2.5 million.
498
00:24:11,425 --> 00:24:12,719
Nonetheless, opinion polling
499
00:24:12,719 --> 00:24:17,308
for the conservative
government remained fairly stable.
500
00:24:17,308 --> 00:24:17,808
A fresh face
501
00:24:17,808 --> 00:24:20,769
on the Conservative Party
welcomed an opportunity
502
00:24:20,769 --> 00:24:25,066
for change, and Major felt
a great responsibility
503
00:24:25,066 --> 00:24:28,485
and sense of duty to
help an ailing country
504
00:24:28,485 --> 00:24:31,012
and economy to heal.
505
00:24:32,097 --> 00:24:34,949
The deeply unpopular poll tax
was an area
506
00:24:34,949 --> 00:24:38,452
which Major knew must
be dealt with quickly,
507
00:24:38,452 --> 00:24:41,456
a task he appointed to Heseltine.
508
00:24:41,456 --> 00:24:46,337
I certainly do not rule out
the need for further changes
509
00:24:46,337 --> 00:24:48,255
in the community charge,
510
00:24:48,255 --> 00:24:49,464
and as I talk to my colleagues,
511
00:24:49,464 --> 00:24:51,466
and these discussions are not concluded
512
00:24:51,466 --> 00:24:53,467
and will continue with my colleagues,
513
00:24:53,467 --> 00:24:58,598
I do become increasingly
convinced that we will not be able
514
00:24:58,598 --> 00:25:00,474
to leave things as they are.
515
00:25:00,474 --> 00:25:02,311
In no sense, where necessary,
516
00:25:02,311 --> 00:25:04,478
where necessary and if necessary,
517
00:25:04,478 --> 00:25:08,359
would I be afraid to make
changes in government policy.
518
00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:12,486
[Narrator] In April,
1993, poll tax was replaced
519
00:25:12,486 --> 00:25:13,655
with council tax,
520
00:25:13,655 --> 00:25:17,515
a sliding scale based on
property prices.
521
00:25:18,101 --> 00:25:21,495
The international landscape
was also changing rapidly.
522
00:25:21,495 --> 00:25:25,042
The early '90s marked the
collapse of the Soviet Union
523
00:25:25,042 --> 00:25:28,920
as well as the end of the
apartheid in South Africa.
524
00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:33,507
Major remained engaged in the
international organizations
525
00:25:33,507 --> 00:25:34,634
such as the United Nations
526
00:25:34,634 --> 00:25:39,164
and the Commonwealth of
which the Queen was head.
527
00:25:40,331 --> 00:25:41,558
(upbeat African music)
528
00:25:41,558 --> 00:25:44,353
[Reporter] For the first
time in recent political memory,
529
00:25:44,353 --> 00:25:46,355
Commonwealth leaders
gathered for a meeting
530
00:25:46,355 --> 00:25:48,606
where strong feelings about
South Africa
531
00:25:48,606 --> 00:25:50,524
no longer threaten the harmony.
532
00:25:50,524 --> 00:25:52,527
The British camp has been
working hard to ensure
533
00:25:52,527 --> 00:25:55,739
that what differences
still exist don't develop
534
00:25:55,739 --> 00:25:57,408
into open disputes,
535
00:25:57,408 --> 00:26:00,286
and the Prime Minister's
efforts were rewarded today.
536
00:26:00,286 --> 00:26:02,288
Over lunch, Nelson Mandela
briefed him
537
00:26:02,288 --> 00:26:04,415
on his ideas for changing the timetable
538
00:26:04,415 --> 00:26:07,126
for lifting sanctions
against South Africa.
539
00:26:07,126 --> 00:26:08,002
The ANC leader followed that
540
00:26:08,002 --> 00:26:11,629
with the sort of endorsement
politicians dream of.
541
00:26:11,629 --> 00:26:14,407
Whatever differences may be there,
542
00:26:14,573 --> 00:26:16,550
one thing is clear,
543
00:26:16,550 --> 00:26:18,011
that the British government
544
00:26:18,011 --> 00:26:21,182
and the British people are the enemies
545
00:26:21,182 --> 00:26:24,518
of all forms of racial discrimination.
546
00:26:24,518 --> 00:26:27,604
There is an awkward question
being quietly asked here.
547
00:26:27,604 --> 00:26:31,024
Once the Commonwealth stops
arguing about South Africa,
548
00:26:31,024 --> 00:26:31,776
does it become little more
549
00:26:31,776 --> 00:26:34,403
than a rather grand
international club?
550
00:26:34,403 --> 00:26:35,945
That's why there's so much
talk this week
551
00:26:35,945 --> 00:26:39,073
about finding a new role
for the Commonwealth.
552
00:26:39,073 --> 00:26:40,574
Among those dining with the
Queen tonight,
553
00:26:40,574 --> 00:26:43,703
there's no question of abandoning
Commonwealth traditions
554
00:26:43,703 --> 00:26:45,579
like decision by consensus.
555
00:26:45,579 --> 00:26:48,082
So, initiatives like John
Major's proposal
556
00:26:48,082 --> 00:26:49,876
that the Commonwealth become a guardian
557
00:26:49,876 --> 00:26:51,585
of human rights and democracy
558
00:26:51,585 --> 00:26:52,587
have to be made rather gingerly,
559
00:26:52,587 --> 00:26:55,924
especially when they involve
pointing the finger of blame.
560
00:26:55,924 --> 00:26:58,843
Member states of the Commonwealth
have not always applied
561
00:26:58,843 --> 00:27:01,805
the values which our
organization represents,
562
00:27:01,805 --> 00:27:04,598
but we have always held onto
those values.
563
00:27:04,598 --> 00:27:08,602
They represent a yard stick of
behavior for each one of us.
564
00:27:08,602 --> 00:27:12,274
The Commonwealth is well
placed to catch the tidal wave
565
00:27:12,274 --> 00:27:13,607
of human rights and democracy
566
00:27:13,607 --> 00:27:16,570
which is sweeping across
much of the world.
567
00:27:16,570 --> 00:27:18,280
[Narrator] Though actively engaged,
568
00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,407
Major found some of these meetings
569
00:27:20,407 --> 00:27:22,617
to be deeply frustrating,
570
00:27:22,617 --> 00:27:24,453
Nothing much would be achieved,
571
00:27:24,453 --> 00:27:28,457
and he would tire of sitting
through interminable speeches
572
00:27:28,457 --> 00:27:31,544
and watching elaborate ceremonies.
573
00:27:31,544 --> 00:27:33,212
Major felt, in particular,
574
00:27:33,212 --> 00:27:36,756
the G7 summits were notorious
for this.
575
00:27:36,756 --> 00:27:39,634
After agreement from US
President Bill Clinton,
576
00:27:39,634 --> 00:27:44,638
successive summits were much
more scaled down and informal,
577
00:27:44,638 --> 00:27:46,874
much to Major's delight.
578
00:27:47,875 --> 00:27:53,672
(helicopter whirring)
(tense music)
579
00:28:03,433 --> 00:28:04,410
We've told Saddam Hussein,
580
00:28:04,410 --> 00:28:06,203
he's been told quite
clearly by the allies,
581
00:28:06,203 --> 00:28:09,623
that we wish to ensure the
safety of the no fly zone.
582
00:28:09,623 --> 00:28:11,542
Firstly, he must honor the no
fly zone.
583
00:28:11,542 --> 00:28:12,666
There's been no more flying in it,
584
00:28:12,666 --> 00:28:15,379
and secondly, he must
remove the SAM missiles.
585
00:28:15,379 --> 00:28:17,590
That's made perfectly clear to him.
586
00:28:17,590 --> 00:28:18,672
He knows that,
587
00:28:18,672 --> 00:28:20,133
set a timeframe for it.
588
00:28:20,133 --> 00:28:21,343
I hope he will comply.
589
00:28:21,343 --> 00:28:25,580
(slow contemplative music)
590
00:28:29,791 --> 00:28:31,228
[Narrator] One of the
defining elements
591
00:28:31,228 --> 00:28:35,316
of John Major's premiership
was the Gulf War.
592
00:28:35,316 --> 00:28:37,276
John Major became Prime Minister
593
00:28:37,276 --> 00:28:41,346
shortly after Saddam
Hussein invaded Kuwait.
594
00:28:41,929 --> 00:28:46,117
US President George Bush and
John Major worked together
595
00:28:46,117 --> 00:28:49,288
to try and find a peaceful solution.
596
00:28:49,288 --> 00:28:50,997
The so-called special relationship
597
00:28:50,997 --> 00:28:55,835
between the UK and US
continued in Major's
premiership.
598
00:28:55,835 --> 00:28:59,088
Major and Bush got on
remarkably well.
599
00:28:59,088 --> 00:29:01,592
However, despite their best efforts,
600
00:29:01,592 --> 00:29:05,387
military action started in
January, 1991
601
00:29:05,387 --> 00:29:08,474
after Iraq had been
given a deadline to leave
602
00:29:08,474 --> 00:29:11,725
but their forces continued
to occupy Kuwait.
603
00:29:11,725 --> 00:29:15,045
(slow tense music)
604
00:29:21,678 --> 00:29:24,113
[Reporter] John Major has
brought a fighting message
605
00:29:24,113 --> 00:29:24,739
to Saudi Arabia,
606
00:29:24,739 --> 00:29:28,535
rejecting out of hand any
deal short of total withdrawal
607
00:29:28,535 --> 00:29:29,329
by Saddam Hussein,
608
00:29:29,329 --> 00:29:33,748
telling his hosts that Iraq
could not possibly win any war
609
00:29:33,748 --> 00:29:35,124
and dismissing any talk
610
00:29:35,124 --> 00:29:37,751
of changing the deadline for withdrawal.
611
00:29:37,751 --> 00:29:40,714
The airport at which he
landed is ready for war.
612
00:29:40,714 --> 00:29:43,757
The signs of the American
buildup are everywhere,
613
00:29:43,757 --> 00:29:44,884
and because of that massive force,
614
00:29:44,884 --> 00:29:47,761
John Major says, the allies
cannot lose.
615
00:29:47,761 --> 00:29:50,764
I hope Saddam Hussein
realizes what's ranged against him.
616
00:29:50,764 --> 00:29:53,767
There is no possibility that
he could win any conflict,
617
00:29:53,767 --> 00:29:54,769
no possibility whatsoever.
618
00:29:54,769 --> 00:29:55,770
[Reporter] And that is mostly
619
00:29:55,770 --> 00:29:58,147
because the air power would
be overwhelmingly on one side?
620
00:29:58,147 --> 00:29:59,773
The air power is very substantial,
621
00:29:59,773 --> 00:30:02,276
but the rest of the
power is awesome as well.
622
00:30:02,276 --> 00:30:03,777
[Reporter] News of the
attempts by Iraq
623
00:30:03,777 --> 00:30:05,863
to get the deadline for action postponed
624
00:30:05,863 --> 00:30:07,073
filtered through as he toured.
625
00:30:07,073 --> 00:30:09,368
The Prime Minister was not interested.
626
00:30:09,368 --> 00:30:11,704
No, there's no question
of shifting the deadline.
627
00:30:11,704 --> 00:30:13,787
We've known for some time
that he may play games
628
00:30:13,787 --> 00:30:15,749
of this sort and try to
edge the deadline forward.
