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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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The Princess Elizabeth has agreed
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to accept the crown and rule as Queen.
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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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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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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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Sir John Major,
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Her Majesty's ninth Prime Minister.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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00:08:04,794 --> 00:08:09,454
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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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 --> 00:09:20,525
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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By 1959, Major
joined the young conservatives
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in Brixton.
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00:10:03,789 --> 00:10:08,450
He began to give speeches in
the soapbox in Brixton Market.
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00:10:08,460 --> 00:10:11,536
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 --> 00:10:23,423
Major worked in banking
before his political days,
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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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00:10:35,610 --> 00:10:38,687
and in 1968, Major stood
as Councillor again
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00:10:38,697 --> 00:10:42,442
in the Lambeth London
Borough Council election.
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00:10:42,452 --> 00:10:45,736
The conservatives received a
boost following Enoch Powell's
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famous anti-immigration
Rivers of Blood speech.
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00:10:50,252 --> 00:10:51,985
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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In this country, in 15 or 20 years time,
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00:11:12,147 --> 00:11:15,766
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 --> 00:11:19,354
Major won,
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despite disagreeing with Powell's views.
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00:11:22,534 --> 00:11:25,025
Major's focus was on housing matters,
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00:11:25,035 --> 00:11:29,989
and he oversaw several large
council estates being built.
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00:11:29,999 --> 00:11:33,309
He lost his seat in 1971.
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00:11:33,319 --> 00:11:36,954
In April, 1970, Major met Norma Johnson
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00:11:36,964 --> 00:11:40,040
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 --> 00:11:46,671
and welcoming their first child,
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00:11:46,681 --> 00:11:50,343
Elizabeth, in November, 1971.
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Major's personal family life was going well
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but his political one
faced multiple setbacks.
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Though he managed to get
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00:11:58,694 --> 00:12:02,687
on the Conservative Central
Office's list of potential MP's,
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00:12:02,697 --> 00:12:07,692
he lost in the February and
October elections of 1974
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00:12:07,702 --> 00:12:12,697
in the labor dominated St
Pancras North constituency.
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00:12:12,707 --> 00:12:15,493
He went on to try for more promising seats
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00:12:15,503 --> 00:12:19,704
but continued to be
unsuccessful until 1976,
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00:12:19,714 --> 00:12:24,209
when he secured a conservative
seat in Huntingdonshire.
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00:12:24,219 --> 00:12:28,923
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
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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Thank you very much.
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How do you feel at this moment?
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00:12:47,742 --> 00:12:51,987
Very excited, very aware
of the responsibilities.
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00:12:51,997 --> 00:12:54,449
Her Majesty the Queen has asked me
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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 --> 00:13:04,166
that can come to any
citizen in a democracy.
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00:13:04,176 --> 00:13:07,712
He was well liked, had a relaxed, genuine,
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00:13:07,722 --> 00:13:09,381
and sincere charm.
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00:13:09,391 --> 00:13:12,757
In 1987, Major was promoted to the Cabinet
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as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
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00:13:15,355 --> 00:13:18,973
Thatcher promoted Major
quickly within the party.
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00:13:18,983 --> 00:13:20,765
It was clear she liked him.
244
00:13:20,775 --> 00:13:24,354
She went on to give him the
title of Foreign Secretary
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00:13:24,364 --> 00:13:25,854
in July, 1989.
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00:13:25,864 --> 00:13:29,774
He went from being the most
junior member of the cabinet
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to playing a significant role.
248
00:13:32,287 --> 00:13:33,738
Under Thatcher's premiership,
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00:13:33,748 --> 00:13:36,782
Major learned a great
deal about being a leader
250
00:13:36,792 --> 00:13:39,494
and the inner workings of the cabinet.
251
00:13:39,504 --> 00:13:41,786
The round of UN diplomacy took him
252
00:13:41,796 --> 00:13:42,623
to a first meeting
253
00:13:42,633 --> 00:13:44,873
with his Argentine opposite
number this evening
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00:13:44,883 --> 00:13:47,876
and talks about resuming
relations disrupted
255
00:13:47,886 --> 00:13:49,462
by the Falklands War.
256
00:13:49,472 --> 00:13:52,674
Tomorrow, Mr. Major will turn
his attention to Hong Kong,
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00:13:52,684 --> 00:13:56,344
discussing the colony's future
in a private meeting here
258
00:13:56,354 --> 00:13:58,929
with the Chinese foreign minister,
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00:13:58,939 --> 00:14:01,890
but the Foreign Secretary's
making it clear he intends
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00:14:01,900 --> 00:14:04,101
to continue efforts to rally support
261
00:14:04,111 --> 00:14:05,811
for the drug war in Colombia.
262
00:14:05,821 --> 00:14:08,724
"We must all do more," he said.
263
00:14:11,850 --> 00:14:13,778
Despite Thatcher's successes,
264
00:14:13,788 --> 00:14:17,822
there was a growing unease
among some of her colleagues.
265
00:14:17,832 --> 00:14:20,660
Issues of unemployment
and inflation were still
266
00:14:20,670 --> 00:14:23,996
in people's minds, along
with poll tax riots.
267
00:14:24,006 --> 00:14:27,291
And fears of future strife caused Thatcher
268
00:14:27,301 --> 00:14:29,126
to begin to lose her popularity.
269
00:14:29,136 --> 00:14:33,088
One of the many bones of
contention was Thatcher's stance
270
00:14:33,098 --> 00:14:37,051
on Europe and the European
Exchange Rate Mechanism.
271
00:14:37,061 --> 00:14:40,971
Thatcher was adamant that
Britain should not be ruled
272
00:14:40,981 --> 00:14:43,516
from Brussels and she was concerned
273
00:14:43,526 --> 00:14:46,478
at the gradual erosion
of British sovereignty
274
00:14:46,488 --> 00:14:50,230
and the country's ability to
be allowed to manage itself.
275
00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,818
The creeping federalism
of Europe would be one
276
00:14:53,828 --> 00:14:54,819
of the main themes of some
277
00:14:54,829 --> 00:14:57,697
of her most powerful
speeches in Parliament,
278
00:14:57,707 --> 00:15:01,866
sowing seeds of doubt on
the unification of Europe.
279
00:15:01,876 --> 00:15:05,870
The beautifully oiled
machine was starting to fail
280
00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:07,206
and a plot was being hatched
281
00:15:07,216 --> 00:15:10,875
to unseat Thatcher from
her position of power.
282
00:15:10,885 --> 00:15:15,255
For eight years, Margaret
had this remarkable capacity
283
00:15:15,265 --> 00:15:18,710
to judge public opinion and get it right.
284
00:15:19,418 --> 00:15:21,970
And after eight years, inevitably,
285
00:15:21,980 --> 00:15:25,767
surrounding by the
trappings of Prime Minister,
286
00:15:25,777 --> 00:15:30,438
inevitably you lose that
acute ear for public opinion,
287
00:15:30,448 --> 00:15:31,189
not a criticism of her.
288
00:15:31,199 --> 00:15:34,567
I think it was true of at
least one successor of hers
289
00:15:34,577 --> 00:15:36,736
and of others earlier in history
290
00:15:36,746 --> 00:15:39,690
and I think she was wrong about poll tax.
291
00:15:39,938 --> 00:15:41,031
Geoffrey Howe,
292
00:15:41,041 --> 00:15:43,408
her longest serving cabinet minister,
293
00:15:43,418 --> 00:15:48,163
chose to plunge the dagger
and he offered an ultimatum.
294
00:15:48,173 --> 00:15:50,875
He threatened to resign
unless Thatcher agreed
295
00:15:50,885 --> 00:15:54,587
to join the European
Exchange Rate Mechanism,
296
00:15:54,597 --> 00:15:56,455
which she refused.
297
00:15:56,582 --> 00:15:59,801
No, the people of Britain
do not want petty bureaucracy.
298
00:15:59,811 --> 00:16:03,638
They do not want taxation
rates imposed upon us
299
00:16:03,648 --> 00:16:08,601
without the consent and agreement
of the British Parliament.
300
00:16:08,611 --> 00:16:10,478
Ultimately, he did resign,
301
00:16:10,488 --> 00:16:13,938
and his resignation speech
left the House of Commons
302
00:16:13,948 --> 00:16:16,651
questioning their Prime Minister's ability
303
00:16:16,661 --> 00:16:19,944
to continue to lead her
party and the country.
304
00:16:19,954 --> 00:16:22,239
In his infamous resignation speech,
305
00:16:22,249 --> 00:16:25,785
he said, "The time has come for others
306
00:16:25,795 --> 00:16:27,952
to consider their own response
307
00:16:27,962 --> 00:16:30,038
to the tragic conflict of loyalties
308
00:16:30,048 --> 00:16:35,244
with which I have myself
wrestled for perhaps too long."
309
00:16:35,994 --> 00:16:37,087
After just three months
310
00:16:37,097 --> 00:16:39,924
in his role as Foreign Secretary,
311
00:16:39,934 --> 00:16:42,967
Major became Chancellor of the Exchequer.
312
00:16:42,977 --> 00:16:48,766
Major insisted on joining the
ERM against Thatcher's wishes.
313
00:16:48,776 --> 00:16:51,268
Thatcher's popularity was declining
314
00:16:51,278 --> 00:16:54,479
whilst Major's was excelling.
315
00:16:54,489 --> 00:16:56,064
Eventually, in 1990,
316
00:16:56,074 --> 00:16:58,693
Thatcher succumbed to mounting pressures
317
00:16:58,703 --> 00:17:01,996
and announced they would join the ERM.