629
00:30:15,749 --> 00:30:18,419
It isn't something that we
are prepared to contemplate.
630
00:30:18,419 --> 00:30:20,086
[Reporter] That tough
line is partly the result
631
00:30:20,086 --> 00:30:22,339
of the suffering of those
still in Kuwait,
632
00:30:22,339 --> 00:30:23,797
outlined once again in a meeting
633
00:30:23,797 --> 00:30:26,677
with the Exar Kuwaiti
leaders earlier today.
634
00:30:26,677 --> 00:30:28,679
It's also, of course, part of
the campaign
635
00:30:28,679 --> 00:30:32,766
to persuade Saddam that
withdrawal is his only option.
636
00:30:32,766 --> 00:30:33,601
The British here still hope
637
00:30:33,601 --> 00:30:36,269
the Iraqi leader will change
his mind and withdraw,
638
00:30:36,269 --> 00:30:37,771
but like the rest of the country,
639
00:30:37,771 --> 00:30:38,812
they're preparing for war.
640
00:30:38,812 --> 00:30:41,815
Diplomats were handing out
some of 12,000 gas masks
641
00:30:41,815 --> 00:30:45,362
to the British civilians
today as John Major arrived.
642
00:30:45,362 --> 00:30:46,238
It's very nice to see you all.
643
00:30:46,238 --> 00:30:47,989
[Reporter] How does he
explain to those
644
00:30:47,989 --> 00:30:49,907
who might be caught up in a
Gulf War
645
00:30:49,907 --> 00:30:51,825
why the price is worth paying?
646
00:30:51,825 --> 00:30:54,413
If we are not prepared to
deal with this matter now,
647
00:30:54,413 --> 00:30:58,291
we might face, quite apart
from not correcting a wrong
648
00:30:58,291 --> 00:30:59,793
that needs to be put right,
649
00:30:59,793 --> 00:31:01,754
we might face a far greater problem
650
00:31:01,754 --> 00:31:02,879
in the not too distant future.
651
00:31:02,879 --> 00:31:04,465
I don't think that's tolerable.
652
00:31:04,465 --> 00:31:05,839
We've learned from history in
the past
653
00:31:05,839 --> 00:31:08,217
that if you put off dealing
with this sort of problem,
654
00:31:08,217 --> 00:31:11,179
you may well have a larger
problem a little later.
655
00:31:11,179 --> 00:31:11,846
Everyone, I think,
656
00:31:11,846 --> 00:31:13,847
in the international community understands
657
00:31:13,847 --> 00:31:14,517
that very well.
658
00:31:14,517 --> 00:31:16,810
Tonight, came an audience
with King Fahd
659
00:31:16,810 --> 00:31:17,395
of Saudi Arabia.
660
00:31:17,395 --> 00:31:20,854
The subject, security in the
Gulf after Kuwait is regained.
661
00:31:20,854 --> 00:31:23,191
Tomorrow, John Major
travels into the desert
662
00:31:23,191 --> 00:31:25,276
for perhaps the most
vital part of this tour,
663
00:31:25,276 --> 00:31:29,322
to see some of the 34,000
British service men and women
664
00:31:29,322 --> 00:31:30,407
on duty in the Gulf.
665
00:31:30,407 --> 00:31:31,908
He'll ask them what their
problems are,
666
00:31:31,908 --> 00:31:35,036
and he'll try to reassure
them that if the war comes,
667
00:31:35,036 --> 00:31:36,580
it's one they're going to win.
668
00:31:36,580 --> 00:31:38,457
Now, tomorrow, you
visit the British troops
669
00:31:38,457 --> 00:31:43,462
and you've said that Saddam
Hussein cannot win any conflict
670
00:31:43,462 --> 00:31:46,380
because of the sheer force
against him.
671
00:31:46,380 --> 00:31:49,175
He can, nevertheless, embark
on a nasty
672
00:31:49,175 --> 00:31:53,887
and brutal conflict involving
many British personnel.
673
00:31:53,887 --> 00:31:55,890
Well, he's already embarked
upon a nasty
674
00:31:55,890 --> 00:31:58,184
and brutal conflict in Kuwait
675
00:31:58,184 --> 00:31:58,893
We know he has done that
676
00:31:58,893 --> 00:32:01,895
and it is to expel him
from continuing that
677
00:32:01,895 --> 00:32:03,106
that British troops are there.
678
00:32:03,106 --> 00:32:04,315
We're all well aware of that.
679
00:32:04,315 --> 00:32:08,027
There is the most enormous
amount of allied power here,
680
00:32:08,027 --> 00:32:10,071
both air power and land power.
681
00:32:10,071 --> 00:32:12,323
It is quite impossible for
Saddam Hussein
682
00:32:12,323 --> 00:32:13,534
to prevail against that,
683
00:32:13,534 --> 00:32:14,908
and I hope he will realize it.
684
00:32:14,908 --> 00:32:17,663
If we are not prepared to
deal with this matter now,
685
00:32:17,663 --> 00:32:21,500
we might face, quite apart
from not correcting a wrong
686
00:32:21,500 --> 00:32:22,916
that needs to be put right,
687
00:32:22,916 --> 00:32:24,918
we might face a far greater problem
688
00:32:24,918 --> 00:32:26,045
in the not too distant future.
689
00:32:26,045 --> 00:32:27,631
I don't think that's tolerable.
690
00:32:27,631 --> 00:32:28,922
We've learned from history in
the past
691
00:32:28,922 --> 00:32:31,342
that if you put off dealing
with this sort of problem,
692
00:32:31,342 --> 00:32:34,345
you may well have a larger
problem a little later.
693
00:32:34,345 --> 00:32:34,972
Everyone, I think,
694
00:32:34,972 --> 00:32:36,930
in the international community understands
695
00:32:36,930 --> 00:32:38,015
that very well.
696
00:32:38,015 --> 00:32:39,560
[Narrator] Major flew to the Gulf
697
00:32:39,560 --> 00:32:42,436
to see for himself what the
situation was.
698
00:32:42,436 --> 00:32:45,939
Meeting the servicemen
struck a chord with Major.
699
00:32:45,939 --> 00:32:49,235
His son was only a little
younger than the troops,
700
00:32:49,235 --> 00:32:50,863
and it was very moving for him
701
00:32:50,863 --> 00:32:53,971
to see the reality of what was happening.
702
00:32:54,972 --> 00:32:56,200
[Reporter] The Prime
Minister charged
703
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:58,286
across the sands of Saudi
Arabia today
704
00:32:58,286 --> 00:33:00,914
in the company of the
troops who, next week,
705
00:33:00,914 --> 00:33:02,624
may be committed to war.
706
00:33:02,624 --> 00:33:04,958
In Mr. Major's words to the troops,
707
00:33:04,958 --> 00:33:05,959
Close in please.
708
00:33:05,959 --> 00:33:07,003
[Reporter] "We may invite you
709
00:33:07,003 --> 00:33:10,214
to forcibly remove Saddam
Hussein,"
710
00:33:10,214 --> 00:33:12,551
but for all the war
like talk in the desert,
711
00:33:12,551 --> 00:33:15,303
Mr. Major has effectively
ruled out the use
712
00:33:15,303 --> 00:33:16,970
of the ultimate weapon.
713
00:33:16,970 --> 00:33:17,640
The question?
714
00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:19,808
If the allies are attacked
with chemical weapons,
715
00:33:19,808 --> 00:33:21,975
would they retaliate with
nuclear?
716
00:33:21,975 --> 00:33:24,228
We have plenty of weapons
short of that
717
00:33:24,228 --> 00:33:26,980
and we have no plans of
the sort you envisage,
718
00:33:26,980 --> 00:33:28,901
and we hope, and we hope,
719
00:33:28,901 --> 00:33:32,654
we hope it is perfectly
clear to Saddam Hussein that,
720
00:33:32,654 --> 00:33:34,988
firstly, that our men
will be well protected
721
00:33:34,988 --> 00:33:35,989
against chemical weapons.
722
00:33:35,989 --> 00:33:37,991
He'd be very unwise to do that.
723
00:33:37,991 --> 00:33:39,578
I hope he won't do that.
724
00:33:39,578 --> 00:33:41,622
I hope he will actually have
the sense
725
00:33:41,622 --> 00:33:42,915
to make a peaceful withdrawal,
726
00:33:42,915 --> 00:33:46,710
but we have plenty of weapons
short of those you mention.
727
00:33:46,710 --> 00:33:47,753
[Reporter] Otherwise, Mr. Major
728
00:33:47,753 --> 00:33:49,880
took an extremely tough
line against Saddam,
729
00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:52,340
promising there'd be no
concessions to gain peace.
730
00:33:52,340 --> 00:33:55,969
He would be forced to leave
all the land he had taken.
731
00:33:55,969 --> 00:33:57,971
It was a visit designed to
raise morale
732
00:33:57,971 --> 00:34:00,223
among the armed forces
and at home as well,
733
00:34:00,223 --> 00:34:03,059
as the deadline for action
draws near.
734
00:34:03,059 --> 00:34:05,144
(tense music)
735
00:34:05,144 --> 00:34:06,020
[Narrator] Major made
736
00:34:06,020 --> 00:34:08,857
an unusual prime ministerial broadcast
737
00:34:08,857 --> 00:34:11,466
upon his return to the UK.
738
00:34:12,593 --> 00:34:16,405
First, we must get Iraq out
of Kuwait,
739
00:34:16,405 --> 00:34:17,866
right out of Kuwait.
740
00:34:17,866 --> 00:34:22,770
Second, we must restore
Kuwait's legitimate government,
741
00:34:22,770 --> 00:34:26,415
and third, we must uphold the authority
742
00:34:26,415 --> 00:34:27,334
of the United Nations.
743
00:34:27,334 --> 00:34:31,838
The operation on which we
have embarked involves danger
744
00:34:31,838 --> 00:34:33,280
and sacrifice,
745
00:34:33,614 --> 00:34:36,951
but I am confident that it
will succeed
746
00:34:37,074 --> 00:34:40,913
and we know it is a battle
which has to be fought.
747
00:34:43,749 --> 00:34:46,603
[George] Now, the 28
countries with forces
748
00:34:46,603 --> 00:34:50,899
in the Gulf area have
exhausted all reasonable efforts
749
00:34:50,899 --> 00:34:52,985
to reach a peaceful resolution,
750
00:34:52,985 --> 00:34:58,740
have no choice but to drive
Saddam from Kuwait by force.
751
00:34:58,740 --> 00:35:00,073
We will not fail.
752
00:35:00,073 --> 00:35:05,270
Air attacks are underway
against military targets in Iraq.
753
00:35:06,063 --> 00:35:09,417
[Narrator] On the 16th
January, 1991,
754
00:35:09,417 --> 00:35:13,110
Operation Desert Storm commenced.
755
00:35:13,696 --> 00:35:14,214
(bomb exploding)
756
00:35:14,214 --> 00:35:19,176
US war planes attacked
military targets in Iraq.
757
00:35:19,176 --> 00:35:24,265
On the 24th February, ground
war began.