318
00:17:04,626 --> 00:17:06,991
Things came to a head in 1990
319
00:17:07,001 --> 00:17:09,537
when Michael Heseltine challenged Thatcher
320
00:17:09,547 --> 00:17:11,455
for leadership of the Conservative Party,
321
00:17:11,465 --> 00:17:16,418
in part due to differences of
opinion on the European Union.
322
00:17:16,428 --> 00:17:18,170
Thatcher won the first vote
323
00:17:18,180 --> 00:17:22,884
but the majority was too small
to be an outright victory.
324
00:17:22,894 --> 00:17:23,509
One by one,
325
00:17:23,519 --> 00:17:27,011
she was advised by her
cabinet members to resign.
326
00:17:27,021 --> 00:17:30,850
I said to each of them
individually beforehand, I said,
327
00:17:30,860 --> 00:17:33,310
"If you don't speak the truth to her
328
00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:34,353
when you go and see her,
329
00:17:34,363 --> 00:17:36,020
I shall be extremely angry.
330
00:17:36,030 --> 00:17:37,815
You have to tell her what you've told me
331
00:17:37,825 --> 00:17:42,061
'cause she must know where
she stands," and they did.
332
00:17:43,229 --> 00:17:45,023
I went in first.
333
00:17:45,314 --> 00:17:48,743
I said she'd been defeated
and should step down
334
00:17:48,753 --> 00:17:50,703
and she wouldn't win the second ballot
335
00:17:50,713 --> 00:17:51,537
against Michael Heseltine,
336
00:17:51,547 --> 00:17:55,039
but she should allow, talk to
certain John Major to come in.
337
00:17:55,049 --> 00:17:57,669
She said I was being
defeatist and try to rally me,
338
00:17:57,679 --> 00:18:00,295
you know, get me to pull
myself together and stop being so,
339
00:18:00,305 --> 00:18:04,926
you know, sort of defeatist,
and we failed to agree.
340
00:18:04,936 --> 00:18:07,011
Realizing her time was up
341
00:18:07,021 --> 00:18:10,472
but not wanting to fall
victim to Heseltine's plot,
342
00:18:10,482 --> 00:18:13,517
Thatcher decided to resign.
343
00:18:13,527 --> 00:18:15,812
On November 22nd, 1990,
344
00:18:15,822 --> 00:18:19,816
she resigned as leader
of the Conservative Party
345
00:18:19,826 --> 00:18:21,065
and as Prime Minister,
346
00:18:21,075 --> 00:18:24,654
after 11 consecutive years in office.
347
00:18:24,664 --> 00:18:26,864
Number 10 is a house and a home
348
00:18:26,874 --> 00:18:27,573
as well as an office,
349
00:18:27,583 --> 00:18:30,074
and as Margaret Thatcher
left it after so long,
350
00:18:30,084 --> 00:18:31,075
there was applause to be heard,
351
00:18:31,085 --> 00:18:34,371
and I'm told, a tear or two
shed among the unseen staff.
352
00:18:34,381 --> 00:18:37,917
Mrs. Thatcher's own voice
had an emotional edge to it.
353
00:18:37,927 --> 00:18:41,420
Ladies and gentlemen,
we're leaving Downing Street
354
00:18:41,430 --> 00:18:46,926
for the last time after 11
and a half wonderful years,
355
00:18:46,936 --> 00:18:47,803
and we're very happy
356
00:18:47,813 --> 00:18:50,930
that we leave the United Kingdom
357
00:18:50,940 --> 00:18:53,097
in a very, very much better state
358
00:18:53,107 --> 00:18:56,686
than when we came here
11 and a half years ago.
359
00:18:56,696 --> 00:18:58,520
But then the Iron Lady's composure
360
00:18:58,530 --> 00:19:02,035
almost broke, watch her
face as she reaches her car.
361
00:19:06,914 --> 00:19:10,306
She recovered quickly for one last wave.
362
00:19:10,316 --> 00:19:12,952
Friends say though that
she is deeply shocked
363
00:19:12,962 --> 00:19:15,079
by the seeming injustice of it all.
364
00:19:15,089 --> 00:19:16,120
Three election victories
365
00:19:16,130 --> 00:19:18,373
and a clear though insufficient majority
366
00:19:18,383 --> 00:19:20,124
in the first ballot rewarded,
367
00:19:20,134 --> 00:19:22,126
as she sees it, with the sack.
368
00:19:22,136 --> 00:19:24,714
In her final bid to hold her head up high
369
00:19:24,724 --> 00:19:27,884
and to outwit her arch
enemy, Michael Heseltine,
370
00:19:27,894 --> 00:19:30,302
she moved her chess pieces to make certain
371
00:19:30,312 --> 00:19:34,256
that John Major would become her successor.
372
00:19:34,673 --> 00:19:39,227
Famously, Thatcher always
maintained she was undefeated.
373
00:19:39,237 --> 00:19:44,158
She never lost an election,
and she resigned herself.
374
00:19:45,410 --> 00:19:49,906
One can only imagine the
conversation at the final meeting
375
00:19:49,916 --> 00:19:50,741
when Margaret Thatcher,
376
00:19:50,751 --> 00:19:53,951
Prime Minister for 11 and a half years,
377
00:19:53,961 --> 00:19:55,160
went to Buckingham Palace
378
00:19:55,170 --> 00:19:58,172
to offer her resignation to the Queen.
379
00:20:05,203 --> 00:20:09,216
Major won the vote for
leadership with 185 votes.
380
00:20:09,226 --> 00:20:13,345
Though Douglas and Heseltine
could have challenged it,
381
00:20:13,355 --> 00:20:14,398
they conceded.
382
00:20:19,217 --> 00:20:23,221
Michael Heseltine, 131.
383
00:20:23,556 --> 00:20:25,391
Douglas Hurd, 56.
384
00:20:26,935 --> 00:20:28,310
John Major 185.
385
00:20:31,206 --> 00:20:33,323
Huntingdon Conservative Club members
386
00:20:33,333 --> 00:20:34,784
knew they were on a winning streak.
387
00:20:34,794 --> 00:20:38,822
Their domino team has won
its last three matches,
388
00:20:39,363 --> 00:20:41,749
but there was just a slight hint of doubt
389
00:20:41,759 --> 00:20:43,827
about what the figures meant
390
00:20:44,242 --> 00:20:46,872
until the Heseltine concession,
391
00:20:46,997 --> 00:20:49,767
and that was received in
the appropriate manner.
392
00:20:50,435 --> 00:20:53,217
Huntingdon tonight is no
longer the constituency,
393
00:20:53,227 --> 00:20:54,772
it's the Prime Minister's seat.
394
00:20:56,190 --> 00:20:57,681
I think he's a fantastic guy.
395
00:20:57,691 --> 00:21:02,226
I mean, he'll make a first
class Prime Minister.
396
00:21:02,236 --> 00:21:03,147
Gray image?
397
00:21:03,157 --> 00:21:06,774
There's no gray image. What
you see is what you get.
398
00:21:06,784 --> 00:21:07,692
Fantastic guy.
399
00:21:07,702 --> 00:21:09,234
I've known him now for 20 years.
400
00:21:09,244 --> 00:21:12,446
I've always seen that
steely determination in him.
401
00:21:12,456 --> 00:21:13,823
He'll do a fantastic job as Prime Minister.
402
00:21:13,833 --> 00:21:17,241
He'll, first of all, heal the party,
403
00:21:17,251 --> 00:21:18,203
and he'll take the party
404
00:21:18,213 --> 00:21:19,327
to victory the next general election.
405
00:21:19,337 --> 00:21:22,414
What sort of changes can we expect?
406
00:21:22,424 --> 00:21:23,291
You'll have to ask John that.
407
00:21:23,301 --> 00:21:25,750
I don't think you'll see many things.
408
00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:26,461
He thoroughly approves
409
00:21:26,471 --> 00:21:27,627
of what the government's done to date.
410
00:21:27,637 --> 00:21:30,965
You may well see some changes
in style and presentation,
411
00:21:30,975 --> 00:21:34,135
but I think you'll find he'll
be pursuing the policies
412
00:21:34,145 --> 00:21:35,427
of the present government.
413
00:21:35,437 --> 00:21:37,679
Huntingdon produced Oliver Cromwell.
414
00:21:37,689 --> 00:21:39,681
Now it's produced a Prime Minister,
415
00:21:39,691 --> 00:21:41,903
tonight, something to be celebrated.
416
00:21:45,279 --> 00:21:48,024
On the 28th November, 1990,
417
00:21:48,034 --> 00:21:51,443
John Major accepted Her
Majesty's invitation
418
00:21:51,453 --> 00:21:53,277
to form a government.
419
00:21:53,287 --> 00:21:56,406
It is said, as he drove
out of the golden gates
420
00:21:56,416 --> 00:21:57,909
of Buckingham Palace,
421
00:21:57,919 --> 00:22:00,284
he thought about how far he'd come
422
00:22:00,294 --> 00:22:04,040
from a boy growing up in
a cramped flat in Brixton
423
00:22:04,050 --> 00:22:06,708
to Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,
424
00:22:06,718 --> 00:22:09,889
living in Number 10 Downing Street.
425
00:22:15,477 --> 00:22:17,178
What's your
reaction, Mr. Major?
426
00:22:17,188 --> 00:22:20,304
I'd like, I'd like, firstly if I may,
427
00:22:20,314 --> 00:22:22,892
to thank my many parliamentary colleagues
428
00:22:22,902 --> 00:22:25,309
for the tremendous support
they've given me today.