758
00:35:24,265 --> 00:35:25,726
(gun clicking)
759
00:35:25,726 --> 00:35:27,060
(gunshots popping)
760
00:35:27,060 --> 00:35:30,462
(soldiers chatting)
761
00:35:32,464 --> 00:35:37,570
(gunshots popping)
(slow music)
762
00:35:37,570 --> 00:35:38,488
Of course, the Queen,
763
00:35:38,488 --> 00:35:42,993
among her many other roles,
is head of armed forces.
764
00:35:42,993 --> 00:35:46,495
Conversations between the
Queen and her Prime Minister
765
00:35:46,495 --> 00:35:49,122
would have surely
included great discussion
766
00:35:49,122 --> 00:35:52,002
about sending her troops to war.
767
00:35:52,002 --> 00:35:55,964
Most unusually, the Queen
televised a broadcast
768
00:35:55,964 --> 00:35:59,132
detailing the nation's
pride in its armed forces
769
00:35:59,132 --> 00:36:03,829
and her hope for a swift
conclusion to the Gulf War.
770
00:36:06,163 --> 00:36:10,143
As they, with our allies,
face a fresh
771
00:36:10,143 --> 00:36:12,253
and yet sterner challenge,
772
00:36:12,797 --> 00:36:15,399
I hope that we can unite in praying
773
00:36:15,399 --> 00:36:19,344
that their success will be
as swift as it is certain
774
00:36:20,177 --> 00:36:23,156
and that it may be achieved
with as small a cost
775
00:36:23,156 --> 00:36:26,852
in human life and suffering as possible.
776
00:36:27,310 --> 00:36:31,665
Then may the true reward of
their courage be granted,
777
00:36:31,665 --> 00:36:34,191
a just and lasting peace.
778
00:36:35,193 --> 00:36:37,130
[Narrator] By the 28th February,
779
00:36:37,130 --> 00:36:42,426
Bush announced a ceasefire,
leaving Kuwait liberated.
780
00:36:42,426 --> 00:36:44,553
On the 3rd March, 1991,
781
00:36:44,553 --> 00:36:47,766
Iraq agreed to all UN resolutions
782
00:36:47,766 --> 00:36:50,018
and an agreement was finally signed
783
00:36:50,018 --> 00:36:52,645
on the 6th of April, 1991.
784
00:36:52,645 --> 00:36:53,855
(tense music)
785
00:36:53,855 --> 00:36:56,649
Thank you very much for what
you've done over the last,
786
00:36:56,649 --> 00:36:57,650
over the last few months.
787
00:36:57,650 --> 00:37:01,113
It's been an absolutely
fabulous job.
788
00:37:01,113 --> 00:37:03,572
I don't think it could
have been better done
789
00:37:03,572 --> 00:37:05,616
and the general impression
back home,
790
00:37:05,616 --> 00:37:08,201
and I think it's the right impression,
791
00:37:08,201 --> 00:37:09,080
is that this has been one
792
00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:13,206
of the most remarkable
military episodes ever.
793
00:37:13,206 --> 00:37:15,668
It's been a copy book exercise.
794
00:37:15,668 --> 00:37:17,586
It was brilliantly planned,
795
00:37:17,586 --> 00:37:19,212
It was brilliantly done,
796
00:37:19,212 --> 00:37:21,758
and I'd just like you
to know how very proud
797
00:37:21,758 --> 00:37:25,178
at home everyone is in
the way that performed
798
00:37:25,178 --> 00:37:26,139
and the way you operated
799
00:37:26,139 --> 00:37:27,721
over the period of the last
few months.
800
00:37:27,721 --> 00:37:31,392
We won't keep you out here a
day longer than we have to.
801
00:37:31,392 --> 00:37:34,227
The sooner we can get you
back home, we'll do so.
802
00:37:34,227 --> 00:37:38,150
I can't tell you precisely
when that will be,
803
00:37:38,150 --> 00:37:39,232
but I do give you my word
804
00:37:39,232 --> 00:37:41,903
there will be no undue delay
about it.
805
00:37:41,903 --> 00:37:44,321
[Reporter] From one forward
camp merging with the desert
806
00:37:44,321 --> 00:37:46,532
to another and to the soldiers
in each,
807
00:37:46,532 --> 00:37:48,241
he brought the same message.
808
00:37:48,241 --> 00:37:50,286
Thank you for your magnificent effort.
809
00:37:50,286 --> 00:37:52,621
We'll get you home as soon as possible,
810
00:37:52,621 --> 00:37:54,707
and you'll go on leave when
you get there.
811
00:37:54,707 --> 00:37:58,251
In return, the Desert Rats
presented the Prime Minister
812
00:37:58,251 --> 00:37:58,963
with a memento,
813
00:37:58,963 --> 00:38:01,755
a helmet, and a Chinese made Kalashnikov.
814
00:38:01,755 --> 00:38:03,299
Thank you very much indeed.
815
00:38:03,299 --> 00:38:06,343
This will give me cabinet
authority of a sort.
816
00:38:06,343 --> 00:38:09,262
(crowd laughing)
817
00:38:09,262 --> 00:38:12,683
Just wait till we discuss
public expenditure next year.
818
00:38:12,683 --> 00:38:14,727
(crowd laughing)
819
00:38:14,727 --> 00:38:16,897
[Reporter] His final
visit was to HMS Brave,
820
00:38:16,897 --> 00:38:19,024
where he brought to the
sailors the same news
821
00:38:19,024 --> 00:38:21,775
and message he'd given to the
land forces.
822
00:38:21,775 --> 00:38:24,905
Absolutely fabulous, well done.
823
00:38:24,905 --> 00:38:26,198
Thanks very much indeed.
824
00:38:26,198 --> 00:38:26,949
Thank you, thank you.
825
00:38:26,949 --> 00:38:28,241
[Desmond] But the
importance of this visit,
826
00:38:28,241 --> 00:38:30,076
to Kuwaitis and British forces,
827
00:38:30,076 --> 00:38:32,996
lies in Mr. Major being
the first senior statesman
828
00:38:32,996 --> 00:38:34,538
to come here since the war.
829
00:38:34,538 --> 00:38:36,249
Desmond Hamill, News at 10
830
00:38:36,249 --> 00:38:38,291
with the Prime Minister in the Gulf.
831
00:38:38,291 --> 00:38:39,212
(crowd chattering)
832
00:38:39,212 --> 00:38:41,462
Like seeing one of you lot
with my wife.
833
00:38:41,462 --> 00:38:42,296
(group laughing)
834
00:38:42,296 --> 00:38:46,323
(slow contemplative music)
835
00:38:51,288 --> 00:38:53,432
[Narrator] The Queen
welcomed home British troops
836
00:38:53,432 --> 00:38:56,309
returning from the first Gulf War.
837
00:38:56,309 --> 00:38:59,480
Thousands watched as 1,000
service men
838
00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:02,275
and women paraded through London.
839
00:39:02,275 --> 00:39:06,343
(slow contemplative music)
840
00:39:11,348 --> 00:39:14,327
(drums beating)
841
00:39:14,327 --> 00:39:18,875
Though more reserved in its
celebrations than in the US,
842
00:39:18,875 --> 00:39:22,087
a quiet triumph filled the city,
843
00:39:22,087 --> 00:39:22,712
a shared hope
844
00:39:22,712 --> 00:39:26,757
and genuine sense of pride
pervaded the country.
845
00:39:26,757 --> 00:39:31,036
(slow contemplative music)
846
00:39:48,385 --> 00:39:49,405
Another defining factor
847
00:39:49,405 --> 00:39:54,160
for Major was the Northern
Ireland peace process.
848
00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:55,661
Major took his premiership
849
00:39:55,661 --> 00:39:59,540
in the midst of the troubles
with Northern Ireland.
850
00:39:59,540 --> 00:40:02,043
The tension had been rising
for decades,
851
00:40:02,043 --> 00:40:04,712
and he was given a
distinct and clear reminder
852
00:40:04,712 --> 00:40:08,757
of the work that was needed
to unite the nations.
853
00:40:08,757 --> 00:40:11,384
On the 7th February, 1991,
854
00:40:11,384 --> 00:40:15,181
the IRA launched three
homemade mortar shells
855
00:40:15,181 --> 00:40:16,389
at 10 Downing Street
856
00:40:16,389 --> 00:40:20,686
in an attempt to assassinate
Prime Minister John Major.
857
00:40:20,686 --> 00:40:22,563
[Reporter] This was
a well planned attack
858
00:40:22,563 --> 00:40:25,233
aimed at the center of government.
859
00:40:25,233 --> 00:40:25,985
On firing White Hall,
860
00:40:25,985 --> 00:40:28,736
the van used to launch
mortars at 10 Downing Street
861
00:40:28,736 --> 00:40:30,654
while the war cabinet was in session.
862
00:40:30,654 --> 00:40:33,490
An ITN camera was recording
outside the front door
863
00:40:33,490 --> 00:40:35,701
when the blast rocked the building.
864
00:40:35,701 --> 00:40:38,895
(bomb exploding)
865
00:40:40,147 --> 00:40:41,374
Over the top of the building,
866
00:40:41,374 --> 00:40:42,916
a plume of smoke from the blast,
867
00:40:42,916 --> 00:40:46,419
one mortar landed in the
garden of Number 10 and exploded,
868
00:40:46,419 --> 00:40:48,131
blowing a deep crater in the lawn
869
00:40:48,131 --> 00:40:50,008
and smashing dozens of windows.
870
00:40:50,008 --> 00:40:51,759
The other two failed to go off.
871
00:40:51,759 --> 00:40:54,304
Two men were seen running
away from the van,
872
00:40:54,304 --> 00:40:55,429
which appears to have been stopped
873
00:40:55,429 --> 00:40:57,806
on a precise spot to launch
the bombs.
874
00:40:57,806 --> 00:41:00,517
There's no doubt this attack
had been well planned.
875
00:41:00,517 --> 00:41:02,603
The mortar's aimed at a
precise angle
876
00:41:02,603 --> 00:41:04,064
through a hole cut in the roof.
877
00:41:04,064 --> 00:41:07,108
Finding that spot would've
taken weeks of surveillance.
878
00:41:07,108 --> 00:41:07,692
(horn honking)
879
00:41:07,692 --> 00:41:11,737
One bus driver saw the
missiles actually being launched.
880
00:41:11,737 --> 00:41:13,447
(slow music)
881
00:41:13,447 --> 00:41:15,116
He's just went into there.
882
00:41:15,116 --> 00:41:16,659
I mean, first we heard the bang,
883
00:41:16,659 --> 00:41:20,579
then the missile came through
the roof of the transit van,
884
00:41:20,579 --> 00:41:22,790
which didn't go very high.
885
00:41:22,790 --> 00:41:25,584
I saw myself, it didn't go
very high.
886
00:41:25,584 --> 00:41:30,173
Then within five seconds,
another bang came out of 10
887
00:41:30,173 --> 00:41:30,840
and the missile came out
888
00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:34,201
and then the van went into a flame.
889
00:41:34,368 --> 00:41:36,469
[Reporter] ITN staff
working only a few yards
890
00:41:36,469 --> 00:41:38,931
from the back of Number
10 ran for their lives
891
00:41:38,931 --> 00:41:40,433
as the mortars rained down.
892
00:41:40,433 --> 00:41:44,001
We were sitting in our
outside broadcast vehicle
893
00:41:44,461 --> 00:41:46,356
behind Downing Street,
894
00:41:46,356 --> 00:41:49,608
and all of a sudden, we
heard a loud explosion
895
00:41:49,608 --> 00:41:53,137
to the right of us, a
matter of a few feet away.