429
00:22:25,319 --> 00:22:28,272
It's an enormous encouragement
to know that so many people
430
00:22:28,282 --> 00:22:30,649
in the parliamentary party
are prepared to entrust me
431
00:22:30,659 --> 00:22:32,609
with the leadership of
the Conservative Party,
432
00:22:32,619 --> 00:22:35,654
and I will endeavor to
discharge those responsibilities
433
00:22:35,664 --> 00:22:37,739
to the best of my ability.
434
00:22:37,749 --> 00:22:38,323
If I may,
435
00:22:38,333 --> 00:22:40,993
I do think this particular
election has enhanced
436
00:22:41,003 --> 00:22:43,328
the democratic process quite substantially.
437
00:22:43,338 --> 00:22:45,081
It's been a very clean election,
438
00:22:45,091 --> 00:22:48,332
an election based on
substance and not personality
439
00:22:48,342 --> 00:22:51,170
and an election that has
dealt very constructively
440
00:22:51,180 --> 00:22:51,712
with the issues,
441
00:22:51,722 --> 00:22:53,923
and I'd like to offer
my very grateful thanks
442
00:22:53,933 --> 00:22:55,967
to Douglas Hurd and to Michael Heseltine,
443
00:22:55,977 --> 00:22:58,261
both for the way they
conducted the election
444
00:22:58,271 --> 00:22:59,971
and also for the very gracious way
445
00:22:59,981 --> 00:23:01,055
in which they have conceded
446
00:23:01,065 --> 00:23:03,975
that they will not stand
on the third ballot.
447
00:23:03,985 --> 00:23:04,642
It is, it is,
448
00:23:04,652 --> 00:23:06,350
it is a very exciting thing
449
00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:08,896
to become leader of the Conservative Party
450
00:23:08,906 --> 00:23:10,189
and particularly exciting, I think,
451
00:23:10,199 --> 00:23:12,233
to follow one of the
most remarkable leaders
452
00:23:12,243 --> 00:23:14,442
that the Conservative Party has ever had.
453
00:23:14,452 --> 00:23:19,031
I believe, as time proceeds,
and Margaret Thatcher's period
454
00:23:19,041 --> 00:23:21,993
as Prime Minister is seen
in a proper perspective,
455
00:23:22,003 --> 00:23:22,660
that it will be seen
456
00:23:22,670 --> 00:23:25,329
that she has been a very
great Prime Minister indeed.
457
00:23:25,339 --> 00:23:27,414
Our job now I think is quite clear.
458
00:23:27,424 --> 00:23:28,373
We're going to unite.
459
00:23:28,383 --> 00:23:30,709
We are going to unite
totally and absolutely,
460
00:23:30,719 --> 00:23:32,460
and we're going to win
the next general election.
461
00:23:32,470 --> 00:23:36,132
Thank you all very much
indeed. Thank you all very much.
462
00:23:36,142 --> 00:23:37,174
My first task immediately.
463
00:23:37,184 --> 00:23:38,675
How do you
feel this, Mrs. Major?
464
00:23:38,685 --> 00:23:40,677
- Delighted.
- My first task immediately is
465
00:23:40,687 --> 00:23:42,386
to go and thank the enormous number
466
00:23:42,396 --> 00:23:44,098
of my parliamentary colleagues,
467
00:23:44,108 --> 00:23:44,724
friends and others
468
00:23:44,734 --> 00:23:46,725
who've been working in this campaign.
469
00:23:46,735 --> 00:23:47,476
Thank you all very much.
470
00:23:47,486 --> 00:23:51,615
Thank you all very much indeed
471
00:23:54,035 --> 00:23:56,152
Unfortunately for John Major,
472
00:23:56,162 --> 00:24:00,697
he inherited a government
dominated by the 1990s recession
473
00:24:00,707 --> 00:24:05,409
caused by high interest rates
and falling house prices.
474
00:24:05,419 --> 00:24:11,415
Unemployment rate by the
end of 1991 was 2.5 million.
475
00:24:11,425 --> 00:24:12,709
Nonetheless, opinion polling
476
00:24:12,719 --> 00:24:17,298
for the conservative
government remained fairly stable.
477
00:24:17,308 --> 00:24:17,798
A fresh face
478
00:24:17,808 --> 00:24:20,759
on the Conservative Party
welcomed an opportunity
479
00:24:20,769 --> 00:24:25,056
for change, and Major felt
a great responsibility
480
00:24:25,066 --> 00:24:28,475
and sense of duty to help an ailing country
481
00:24:28,485 --> 00:24:31,012
and economy to heal.
482
00:24:32,097 --> 00:24:34,939
The deeply unpopular poll tax was an area
483
00:24:34,949 --> 00:24:38,442
which Major knew must
be dealt with quickly,
484
00:24:38,452 --> 00:24:41,446
a task he appointed to Heseltine.