896
00:41:53,803 --> 00:41:56,241
The whole vehicle shook.
897
00:41:56,241 --> 00:41:57,557
We lost of power,
898
00:41:57,765 --> 00:42:01,454
lots of smoke in the vicinity,
899
00:42:01,454 --> 00:42:02,913
and then we ran for it.
900
00:42:02,913 --> 00:42:04,124
[Reporter] Police
immediately moved in
901
00:42:04,124 --> 00:42:07,500
to clear an area stretching up
to a mile in each direction.
902
00:42:07,500 --> 00:42:09,628
Nobody knew whether there were
more bombs
903
00:42:09,628 --> 00:42:10,671
or booby trapped devices
904
00:42:10,671 --> 00:42:15,008
inside the area.
- Go back up the street now.
905
00:42:15,008 --> 00:42:15,844
Go back up the street.
906
00:42:15,844 --> 00:42:17,510
It is not safe. Move.
907
00:42:17,510 --> 00:42:18,554
(slow tense music)
908
00:42:18,554 --> 00:42:21,765
In fact, one woman and
two policemen had been hurt
909
00:42:21,765 --> 00:42:22,516
by flying glass.
910
00:42:22,516 --> 00:42:25,228
The Prime Minister and his
war cabinet had been protected
911
00:42:25,228 --> 00:42:27,463
by strengthened windows.
912
00:42:27,463 --> 00:42:28,814
As news of the attack spread,
913
00:42:28,814 --> 00:42:30,023
there was a deep sense of shock
914
00:42:30,023 --> 00:42:31,524
that the provisional IRA had managed
915
00:42:31,524 --> 00:42:35,863
to strike so accurately at a
time of such high security.
916
00:42:35,863 --> 00:42:38,074
Police had been convinced for
some time
917
00:42:38,074 --> 00:42:40,826
that an IRA cell was
still in this country.
918
00:42:40,826 --> 00:42:44,205
First priority now will
be to examine the van
919
00:42:44,205 --> 00:42:44,748
and the missiles
920
00:42:44,748 --> 00:42:46,999
to see whether they provide
any clues
921
00:42:46,999 --> 00:42:49,276
as to who the attackers were.
922
00:42:49,566 --> 00:42:51,712
[Narrator] The IRA had
been planning this attack
923
00:42:51,712 --> 00:42:54,965
against former Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher,
924
00:42:54,965 --> 00:42:57,177
but after her sudden resignation,
925
00:42:57,177 --> 00:42:59,845
they decided to target her successor.
926
00:42:59,845 --> 00:43:03,556
The mortar shells exploded
in the garden of Number 10
927
00:43:03,556 --> 00:43:06,977
in an attempt to destroy
the cabinet office.
928
00:43:06,977 --> 00:43:09,688
Due to the bomb resistant windows,
929
00:43:09,688 --> 00:43:11,564
none of the cabinet were hurt,
930
00:43:11,564 --> 00:43:14,902
though four people
received minor injuries,
931
00:43:14,902 --> 00:43:17,678
two of which were police officers.
932
00:43:18,347 --> 00:43:21,950
This was a real wake up
call for the Prime Minister.
933
00:43:21,950 --> 00:43:24,870
He knew helping to build
a peaceful relationship
934
00:43:24,870 --> 00:43:28,581
with Northern Ireland
would be an important part
935
00:43:28,581 --> 00:43:29,582
of his premiership.
936
00:43:29,582 --> 00:43:31,584
(slow contemplative music)
937
00:43:31,584 --> 00:43:35,340
A new draft of the Anglo-Irish
Declaration was proposed
938
00:43:35,340 --> 00:43:40,969
in 1993, eventually becoming
the Downing Street Declaration,
939
00:43:40,969 --> 00:43:43,847
one of the first significant
steps on the road
940
00:43:43,847 --> 00:43:47,477
to the Good Friday Agreement
years later.
941
00:43:47,477 --> 00:43:50,480
It contained the principle of consent,
942
00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:54,107
the foundation on which the
peace process was built,
943
00:43:54,107 --> 00:43:56,528
essentially stating the
constitutional future
944
00:43:56,528 --> 00:44:01,390
of Northern Ireland would be
decided by its own people.
945
00:44:02,639 --> 00:44:04,618
Unfortunately, in 1996,
946
00:44:04,618 --> 00:44:08,997
the IRA planted a bomb
which exploded in Docklands.
947
00:44:08,997 --> 00:44:13,419
The event marked the end
of a 17 month ceasefire.
948
00:44:13,419 --> 00:44:15,629
Two were killed and many more injured.
949
00:44:15,629 --> 00:44:20,385
It was a horrific event that
prompted further discussions
950
00:44:20,385 --> 00:44:22,286
on the peace process.
951
00:44:23,579 --> 00:44:27,183
Major gave a ministerial
broadcast, addressing the nation
952
00:44:27,183 --> 00:44:32,145
on the bombing and the
breakdown of the IRA's
ceasefire.
953
00:44:32,145 --> 00:44:37,133
More needed to be done to
unite the nations in peace.
954
00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:40,028
After five months of peace,
955
00:44:40,028 --> 00:44:42,490
surely it is time to look ahead,
956
00:44:42,490 --> 00:44:45,577
judge our proposals as a whole.
957
00:44:45,577 --> 00:44:47,953
There is nothing you need fear.
958
00:44:47,953 --> 00:44:49,788
[Narrator] Although Major
was not Prime Minister
959
00:44:49,788 --> 00:44:53,666
when the Good Friday Agreement
was signed a few years later
960
00:44:53,666 --> 00:44:55,669
by Prime Minister Tony Blair,
961
00:44:55,669 --> 00:44:57,670
it cannot be understated the work
962
00:44:57,670 --> 00:45:01,717
and influence Major had on
realizing the agreement.
963
00:45:01,717 --> 00:45:06,138
It remains one of the great
successes of his premiership,
964
00:45:06,138 --> 00:45:08,891
highlighting his extraordinary patience
965
00:45:08,891 --> 00:45:11,876
and skill in negotiating.
966
00:45:13,462 --> 00:45:17,690
The Queen's cousin, Lord
Louis Mountbatten was killed
967
00:45:17,690 --> 00:45:20,653
by the IRA in 1979,
968
00:45:20,653 --> 00:45:22,572
but later, in 2011,
969
00:45:22,572 --> 00:45:26,242
she would display the
importance of peace and diplomacy
970
00:45:26,242 --> 00:45:29,745
as she shook hands with
a former IRA leader.
971
00:45:29,745 --> 00:45:33,081
Discussions between Her
Majesty and the Prime Minister
972
00:45:33,081 --> 00:45:35,708
during these years must have focused
973
00:45:35,708 --> 00:45:37,670
on the need for resolution.
974
00:45:37,670 --> 00:45:40,447
(slow music)
975
00:45:42,031 --> 00:45:46,719
♪ For he's a jolly
good fellow ♪
976
00:45:46,719 --> 00:45:48,640
In April, 1992,
977
00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:53,394
Major called for an election
which he won unexpectedly
978
00:45:53,394 --> 00:45:56,606
with a majority of 336 seats,
979
00:45:56,606 --> 00:46:00,610
the fourth conservative
election win in a row.
980
00:46:00,610 --> 00:46:02,778
It was an extraordinary win,
981
00:46:02,778 --> 00:46:05,113
as he remains the only Prime Minister
982
00:46:05,113 --> 00:46:08,241
to have gained more than 14
million votes
983
00:46:08,241 --> 00:46:09,742
in a general election.
984
00:46:09,742 --> 00:46:11,995
(gentle music)
985
00:46:11,995 --> 00:46:12,746
(audience clapping)
986
00:46:12,746 --> 00:46:14,747
[Reporter] After 16 months
on an uncertain lease,
987
00:46:14,747 --> 00:46:16,749
Mr. Major is already a
different man.
988
00:46:16,749 --> 00:46:19,211
Downing Street is now, he
says, home.
989
00:46:19,211 --> 00:46:19,795
(audience clapping)
990
00:46:19,795 --> 00:46:20,754
Thank you very much indeed.
991
00:46:20,754 --> 00:46:22,507
I've only got one thing to say.
992
00:46:22,507 --> 00:46:23,675
It's nice to be back.
993
00:46:23,675 --> 00:46:24,757
(audience cheering)
994
00:46:24,757 --> 00:46:26,759
[Reporter] The boost to
his confidence was obvious
995
00:46:26,759 --> 00:46:27,760
as he strode into Downing Street,
996
00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:30,682
a street which is normally
closed to the general public
997
00:46:30,682 --> 00:46:33,016
but which today was opened
up to let supporters
998
00:46:33,016 --> 00:46:34,977
and well wishers come and say hello.
999
00:46:34,977 --> 00:46:36,853
Someone called for three cheers.
1000
00:46:36,853 --> 00:46:40,089
(crowd cheering)
1001
00:46:41,798 --> 00:46:42,361
To John Major,
1002
00:46:42,361 --> 00:46:44,362
the fact that he's now
been chosen by the people,
1003
00:46:44,362 --> 00:46:46,113
albeit a minority of the electorate,
1004
00:46:46,113 --> 00:46:48,658
rather than by the secret
committee room votes
1005
00:46:48,658 --> 00:46:50,951
of his fellow MP's is important.
1006
00:46:50,951 --> 00:46:51,704
I can now,
1007
00:46:51,704 --> 00:46:54,287
I can now accept that the
country have elected me
1008
00:46:54,287 --> 00:46:56,789
in my own right to be Prime Minister.
1009
00:46:56,789 --> 00:46:58,791
I'm immensely proud of that.
1010
00:46:58,791 --> 00:47:00,210
I shall try and ensure
1011
00:47:00,210 --> 00:47:03,046
that I reach the aspirations
of people
1012
00:47:03,046 --> 00:47:04,716
and that I let no one down.
1013
00:47:04,716 --> 00:47:06,967
That is, I'm delighted to have it.
1014
00:47:06,967 --> 00:47:07,720
Thank you.
1015
00:47:07,720 --> 00:47:08,802
[Reporter] And the
change in the man was clear
1016
00:47:08,802 --> 00:47:12,829
as he enjoyed his moment
of glory, first alone,
1017
00:47:15,500 --> 00:47:17,019
and then with Chris Patten,
1018
00:47:17,019 --> 00:47:18,811
strong personal support for
the man
1019
00:47:18,811 --> 00:47:20,188
who helped Mr.
Major to victory
1020
00:47:20,188 --> 00:47:22,923
and lost his own seat in the process.
1021
00:47:23,840 --> 00:47:24,817
Later, some very small boys
1022
00:47:24,817 --> 00:47:27,613
with a bit of help from the
Metropolitan Police came
1023
00:47:27,613 --> 00:47:29,156
to deliver some presents,
1024
00:47:29,156 --> 00:47:30,907
and there was the Prime
Minister again,
1025
00:47:30,907 --> 00:47:34,351
no photo opportunity missed today.
1026
00:47:35,645 --> 00:47:37,415
The contrast with Neil
Kinnock's return
1027
00:47:37,415 --> 00:47:39,709
to his home could not have
been greater.