485
00:24:41,456 --> 00:24:46,327
I certainly do not rule out
the need for further changes
486
00:24:46,337 --> 00:24:48,245
in the community charge,
487
00:24:48,255 --> 00:24:49,454
and as I talk to my colleagues,
488
00:24:49,464 --> 00:24:51,456
and these discussions are not concluded
489
00:24:51,466 --> 00:24:53,457
and will continue with my colleagues,
490
00:24:53,467 --> 00:24:58,588
I do become increasingly
convinced that we will not be able
491
00:24:58,598 --> 00:25:00,464
to leave things as they are.
492
00:25:00,474 --> 00:25:02,301
In no sense, where necessary,
493
00:25:02,311 --> 00:25:04,468
where necessary and if necessary,
494
00:25:04,478 --> 00:25:08,349
would I be afraid to make
changes in government policy.
495
00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:12,476
In April, 1993, poll tax was replaced
496
00:25:12,486 --> 00:25:13,645
with council tax,
497
00:25:13,655 --> 00:25:17,515
a sliding scale based on property prices.
498
00:25:18,101 --> 00:25:21,485
The international landscape
was also changing rapidly.
499
00:25:21,495 --> 00:25:25,032
The early '90s marked the
collapse of the Soviet Union
500
00:25:25,042 --> 00:25:28,910
as well as the end of the
apartheid in South Africa.
501
00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:33,497
Major remained engaged in the
international organizations
502
00:25:33,507 --> 00:25:34,624
such as the United Nations
503
00:25:34,634 --> 00:25:39,164
and the Commonwealth of
which the Queen was head.
504
00:25:41,558 --> 00:25:44,343
For the first
time in recent political memory,
505
00:25:44,353 --> 00:25:46,345
Commonwealth leaders gathered for a meeting
506
00:25:46,355 --> 00:25:48,596
where strong feelings about South Africa
507
00:25:48,606 --> 00:25:50,514
no longer threaten the harmony.
508
00:25:50,524 --> 00:25:52,517
The British camp has been
working hard to ensure
509
00:25:52,527 --> 00:25:55,729
that what differences
still exist don't develop
510
00:25:55,739 --> 00:25:57,398
into open disputes,
511
00:25:57,408 --> 00:26:00,276
and the Prime Minister's
efforts were rewarded today.
512
00:26:00,286 --> 00:26:02,278
Over lunch, Nelson Mandela briefed him
513
00:26:02,288 --> 00:26:04,405
on his ideas for changing the timetable
514
00:26:04,415 --> 00:26:07,116
for lifting sanctions against South Africa.
515
00:26:07,126 --> 00:26:07,992
The ANC leader followed that
516
00:26:08,002 --> 00:26:11,619
with the sort of endorsement
politicians dream of.
517
00:26:11,629 --> 00:26:14,407
Whatever differences may be there,
518
00:26:14,573 --> 00:26:16,540
one thing is clear,
519
00:26:16,550 --> 00:26:18,001
that the British government
520
00:26:18,011 --> 00:26:21,172
and the British people are the enemies
521
00:26:21,182 --> 00:26:24,508
of all forms of racial discrimination.
522
00:26:24,518 --> 00:26:27,594
There is an awkward question
being quietly asked here.
523
00:26:27,604 --> 00:26:31,014
Once the Commonwealth stops
arguing about South Africa,
524
00:26:31,024 --> 00:26:31,766
does it become little more
525
00:26:31,776 --> 00:26:34,393
than a rather grand international club?
526
00:26:34,403 --> 00:26:35,935
That's why there's so much talk this week
527
00:26:35,945 --> 00:26:39,063
about finding a new role
for the Commonwealth.
528
00:26:39,073 --> 00:26:40,564
Among those dining with the Queen tonight,
529
00:26:40,574 --> 00:26:43,693
there's no question of abandoning
Commonwealth traditions
530
00:26:43,703 --> 00:26:45,569
like decision by consensus.
531
00:26:45,579 --> 00:26:48,072
So, initiatives like John Major's proposal
532
00:26:48,082 --> 00:26:49,866
that the Commonwealth become a guardian
533
00:26:49,876 --> 00:26:51,575
of human rights and democracy
534
00:26:51,585 --> 00:26:52,577
have to be made rather gingerly,
535
00:26:52,587 --> 00:26:55,914
especially when they involve
pointing the finger of blame.
536
00:26:55,924 --> 00:26:58,833
Member states of the Commonwealth
have not always applied
537
00:26:58,843 --> 00:27:01,795
the values which our
organization represents,
538
00:27:01,805 --> 00:27:04,588
but we have always held onto those values.
539
00:27:04,598 --> 00:27:08,592
They represent a yard stick of
behavior for each one of us.
540
00:27:08,602 --> 00:27:12,264
The Commonwealth is well
placed to catch the tidal wave
541
00:27:12,274 --> 00:27:13,597
of human rights and democracy
542
00:27:13,607 --> 00:27:16,560
which is sweeping across much of the world.