1028
00:47:39,709 --> 00:47:41,669
The word is that he and
his wife Glenys feel
1029
00:47:41,669 --> 00:47:43,253
that they've taken enough punishment
1030
00:47:43,253 --> 00:47:45,465
and that only massive
pressure from the party
1031
00:47:45,465 --> 00:47:47,174
for him to stay on will
prevent him
1032
00:47:47,174 --> 00:47:49,092
from calling it a day as leader.
1033
00:47:49,092 --> 00:47:49,886
As to his future today,
1034
00:47:49,886 --> 00:47:52,845
"Long and wonderful" were
the only words he had
1035
00:47:52,845 --> 00:47:53,474
to describe it.
1036
00:47:53,474 --> 00:47:55,832
It's going to be long and wonderful.
1037
00:47:56,500 --> 00:47:59,604
[Narrator] Unfortunately,
1992 would not turn out
1038
00:47:59,604 --> 00:48:03,982
to be a good year for
monarch nor Prime Minister.
1039
00:48:03,982 --> 00:48:06,859
Hello. Utter turmoil
in the money markets.
1040
00:48:06,859 --> 00:48:09,154
That's what dominates the news today.
1041
00:48:09,154 --> 00:48:09,947
For the first time ever,
1042
00:48:09,947 --> 00:48:14,494
the government has put up
interest rates twice in one day.
1043
00:48:14,494 --> 00:48:15,868
The new rate is 15%,
1044
00:48:15,868 --> 00:48:18,623
the weapon with which
the government will take
1045
00:48:18,623 --> 00:48:20,207
on the currency dealers.
1046
00:48:20,207 --> 00:48:21,542
For investors, it's good news.
1047
00:48:21,542 --> 00:48:24,587
Mortgage holders will
fiscally dare breathe.
1048
00:48:24,587 --> 00:48:27,172
The big building societies
have said they will try
1049
00:48:27,172 --> 00:48:28,881
to hold off putting up rates
1050
00:48:28,881 --> 00:48:31,803
until after the French vote on Sunday.
1051
00:48:31,803 --> 00:48:34,887
The first rise of 2% came
mid-morning,
1052
00:48:34,887 --> 00:48:37,725
but that didn't stop
pressure on the pound.
1053
00:48:37,725 --> 00:48:38,477
So three hours later,
1054
00:48:38,477 --> 00:48:43,856
another 3% rise to 15% to
take effect from tomorrow.
1055
00:48:43,856 --> 00:48:49,277
[Narrator] September, 1992,
the pound sterling crashed.
1056
00:48:49,277 --> 00:48:50,903
Britain was forced to withdraw
1057
00:48:50,903 --> 00:48:54,907
from the European Exchange
Rate Mechanism, the ERM,
1058
00:48:54,907 --> 00:48:57,910
because it could not prevent
the value of the pound
1059
00:48:57,910 --> 00:49:01,938
from falling below the
specified lower limit.
1060
00:49:02,858 --> 00:49:05,001
The ERM was created in the 1970s
1061
00:49:05,001 --> 00:49:09,131
to help put European
currencies on a level playing field
1062
00:49:09,131 --> 00:49:13,385
in preparation for the
economic and monetary union
1063
00:49:13,385 --> 00:49:15,805
and the introduction of the Euro.
1064
00:49:15,805 --> 00:49:19,475
If a country was looking
to replace their currency
1065
00:49:19,475 --> 00:49:20,017
with the Euro,
1066
00:49:20,017 --> 00:49:23,936
they must keep the value
within the specific range
1067
00:49:23,936 --> 00:49:24,980
for several years.
1068
00:49:24,980 --> 00:49:27,964
(tense music)
1069
00:49:31,051 --> 00:49:35,323
Today has been an extremely
difficult and turbulent day.
1070
00:49:35,323 --> 00:49:38,118
Massive speculative flows have continued
1071
00:49:38,118 --> 00:49:39,952
to disrupt the functioning
1072
00:49:39,952 --> 00:49:41,873
of the Exchange Rate Mechanism.
1073
00:49:41,873 --> 00:49:46,711
As chairman of the Council of
European Finance Ministers,
1074
00:49:46,711 --> 00:49:47,504
I have called a meeting
1075
00:49:47,504 --> 00:49:51,464
of the monetary committee
in Brussels urgently tonight
1076
00:49:51,464 --> 00:49:54,092
to consider how stability can
be restored
1077
00:49:54,092 --> 00:49:56,303
to the foreign exchange markets.
1078
00:49:56,303 --> 00:49:59,097
In the meantime, the
government has concluded
1079
00:49:59,097 --> 00:50:01,057
that Britain's best interests
are served
1080
00:50:01,057 --> 00:50:06,003
by suspending our membership
of the Exchange Rate Mechanism.
1081
00:50:06,128 --> 00:50:09,692
[Narrator] Chancellor of
the Exchequer, Norman Lamont,
1082
00:50:09,692 --> 00:50:11,984
invested heavily, trying to
keep it
1083
00:50:11,984 --> 00:50:14,614
in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism,
1084
00:50:14,614 --> 00:50:20,327
raising interest rates first
to 12% and then to 15%,
1085
00:50:20,327 --> 00:50:21,954
but it didn't work.
1086
00:50:21,954 --> 00:50:24,790
Major and Lamont admitted defeat.
1087
00:50:24,790 --> 00:50:29,025
Britain was suspended from
its membership of the ERM.
1088
00:50:29,736 --> 00:50:30,796
At extreme cost,
1089
00:50:30,796 --> 00:50:34,006
the Prime Minister faced
great political damage,
1090
00:50:34,006 --> 00:50:38,596
even more so because he had
recently won re-election
1091
00:50:38,596 --> 00:50:41,455
on a pro-Euro platform.
1092
00:50:42,038 --> 00:50:44,936
[Reporter] A building in
chaos for a policy in ruins,
1093
00:50:44,936 --> 00:50:47,980
John Major arrived in Downing
Street three hours ago,
1094
00:50:47,980 --> 00:50:49,314
still with the builders there.
1095
00:50:49,314 --> 00:50:51,066
The policy he conceived as Chancellor
1096
00:50:51,066 --> 00:50:54,026
and carried out as Prime
Minister in tatters.
1097
00:50:54,026 --> 00:50:56,321
But it's the present
Chancellor Norman Lamont
1098
00:50:56,321 --> 00:51:00,809
who may be feeling the
political heat most this morning.
1099
00:51:00,809 --> 00:51:02,828
[Reporter] Yesterday,
you backed Norman Lamont
1100
00:51:02,828 --> 00:51:05,288
for what you called his speed
and courage.
1101
00:51:05,288 --> 00:51:06,707
Shouldn't you know, now though,
1102
00:51:06,707 --> 00:51:09,334
have a fresh start with
a fresh Chancellor?
1103
00:51:09,334 --> 00:51:12,044
No, I shouldn't, and
I'll tell you why not.
1104
00:51:12,044 --> 00:51:14,590
Norman Lamont was the
Chancellor of the Exchequer
1105
00:51:14,590 --> 00:51:17,885
but the policy that Norman
Lamont followed was my policy,
1106
00:51:17,885 --> 00:51:20,930
the cabinet's policy,
all the cabinet's policy,
1107
00:51:20,930 --> 00:51:23,055
the policy we contested
a general election on,
1108
00:51:23,055 --> 00:51:25,350
the policy we won a general
election on.
1109
00:51:25,350 --> 00:51:27,435
Norman Lamont has followed
that policy.
1110
00:51:27,435 --> 00:51:31,439
He was overwhelmed by
events and I do not believe
1111
00:51:31,439 --> 00:51:33,525
because he was overwhelmed by events,
1112
00:51:33,525 --> 00:51:35,568
doing what he promised he
would do,
1113
00:51:35,568 --> 00:51:37,822
seeking what he'd promised he
would seek,
1114
00:51:37,822 --> 00:51:41,116
upon that basis, you cannot
ask a man to leave a job
1115
00:51:41,116 --> 00:51:43,451
he's been honorably doing and
doing well.
1116
00:51:43,451 --> 00:51:44,662
(slow contemplative music)
1117
00:51:44,662 --> 00:51:47,539
[Narrator] However,
prosperity followed this event
1118
00:51:47,539 --> 00:51:50,960
in the 1990s, improved
economic growth,
1119
00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:54,755
lower unemployment and lower inflation.
1120
00:51:54,755 --> 00:51:55,881
It must also be said,
1121
00:51:55,881 --> 00:51:59,259
though Black Wednesday
was seen as a real failure
1122
00:51:59,259 --> 00:52:00,093
at the time,
1123
00:52:00,093 --> 00:52:03,095
it did keep the UK out of the Eurozone,
1124
00:52:03,095 --> 00:52:08,001
saving it from far more
serious problems later on.
1125
00:52:09,125 --> 00:52:11,438
On reflection of the political disaster
1126
00:52:11,438 --> 00:52:13,315
that was Black Wednesday,
1127
00:52:13,315 --> 00:52:15,107
Major considered resigning
1128
00:52:15,107 --> 00:52:18,611
but was convinced by
his sister to stay on.
1129
00:52:18,611 --> 00:52:22,114
Nonetheless, opinion
polls of Major took a turn
1130
00:52:22,114 --> 00:52:23,115
for the worse.
1131
00:52:23,115 --> 00:52:24,242
General government approval
1132
00:52:24,242 --> 00:52:28,371
and a sense of economic
optimism took a sudden fall.
1133
00:52:28,371 --> 00:52:30,165
(slow contemplative music)
1134
00:52:30,165 --> 00:52:32,793
[Reporter] Determined
to try and unite his party
1135
00:52:32,793 --> 00:52:34,127
and silence his critics,
1136
00:52:34,127 --> 00:52:36,964
aides billed this as a
speech from the heart.
1137
00:52:36,964 --> 00:52:39,925
John Major reverted to his
man of the people approach
1138
00:52:39,925 --> 00:52:42,803
which worked for him at the
last election.
1139
00:52:42,803 --> 00:52:45,014
Let me just pass this message
1140
00:52:45,014 --> 00:52:49,184
to everyone who wishes the
Conservative Party well,
1141
00:52:49,184 --> 00:52:51,937
no diversions, no squabbles.
1142
00:52:51,937 --> 00:52:55,816
Let's get on with that job
of passing back that message
1143
00:52:55,816 --> 00:53:00,528
and then we will have the
self-confident expanding country
1144
00:53:00,528 --> 00:53:01,947
that we all want to see.
1145
00:53:01,947 --> 00:53:03,156
(audience clapping)
1146
00:53:03,156 --> 00:53:05,701
[Reporter] Constantly
referring to his long term aims,
1147
00:53:05,701 --> 00:53:08,160
he also warned there had to
be cuts in public spending.
1148
00:53:08,160 --> 00:53:11,832
We are not prepared to see
an ever increasing tax burden
1149
00:53:11,832 --> 00:53:14,501
and nor are we prepared
to mortgage our future
1150
00:53:14,501 --> 00:53:16,294
by unrestrained borrowing.
1151
00:53:16,294 --> 00:53:17,295
So, we have to ensure
1152
00:53:17,295 --> 00:53:20,322
that expenditure is properly disciplined
1153
00:53:20,865 --> 00:53:21,926
At present,
- And while he insisted
1154
00:53:21,926 --> 00:53:24,136
he was committed to public
services like health,
1155
00:53:24,136 --> 00:53:27,139
he said the education system
was betraying some children.
1156
00:53:27,139 --> 00:53:30,851
One in four of our children
leave secondary education
1157
00:53:30,851 --> 00:53:34,646
and can't read properly,
can't write properly,
1158
00:53:34,646 --> 00:53:37,714
and are not competent in arithmetic.
1159
00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:39,652
And what are they going to do?
1160
00:53:39,652 --> 00:53:42,612
They can't all be Prime Minister.
1161
00:53:42,612 --> 00:53:44,697
(audience laughing)
1162
00:53:44,697 --> 00:53:48,224
(audience clapping)
1163
00:53:49,769 --> 00:53:52,688
(tense music)
1164
00:53:53,605 --> 00:53:59,570
1992 is not a year on
which I shall look back
1165
00:53:59,821 --> 00:54:02,157
with undiluted pleasure.
1166
00:54:03,407 --> 00:54:07,930
In the words of one of my more
sympathetic correspondents,
1167
00:54:07,930 --> 00:54:12,308
it has turned out to
be an annus horribilis.
1168
00:54:12,308 --> 00:54:15,335
(solemn music)
1169
00:54:16,252 --> 00:54:17,190
[Narrator] For the Queen,
1170
00:54:17,190 --> 00:54:20,525
the year would later be known
as her annus horribilis.
1171
00:54:20,525 --> 00:54:23,154
It was the year in
which the rocky marriage
1172
00:54:23,154 --> 00:54:26,238
between Charles and Diana
became public knowledge
1173
00:54:26,238 --> 00:54:30,161
with the release of the
infamous Andrew Morton book.
1174
00:54:30,161 --> 00:54:34,206
It was also the year Andrew
and Fergie would separate,
1175
00:54:34,206 --> 00:54:35,833
Anne and Mark would divorce,
1176
00:54:35,833 --> 00:54:39,711
and her beloved Windsor
Castle would set on fire.
1177
00:54:39,711 --> 00:54:42,131
(solemn music)
1178
00:54:42,131 --> 00:54:44,091
There can be no doubt, of course,
1179
00:54:44,091 --> 00:54:45,801
that criticism is good for people
1180
00:54:45,801 --> 00:54:50,579
and institutions that
are part of public life.
1181
00:54:51,788 --> 00:54:55,267
No institution, city, monarchy,
1182
00:54:55,267 --> 00:55:00,440
whatever should expect to be
free from the scrutiny of those
1183
00:55:00,440 --> 00:55:03,592
who give it their loyalty and support,
1184
00:55:03,927 --> 00:55:06,595
not to mention those who don't,
1185
00:55:07,387 --> 00:55:10,282
but we are all part of the
same fabric
1186
00:55:10,282 --> 00:55:12,518
of our national society,
1187
00:55:13,061 --> 00:55:16,832
and that scrutiny by one part
of another
1188
00:55:16,832 --> 00:55:18,290
can be just as effective
1189
00:55:18,290 --> 00:55:22,087
if it is made with a touch of gentleness,
1190
00:55:22,087 --> 00:55:24,380
good humor and understanding.
1191
00:55:24,380 --> 00:55:26,217
(solemn music)
1192
00:55:26,217 --> 00:55:28,300
[Narrator] As the year came
to an end,
1193
00:55:28,300 --> 00:55:29,301
the responsibility fell
1194
00:55:29,301 --> 00:55:32,304
to Her Majesty's Prime
Minister John Major
1195
00:55:32,304 --> 00:55:36,018
to announce Charles and
Diana's decision to separate.
1196
00:55:36,018 --> 00:55:39,146
It is announced from Buckingham
Palace that, with regret,
1197
00:55:39,146 --> 00:55:43,192
the Prince and Princess of
Wales have decided to separate.
1198
00:55:43,192 --> 00:55:46,195
Their Royal Highnesses
have no plans to divorce,
1199
00:55:46,195 --> 00:55:49,739
and their constitutional
positions are unaffected.
1200
00:55:49,739 --> 00:55:52,034
This decision has been reached amicably,
1201
00:55:52,034 --> 00:55:55,162
and they will both continue
to participate fully
1202
00:55:55,162 --> 00:55:57,122
in the upbringing of their children.
1203
00:55:57,122 --> 00:55:59,124
[Narrator] In a year that
faced turmoil
1204
00:55:59,124 --> 00:56:01,376
for both Prime Minister and Queen,
1205
00:56:01,376 --> 00:56:04,462
those private and
confidential conversations
1206
00:56:04,462 --> 00:56:08,364
must have been very
valuable to each of them.
1207
00:56:12,744 --> 00:56:15,224
For both monarch and Prime Minister,
1208
00:56:15,224 --> 00:56:17,935
the decade was not an easy one.
1209
00:56:17,935 --> 00:56:19,351
In fact, it is well known
1210
00:56:19,351 --> 00:56:23,107
to be one of the Queen's
most difficult decades.
1211
00:56:23,107 --> 00:56:24,356
But the special relationship
1212
00:56:24,356 --> 00:56:26,359
between the Constitutional Monarch
1213
00:56:26,359 --> 00:56:29,071
and Prime Minister was one valued
1214
00:56:29,071 --> 00:56:32,388
to a great extent by both parties.
1215
00:56:33,016 --> 00:56:35,035
As ever, the Prime Minister's
audience
1216
00:56:35,035 --> 00:56:38,746
with the monarch is kept
absolutely confidential.
1217
00:56:38,746 --> 00:56:41,083
They meet once a week, every week,
1218
00:56:41,083 --> 00:56:44,253
and there is no record
kept of anything said
1219
00:56:44,253 --> 00:56:45,587
during these meetings.
1220
00:56:45,587 --> 00:56:48,007
It is just the Queen
and the Prime Minister
1221
00:56:48,007 --> 00:56:52,136
with no witnesses, no
recordings or minutes taken.
1222
00:56:52,136 --> 00:56:56,307
Major has often spoke about
these audiences with the Queen,
1223
00:56:56,307 --> 00:56:59,143
referencing how he and
prime ministers before
1224
00:56:59,143 --> 00:57:04,630
and after him considered them
to be cathartic experiences.
1225
00:57:05,505 --> 00:57:06,399
I mean, in those meetings,
1226
00:57:06,399 --> 00:57:09,527
one small anecdote was
that, more often than not,
1227
00:57:09,527 --> 00:57:10,988
you did have a gallery audience,
1228
00:57:10,988 --> 00:57:14,199
but the gallery audience was
the corgis,
1229
00:57:14,199 --> 00:57:15,035
and they would sit there,
1230
00:57:15,035 --> 00:57:18,786
and mostly they were well
behaved, but not invariably.
1231
00:57:18,786 --> 00:57:19,538
And from time to time,
1232
00:57:19,538 --> 00:57:22,665
the Queen would speak very
sharply to one of the corgis,
1233
00:57:22,665 --> 00:57:24,876
all of which she knew by name.
1234
00:57:24,876 --> 00:57:25,586
If the corgi came round
1235
00:57:25,586 --> 00:57:28,297
and was sort of indicating an interest
1236
00:57:28,297 --> 00:57:29,090
in jumping up on your lap
1237
00:57:29,090 --> 00:57:31,758
or deciding to make a meal of
your toe,
1238
00:57:31,758 --> 00:57:34,761
the Queen would gently
discipline the dog
1239
00:57:34,761 --> 00:57:35,803
and it would be moved away.
1240
00:57:35,803 --> 00:57:39,557
So, one saw that as you might
in any home in the country.
1241
00:57:39,557 --> 00:57:43,686
The Queen, beyond doubt,
is the best known woman
1242
00:57:43,686 --> 00:57:44,438
in the world,
1243
00:57:44,438 --> 00:57:47,066
probably the most loved
woman in the world,
1244
00:57:47,066 --> 00:57:48,441
I would think as well.
1245
00:57:48,441 --> 00:57:54,614
And then suddenly, behind
that enormous, enormous facade
1246
00:57:54,614 --> 00:57:57,449
that exists because of her position,
1247
00:57:57,449 --> 00:58:02,813
you see the private
woman who lurks behind it
1248
00:58:03,022 --> 00:58:05,376
and that's rather a lovely
thing to see.
1249
00:58:05,376 --> 00:58:06,918
(gentle music)
1250
00:58:06,918 --> 00:58:08,420
[Narrator] Major was the first
1251
00:58:08,420 --> 00:58:10,462
of Her Majesty's prime ministers
1252
00:58:10,462 --> 00:58:12,632
to be younger than the Queen.
1253
00:58:12,632 --> 00:58:15,467
No doubt her experience
and extensive knowledge
1254
00:58:15,467 --> 00:58:19,181
of the governments that
preceded Major's would've been
1255
00:58:19,181 --> 00:58:20,890
of great value to him.
1256
00:58:20,890 --> 00:58:24,476
Indeed, when it came to
issues with foreign affairs,
1257
00:58:24,476 --> 00:58:26,478
Major would merely mention the name
1258
00:58:26,478 --> 00:58:28,856
of a state official or foreign leader,
1259
00:58:28,856 --> 00:58:31,193
and the Queen would respond immediately
1260
00:58:31,193 --> 00:58:33,445
with helpful hints and suggestions,
1261
00:58:33,445 --> 00:58:38,158
often knowing them personally
or their parents and families.
1262
00:58:38,158 --> 00:58:39,784
Well, any Prime
Minister who didn't listen
1263
00:58:39,784 --> 00:58:46,149
to the Queen's views was a
very foolish man or woman indeed
1264
00:58:46,274 --> 00:58:48,710
because she had an historic memory,
1265
00:58:48,710 --> 00:58:51,422
longer than any civil service advisor,
1266
00:58:51,422 --> 00:58:54,507
and she had a great
understanding of how people lived
1267
00:58:54,507 --> 00:58:57,177
and was very interesting, interested,
1268
00:58:57,177 --> 00:58:59,221
in what government policy meant
1269
00:58:59,221 --> 00:59:03,183
for the lives of people in
different parts of the country.
1270
00:59:03,183 --> 00:59:05,102
That was something about
which she was concerned
1271
00:59:05,102 --> 00:59:07,519
and about which she would ask questions.
1272
00:59:07,519 --> 00:59:11,523
So, you got a very clear idea
1273
00:59:11,523 --> 00:59:15,487
from an intelligent, well
informed person
1274
00:59:15,487 --> 00:59:18,530
about how some of the
policies might be received
1275
00:59:18,530 --> 00:59:21,201
and what their implications
might be.
1276
00:59:21,201 --> 00:59:21,994
And that, to politicians,
1277
00:59:21,994 --> 00:59:24,536
who can often be locked
in the narrow world
1278
00:59:24,536 --> 00:59:25,498
of Westminster is easy.
1279
00:59:25,498 --> 00:59:29,209
It's very easy to find
yourself blocked off from opinion
1280
00:59:29,209 --> 00:59:31,669
that once you would've been
familiar with
1281
00:59:31,669 --> 00:59:33,963
and the Queen was one outlet,
1282
00:59:33,963 --> 00:59:38,050
where sometimes something was
said that brought you back
1283
00:59:38,050 --> 00:59:41,263
to realize exactly what
something may mean.