543
00:27:16,570 --> 00:27:18,270
Though actively engaged,
544
00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,397
Major found some of these meetings
545
00:27:20,407 --> 00:27:22,607
to be deeply frustrating,
546
00:27:22,617 --> 00:27:24,443
Nothing much would be achieved,
547
00:27:24,453 --> 00:27:28,447
and he would tire of sitting
through interminable speeches
548
00:27:28,457 --> 00:27:31,534
and watching elaborate ceremonies.
549
00:27:31,544 --> 00:27:33,202
Major felt, in particular,
550
00:27:33,212 --> 00:27:36,746
the G7 summits were notorious for this.
551
00:27:36,756 --> 00:27:39,624
After agreement from US
President Bill Clinton,
552
00:27:39,634 --> 00:27:44,628
successive summits were much
more scaled down and informal,
553
00:27:44,638 --> 00:27:46,874
much to Major's delight.
554
00:28:03,433 --> 00:28:04,400
We've told Saddam Hussein,
555
00:28:04,410 --> 00:28:06,193
he's been told quite clearly by the allies,
556
00:28:06,203 --> 00:28:09,613
that we wish to ensure the
safety of the no fly zone.
557
00:28:09,623 --> 00:28:11,532
Firstly, he must honor the no fly zone.
558
00:28:11,542 --> 00:28:12,656
There's been no more flying in it,
559
00:28:12,666 --> 00:28:15,369
and secondly, he must
remove the SAM missiles.
560
00:28:15,379 --> 00:28:17,580
That's made perfectly clear to him.
561
00:28:17,590 --> 00:28:18,662
He knows that,
562
00:28:18,672 --> 00:28:20,123
set a timeframe for it.
563
00:28:20,133 --> 00:28:21,343
I hope he will comply.
564
00:28:29,791 --> 00:28:31,218
One of the defining elements
565
00:28:31,228 --> 00:28:35,306
of John Major's premiership
was the Gulf War.
566
00:28:35,316 --> 00:28:37,266
John Major became Prime Minister
567
00:28:37,276 --> 00:28:41,346
shortly after Saddam
Hussein invaded Kuwait.
568
00:28:41,929 --> 00:28:46,107
US President George Bush and
John Major worked together
569
00:28:46,117 --> 00:28:49,278
to try and find a peaceful solution.
570
00:28:49,288 --> 00:28:50,987
The so-called special relationship
571
00:28:50,997 --> 00:28:55,825
between the UK and US
continued in Major's premiership.
572
00:28:55,835 --> 00:28:59,078
Major and Bush got on remarkably well.
573
00:28:59,088 --> 00:29:01,582
However, despite their best efforts,
574
00:29:01,592 --> 00:29:05,377
military action started in January, 1991
575
00:29:05,387 --> 00:29:08,464
after Iraq had been
given a deadline to leave
576
00:29:08,474 --> 00:29:11,725
but their forces continued
to occupy Kuwait.
577
00:29:21,678 --> 00:29:24,103
John Major has brought a fighting message
578
00:29:24,113 --> 00:29:24,729
to Saudi Arabia,
579
00:29:24,739 --> 00:29:28,525
rejecting out of hand any
deal short of total withdrawal
580
00:29:28,535 --> 00:29:29,319
by Saddam Hussein,
581
00:29:29,329 --> 00:29:33,738
telling his hosts that Iraq
could not possibly win any war
582
00:29:33,748 --> 00:29:35,114
and dismissing any talk
583
00:29:35,124 --> 00:29:37,741
of changing the deadline for withdrawal.
584
00:29:37,751 --> 00:29:40,704
The airport at which he
landed is ready for war.
585
00:29:40,714 --> 00:29:43,747
The signs of the American
buildup are everywhere,
586
00:29:43,757 --> 00:29:44,874
and because of that massive force,
587
00:29:44,884 --> 00:29:47,751
John Major says, the allies cannot lose.
588
00:29:47,761 --> 00:29:50,754
I hope Saddam Hussein
realizes what's ranged against him.
589
00:29:50,764 --> 00:29:53,757
There is no possibility that
he could win any conflict,
590
00:29:53,767 --> 00:29:54,759
no possibility whatsoever.
591
00:29:54,769 --> 00:29:55,760
And that is mostly
592
00:29:55,770 --> 00:29:58,137
because the air power would
be overwhelmingly on one side?
593
00:29:58,147 --> 00:29:59,763
The air power is very substantial,
594
00:29:59,773 --> 00:30:02,266
but the rest of the
power is awesome as well.
595
00:30:02,276 --> 00:30:03,767
News of the attempts by Iraq
596
00:30:03,777 --> 00:30:05,853
to get the deadline for action postponed
597
00:30:05,863 --> 00:30:07,063
filtered through as he toured.
598
00:30:07,073 --> 00:30:09,358
The Prime Minister was not interested.
599
00:30:09,368 --> 00:30:11,694
No, there's no question
of shifting the deadline.
600
00:30:11,704 --> 00:30:13,777
We've known for some time
that he may play games
601
00:30:13,787 --> 00:30:15,739
of this sort and try to
edge the deadline forward.