1284
00:59:41,263 --> 00:59:43,307
And I don't think there
is a single Prime Minister
1285
00:59:43,307 --> 00:59:46,101
who has worked with her who
wouldn't say the same thing.
1286
00:59:46,101 --> 00:59:48,145
(gentle music)
1287
00:59:48,145 --> 00:59:49,062
[Narrator] It is reported that
1288
00:59:49,062 --> 00:59:51,563
when Major took on the
role of Prime Minister,
1289
00:59:51,563 --> 00:59:53,733
it was a relief to the Queen.
1290
00:59:53,733 --> 00:59:56,611
He was said to be close
to the royal family
1291
00:59:56,611 --> 00:59:59,571
and he and the Queen
benefited from an easy
1292
00:59:59,571 --> 01:00:01,765
and relaxed relationship.
1293
01:00:03,351 --> 01:00:04,576
Major's close relationship
1294
01:00:04,576 --> 01:00:07,579
with the royal family
was evidenced later on.
1295
01:00:07,579 --> 01:00:09,957
When he was no longer Prime Minister,
1296
01:00:09,957 --> 01:00:13,420
he became a special guardian
to William and Harry
1297
01:00:13,420 --> 01:00:15,255
after the death of their mother,
1298
01:00:15,255 --> 01:00:17,549
Diana Princess of Wales.
1299
01:00:17,549 --> 01:00:20,592
Major went on to be the
only politician invited
1300
01:00:20,592 --> 01:00:21,677
to Prince Harry's wedding,
1301
01:00:21,677 --> 01:00:26,622
a symbol of the close and
trusting friendship that remained.
1302
01:00:27,623 --> 01:00:31,979
After Her Majesty's
death in September, 2022,
1303
01:00:31,979 --> 01:00:33,605
John Major was quick to comment
1304
01:00:33,605 --> 01:00:37,152
on the lifelong service
of an impeccable monarch.
1305
01:00:37,152 --> 01:00:40,612
It is clear that John Major
had a profound respect
1306
01:00:40,612 --> 01:00:43,391
and admiration for the Queen.
1307
01:00:43,974 --> 01:00:46,618
Well, I was immensely
saddened when I heard it.
1308
01:00:46,618 --> 01:00:48,996
It's news nobody wished to hear.
1309
01:00:48,996 --> 01:00:50,832
The Queen has been such a permanence
1310
01:00:50,832 --> 01:00:52,584
in our lives for so long.
1311
01:00:52,584 --> 01:00:55,002
You simply expected her to go
on forever,
1312
01:00:55,002 --> 01:00:58,047
and it's a great shock
that suddenly she has gone.
1313
01:00:58,047 --> 01:01:00,300
It's like a great oak has fallen,
1314
01:01:00,300 --> 01:01:02,261
and it will be a day
that people will remember
1315
01:01:02,261 --> 01:01:04,555
in history for a very long time.
1316
01:01:04,555 --> 01:01:05,763
And the great gifts that Queen
has had is,
1317
01:01:05,763 --> 01:01:10,519
not only has she been the
monarch, the symbol of royalty,
1318
01:01:10,519 --> 01:01:13,020
but because of the manner
in which she has lived,
1319
01:01:13,020 --> 01:01:14,314
because of her empathy,
1320
01:01:14,314 --> 01:01:17,317
she is almost as though
she's a supernumerary member
1321
01:01:17,317 --> 01:01:18,650
of every family in the country.
1322
01:01:18,650 --> 01:01:23,655
So, I think her loss will be
personally felt by people.
1323
01:01:23,655 --> 01:01:25,032
Not just felt, "Oh, it is sad
1324
01:01:25,032 --> 01:01:26,577
that we have lost a great
figure,"
1325
01:01:26,577 --> 01:01:29,661
but I think there will be
personal degrees of sadness
1326
01:01:29,661 --> 01:01:34,083
and a great many tears will be
shed over the next few days.
1327
01:01:34,083 --> 01:01:36,668
[Reporter] So, after calling
in the lobby correspondence
1328
01:01:36,668 --> 01:01:39,046
to the Downing Street
Garden for half past four,
1329
01:01:39,046 --> 01:01:41,674
with the word growing that
this was something big,
1330
01:01:41,674 --> 01:01:44,844
Mr. Major on the stroke of
five o'clock,
1331
01:01:44,844 --> 01:01:47,246
began to explain his decision.
1332
01:01:47,496 --> 01:01:51,809
I've now been Prime Minister
for near nearly five years.
1333
01:01:51,809 --> 01:01:54,937
In that time, we've achieved a
great deal,
1334
01:01:54,937 --> 01:01:56,356
but for the last three years,
1335
01:01:56,356 --> 01:02:01,134
I've been opposed by a
small minority in our party.
1336
01:02:01,717 --> 01:02:02,572
During those three years,
1337
01:02:02,572 --> 01:02:06,283
there have been repeated
threats of a leadership election.
1338
01:02:06,283 --> 01:02:10,077
In each year, they turned
out to be phony threats.
1339
01:02:10,077 --> 01:02:14,814
Now, the same thing again
is happening in 1995.
1340
01:02:15,148 --> 01:02:16,792
I believe it's in no one's
interest
1341
01:02:16,792 --> 01:02:20,755
that this continues right
through until November.
1342
01:02:20,755 --> 01:02:22,714
It undermines the government,
1343
01:02:22,714 --> 01:02:25,742
and it damages the
Conservative Party.
1344
01:02:26,201 --> 01:02:26,845
I am not prepared
1345
01:02:26,845 --> 01:02:29,721
to see the party I care for
laid out
1346
01:02:29,721 --> 01:02:32,476
on the rack like this for any longer.
1347
01:02:32,476 --> 01:02:34,226
[Reporter] With Scottish
Secretary Ian Lang
1348
01:02:34,226 --> 01:02:36,145
and Transport Secretary Brian Mawhinney
1349
01:02:36,145 --> 01:02:38,482
already on the campaign
team, watching him,
1350
01:02:38,482 --> 01:02:42,193
Mr. Major talk of the
forthcoming election.
1351
01:02:42,193 --> 01:02:42,736
If I win,
1352
01:02:42,736 --> 01:02:46,738
I shall continue as Prime
Minister and lead the party
1353
01:02:46,738 --> 01:02:50,535
into and through the
next general election.
1354
01:02:50,535 --> 01:02:54,038
Should I be defeated,
which I do not expect,
1355
01:02:54,038 --> 01:02:56,207
I shall resign as Prime Minister
1356
01:02:56,207 --> 01:02:59,985
and offer my successor my full support.
1357
01:03:00,528 --> 01:03:01,754
[Narrator] There were great divides
1358
01:03:01,754 --> 01:03:04,799
in the party over the issues
with Europe.
1359
01:03:04,799 --> 01:03:06,593
Questions were also being raised
1360
01:03:06,593 --> 01:03:08,970
as to whether Major could
unite the party
1361
01:03:08,970 --> 01:03:11,830
and continue to lead effectively.
1362
01:03:12,205 --> 01:03:14,766
Majors was challenged for
leadership only
1363
01:03:14,766 --> 01:03:20,339
by John Redwood MP, which
came as a surprise to many.
1364
01:03:20,880 --> 01:03:25,236
Norman Lamont became a significant
member of Redwood's team.
1365
01:03:25,236 --> 01:03:30,199
Redwood represented the
Euro-skeptic side of the party,
1366
01:03:30,199 --> 01:03:32,784
garnering a fair amount of support.
1367
01:03:32,784 --> 01:03:35,204
However, Major was victorious,
1368
01:03:35,204 --> 01:03:39,791
securing 218 votes with 66%.
1369
01:03:39,791 --> 01:03:41,461
In his cabinet reshuffle,
1370
01:03:41,461 --> 01:03:45,030
Redwood was not reappointed to cabinet.
1371
01:03:45,821 --> 01:03:47,842
Though Major won the leadership,
1372
01:03:47,842 --> 01:03:50,802
the conservative majority
was rapidly falling.
1373
01:03:50,802 --> 01:03:54,890
By 1997, the conservatives
were without a majority
1374
01:03:54,890 --> 01:03:56,601
in the House of Commons.
1375
01:03:56,601 --> 01:03:59,228
Major's government was totally divided
1376
01:03:59,228 --> 01:04:02,189
and riddled by allegations of sleaze,
1377
01:04:02,189 --> 01:04:04,840
exacerbated by the press.
1378
01:04:05,841 --> 01:04:07,696
Major waited as long as possible
1379
01:04:07,696 --> 01:04:09,821
before calling a general election,
1380
01:04:09,821 --> 01:04:14,035
which would finally
happen on 1st May, 1997.
1381
01:04:14,035 --> 01:04:16,747
The next election
will offer us the chance
1382
01:04:16,747 --> 01:04:17,829
to change our country,
1383
01:04:17,829 --> 01:04:21,125
not just to promise
change, but to achieve it.
1384
01:04:21,125 --> 01:04:24,629
The historic goal of
another labor government,
1385
01:04:24,629 --> 01:04:26,506
our party, new labor,
1386
01:04:26,506 --> 01:04:28,174
our mission, new Britain,
1387
01:04:28,174 --> 01:04:29,134
new labor, new Britain.
1388
01:04:29,134 --> 01:04:35,080
(audience clapping)
(contemplative music)
1389
01:04:36,081 --> 01:04:38,309
[Narrator] In the
lead up to the election,
1390
01:04:38,309 --> 01:04:40,852
on a live Channel 4 interview,
1391
01:04:40,852 --> 01:04:43,022
Blair draws his lines in the sand
1392
01:04:43,022 --> 01:04:45,650
with his definition of new labor
1393
01:04:45,650 --> 01:04:48,612
and a radical and reformed
Labour Party.
1394
01:04:48,612 --> 01:04:51,531
What does your concept
of radical really involve?
1395
01:04:51,531 --> 01:04:54,701
It involves recognizing
that the basic principles
1396
01:04:54,701 --> 01:04:57,869
of the Labour Party, which are
about justice and progress,
1397
01:04:57,869 --> 01:05:00,331
that's what the Labour
Party should be about,
1398
01:05:00,331 --> 01:05:01,916
that those principles should
be applied
1399
01:05:01,916 --> 01:05:03,375
in a different way to today's
world.
1400
01:05:03,375 --> 01:05:06,878
Back in 1945, when Clem Attlee
and his government came in,
1401
01:05:06,878 --> 01:05:07,879
they were a radical government
1402
01:05:07,879 --> 01:05:09,173
in the sense that the way they thought
1403
01:05:09,173 --> 01:05:10,925
to do it was to build up the state,
1404
01:05:10,925 --> 01:05:12,636
nationalization and so on.
1405
01:05:12,636 --> 01:05:14,136
That's not the way for today's
world.
1406
01:05:14,136 --> 01:05:18,099
The way for today's world is
education, skills, technology,
1407
01:05:18,099 --> 01:05:19,476
developing small businesses,
1408
01:05:19,476 --> 01:05:22,311
encouraging design and
invention in Britain.
1409
01:05:22,311 --> 01:05:23,855
It's a different role for government.
1410
01:05:23,855 --> 01:05:26,357
It's a different
relationship with industry,
1411
01:05:26,357 --> 01:05:27,818
and it's a different attitude
1412
01:05:27,818 --> 01:05:28,900
to the things that really matter.
1413
01:05:28,900 --> 01:05:30,027
[Narrator] Tony Blair later claims
1414
01:05:30,027 --> 01:05:34,533
to have been most surprised
when, on 1st May, 1997,
1415
01:05:34,533 --> 01:05:39,036
he was elected Britain's
youngest
Prime Minister since 1812,
1416
01:05:39,036 --> 01:05:44,940
ending 18 years of
conservative rule with a
majority of 179.
1417
01:05:47,820 --> 01:05:49,088
[Reporter] He's coming out now
1418
01:05:49,088 --> 01:05:53,950
and will address the nation
through those microphones.
1419
01:05:56,829 --> 01:05:57,889
Good morning.
1420
01:05:57,889 --> 01:06:00,057
I said most of what I wish to say
1421
01:06:00,057 --> 01:06:02,934
when I had the opportunity
of speaking last evening,
1422
01:06:02,934 --> 01:06:05,187
but perhaps there are
just one or two things
1423
01:06:05,187 --> 01:06:08,799
that it would be appropriate
to add this morning.
1424
01:06:08,964 --> 01:06:11,486
It has been an immense privilege
1425
01:06:11,486 --> 01:06:14,363
to serve as Prime Minister
of the United Kingdom
1426
01:06:14,363 --> 01:06:16,908
over the last six and a half years.
1427
01:06:16,908 --> 01:06:19,994
It's a privilege that
comes to very few people,
1428
01:06:19,994 --> 01:06:23,330
and it's a very precious
privilege indeed.
1429
01:06:23,330 --> 01:06:26,877
I hope as I leave Downing
Street this morning
1430
01:06:26,877 --> 01:06:28,960
that I can say with some accuracy
1431
01:06:28,960 --> 01:06:31,130
that the country is in far
better shape
1432
01:06:31,130 --> 01:06:34,258
than it was when I entered
Downing Street.
1433
01:06:34,258 --> 01:06:35,384
The economy is booming.
1434
01:06:35,384 --> 01:06:39,971
Interest rates low, inflation
low, unemployment falling.
1435
01:06:39,971 --> 01:06:41,973
The growth pattern is well set.
1436
01:06:41,973 --> 01:06:43,602
The health service is expanding.
1437
01:06:43,602 --> 01:06:45,977
The education service is improving,
1438
01:06:45,977 --> 01:06:48,565
and the crime statistics are falling.
1439
01:06:48,565 --> 01:06:51,693
All of those, I think, are
benevolent improvements
1440
01:06:51,693 --> 01:06:55,261
in the interests of all
the people of this country.
1441
01:06:55,511 --> 01:06:57,989
I hope, if you will forgive me,
1442
01:06:57,989 --> 01:07:00,785
I will say no more this morning.
1443
01:07:00,785 --> 01:07:01,494
I believe, as you know,
1444
01:07:01,494 --> 01:07:03,622
I have an appointment
with Her Majesty the Queen
1445
01:07:03,622 --> 01:07:06,207
in a few moments to tender my resignation,
1446
01:07:06,207 --> 01:07:10,002
so that the new government may
then be formally appointed.
1447
01:07:10,002 --> 01:07:14,089
I propose to see Her Majesty
in just a few moments.
1448
01:07:14,089 --> 01:07:17,008
The second reason I'll
say no more now is that,
1449
01:07:17,008 --> 01:07:20,095
after that, I hope that
Norma and I will be able,
1450
01:07:20,095 --> 01:07:24,015
with the children, to get to
the oval in time for lunch
1451
01:07:24,015 --> 01:07:26,017
and for some cricket this afternoon.
1452
01:07:26,017 --> 01:07:27,979
Thank you all very much indeed.
1453
01:07:27,979 --> 01:07:28,688
Thank you.
1454
01:07:28,688 --> 01:07:29,649
(chiming music)
1455
01:07:29,649 --> 01:07:32,483
[Narrator] One can only
imagine the conversation
1456
01:07:32,483 --> 01:07:33,318
at the final meeting
1457
01:07:33,318 --> 01:07:36,027
when John Major went to
Buckingham Palace
1458
01:07:36,027 --> 01:07:39,180
to offer his resignation to
the Queen.
1459
01:07:39,723 --> 01:07:41,242
It is almost inevitable
1460
01:07:41,242 --> 01:07:43,244
that they will have had
differing views
1461
01:07:43,244 --> 01:07:47,958
on a number of issues over his
nearly seven years in office.
1462
01:07:47,958 --> 01:07:52,294
But it is widely acknowledged
that they had enormous respect
1463
01:07:52,294 --> 01:07:53,838
for each other in their roles,
1464
01:07:53,838 --> 01:07:58,133
coupled with a good degree of
personal affection and regard.
1465
01:07:58,133 --> 01:07:59,928
(slow music)
1466
01:07:59,928 --> 01:08:01,262
[Reporter] After seven years
in office
1467
01:08:01,262 --> 01:08:03,723
and so many audiences with the Queen,
1468
01:08:03,723 --> 01:08:05,056
this was to be the last.
1469
01:08:05,056 --> 01:08:08,143
Mr. Major tendering his
resignation as Prime Minister,
1470
01:08:08,143 --> 01:08:09,896
the final formal termination
1471
01:08:09,896 --> 01:08:13,064
of 18 years of conservative government.
1472
01:08:13,064 --> 01:08:14,400
John Major, with his fellow survivors,
1473
01:08:14,400 --> 01:08:19,763
about to experience for the
first time life in opposition.
1474
01:08:22,097 --> 01:08:25,076
Tony Blair, meanwhile, was
still at his North London home,
1475
01:08:25,076 --> 01:08:28,080
basking in the glow of his
astonishing political triumph
1476
01:08:28,080 --> 01:08:31,166
and the applause of supporters
camped out in the street.
1477
01:08:31,166 --> 01:08:33,085
Soon his life would change forever.
1478
01:08:33,085 --> 01:08:34,211
With a wave to the children,
1479
01:08:34,211 --> 01:08:36,087
he was off, but not for long.
1480
01:08:36,087 --> 01:08:39,009
Within seconds, he'd stop
the car for a walkabout
1481
01:08:39,009 --> 01:08:41,928
to the obvious surprise
of the security team
1482
01:08:41,928 --> 01:08:42,929
now guarding him.
1483
01:08:42,929 --> 01:08:44,263
(tense music)
1484
01:08:44,263 --> 01:08:48,893
[Narrator] After Major
left office in April, 2005,
1485
01:08:48,893 --> 01:08:49,602
the Queen honored him
1486
01:08:49,602 --> 01:08:52,856
with the Companion of
the Order of the Garter,
1487
01:08:52,856 --> 01:08:55,106
a personal gift from the Queen limited
1488
01:08:55,106 --> 01:08:58,109
to only 24 people at one time,
1489
01:08:58,109 --> 01:09:02,513
a display of her deep
gratitude for his service.
1490
01:09:03,891 --> 01:09:07,328
Tonight, perhaps to look back,
1491
01:09:07,328 --> 01:09:11,206
I hope with some pride at
the changes that we have made
1492
01:09:11,206 --> 01:09:13,668
to our country in the last 18 years.
1493
01:09:13,668 --> 01:09:16,904
(crowd clapping)
1494
01:09:20,198 --> 01:09:22,634
[Narrator] At the
time of his premiership,
1495
01:09:22,634 --> 01:09:24,012
John Major was not known
1496
01:09:24,012 --> 01:09:27,138
to be a particularly
successful Prime Minister,
1497
01:09:27,138 --> 01:09:31,226
nor a natural leader, as
he faced heavy criticism.
1498
01:09:31,226 --> 01:09:35,146
But that may not be an
entirely fair assessment.
1499
01:09:35,146 --> 01:09:38,818
Major's premiership will
surely be looked on more kindly
1500
01:09:38,818 --> 01:09:40,151
in the history books.
1501
01:09:40,151 --> 01:09:43,782
Entering his premiership
after such a formidable leader
1502
01:09:43,782 --> 01:09:45,156
as Margaret Thatcher,
1503
01:09:45,156 --> 01:09:48,494
he had a tremendous legacy to
live up to.
1504
01:09:48,494 --> 01:09:50,914
But by the time he handed over
the reigns
1505
01:09:50,914 --> 01:09:53,207
to labor leader Tony Blair,
1506
01:09:53,207 --> 01:09:55,209
the country's economy was growing
1507
01:09:55,209 --> 01:09:57,586
for the first time in many years.
1508
01:09:57,586 --> 01:10:03,324
I first entered Parliament
18 years ago tomorrow, I think.
1509
01:10:03,909 --> 01:10:06,137
And the difference in our country
1510
01:10:06,137 --> 01:10:09,099
is a difference you could not express
1511
01:10:09,099 --> 01:10:13,352
unless you remembered what
it was like in May of 1979
1512
01:10:13,352 --> 01:10:15,646
when the conservatives
first came to government.
1513
01:10:15,646 --> 01:10:19,109
Many people who voted
in this general election
1514
01:10:19,109 --> 01:10:20,401
perhaps never knew that,
1515
01:10:20,401 --> 01:10:22,946
for they have never known
anything in their adult lives
1516
01:10:22,946 --> 01:10:25,196
without conservative government,
1517
01:10:25,196 --> 01:10:26,281
and others, perhaps,
1518
01:10:26,281 --> 01:10:29,535
have not remembered
precisely what it was like.
1519
01:10:29,535 --> 01:10:31,955
Well, I said a moment ago
1520
01:10:31,955 --> 01:10:34,124
that this party had served
longer in government
1521
01:10:34,124 --> 01:10:34,834
than any other.
1522
01:10:34,834 --> 01:10:37,584
We've suffered great defeats before.
1523
01:10:37,584 --> 01:10:39,838
We have always come back.
1524
01:10:39,838 --> 01:10:42,841
[Narrator] Although it
had not been an easy decade
1525
01:10:42,841 --> 01:10:44,215
for the Prime Minister,
1526
01:10:44,215 --> 01:10:46,217
Major managed to leave the country
1527
01:10:46,217 --> 01:10:49,346
in a better state than
how he had found it.
1528
01:10:49,346 --> 01:10:51,766
Surely this is the hope and ambition
1529
01:10:51,766 --> 01:10:56,211
of every Prime Minister of
Her Majesty's government.
1530
01:10:56,920 --> 01:10:59,273
He is a Prime Minister
that will be remembered
1531
01:10:59,273 --> 01:11:03,862
for his mild mannered
style and sincere charm.
1532
01:11:03,862 --> 01:11:07,364
Major was an honorable
and decent Prime Minister
1533
01:11:07,364 --> 01:11:10,242
who served Britain with a
simple intention
1534
01:11:10,242 --> 01:11:12,936
of making it great once more.
1535
01:11:13,561 --> 01:11:14,246
To the Queen,
1536
01:11:14,246 --> 01:11:18,417
it is obvious the relationship
was one of trust, of support,
1537
01:11:18,417 --> 01:11:20,359
and of admiration.
1538
01:11:21,153 --> 01:11:22,839
For Her Majesty the Queen,
1539
01:11:22,839 --> 01:11:27,886
Sir John Major will always
be her ninth Prime Minister.
1540
01:11:27,886 --> 01:11:30,871
(gentle music)
114812
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