602
00:30:15,749 --> 00:30:18,409
It isn't something that we
are prepared to contemplate.
603
00:30:18,419 --> 00:30:20,076
That tough line is partly the result
604
00:30:20,086 --> 00:30:22,329
of the suffering of those still in Kuwait,
605
00:30:22,339 --> 00:30:23,787
outlined once again in a meeting
606
00:30:23,797 --> 00:30:26,667
with the Exar Kuwaiti
leaders earlier today.
607
00:30:26,677 --> 00:30:28,669
It's also, of course, part of the campaign
608
00:30:28,679 --> 00:30:32,756
to persuade Saddam that
withdrawal is his only option.
609
00:30:32,766 --> 00:30:33,591
The British here still hope
610
00:30:33,601 --> 00:30:36,259
the Iraqi leader will change
his mind and withdraw,
611
00:30:36,269 --> 00:30:37,761
but like the rest of the country,
612
00:30:37,771 --> 00:30:38,802
they're preparing for war.
613
00:30:38,812 --> 00:30:41,805
Diplomats were handing out
some of 12,000 gas masks
614
00:30:41,815 --> 00:30:45,352
to the British civilians
today as John Major arrived.
615
00:30:45,362 --> 00:30:46,228
It's very nice to see you all.
616
00:30:46,238 --> 00:30:47,979
How does he explain to those
617
00:30:47,989 --> 00:30:49,897
who might be caught up in a Gulf War
618
00:30:49,907 --> 00:30:51,815
why the price is worth paying?
619
00:30:51,825 --> 00:30:54,403
If we are not prepared to
deal with this matter now,
620
00:30:54,413 --> 00:30:58,281
we might face, quite apart
from not correcting a wrong
621
00:30:58,291 --> 00:30:59,783
that needs to be put right,
622
00:30:59,793 --> 00:31:01,744
we might face a far greater problem
623
00:31:01,754 --> 00:31:02,869
in the not too distant future.
624
00:31:02,879 --> 00:31:04,455
I don't think that's tolerable.
625
00:31:04,465 --> 00:31:05,829
We've learned from history in the past
626
00:31:05,839 --> 00:31:08,207
that if you put off dealing
with this sort of problem,
627
00:31:08,217 --> 00:31:11,169
you may well have a larger
problem a little later.
628
00:31:11,179 --> 00:31:11,836
Everyone, I think,
629
00:31:11,846 --> 00:31:13,837
in the international community understands
630
00:31:13,847 --> 00:31:14,507
that very well.
631
00:31:14,517 --> 00:31:16,800
Tonight, came an audience with King Fahd
632
00:31:16,810 --> 00:31:17,385
of Saudi Arabia.
633
00:31:17,395 --> 00:31:20,844
The subject, security in the
Gulf after Kuwait is regained.
634
00:31:20,854 --> 00:31:23,181
Tomorrow, John Major
travels into the desert
635
00:31:23,191 --> 00:31:25,266
for perhaps the most
vital part of this tour,
636
00:31:25,276 --> 00:31:29,312
to see some of the 34,000
British service men and women
637
00:31:29,322 --> 00:31:30,397
on duty in the Gulf.
638
00:31:30,407 --> 00:31:31,898
He'll ask them what their problems are,
639
00:31:31,908 --> 00:31:35,026
and he'll try to reassure
them that if the war comes,
640
00:31:35,036 --> 00:31:36,570
it's one they're going to win.
641
00:31:36,580 --> 00:31:38,447
Now, tomorrow, you visit the British troops
642
00:31:38,457 --> 00:31:43,452
and you've said that Saddam
Hussein cannot win any conflict
643
00:31:43,462 --> 00:31:46,370
because of the sheer force against him.
644
00:31:46,380 --> 00:31:49,165
He can, nevertheless, embark on a nasty
645
00:31:49,175 --> 00:31:53,877
and brutal conflict involving
many British personnel.
646
00:31:53,887 --> 00:31:55,880
Well, he's already embarked upon a nasty
647
00:31:55,890 --> 00:31:58,174
and brutal conflict in Kuwait
648
00:31:58,184 --> 00:31:58,883
We know he has done that
649
00:31:58,893 --> 00:32:01,885
and it is to expel him from continuing that
650
00:32:01,895 --> 00:32:03,096
that British troops are there.
651
00:32:03,106 --> 00:32:04,305
We're all well aware of that.
652
00:32:04,315 --> 00:32:08,017
There is the most enormous
amount of allied power here,
653
00:32:08,027 --> 00:32:10,061
both air power and land power.
654
00:32:10,071 --> 00:32:12,313
It is quite impossible for Saddam Hussein
655
00:32:12,323 --> 00:32:13,524
to prevail against that,
656
00:32:13,534 --> 00:32:14,898
and I hope he will realize it.
657
00:32:14,908 --> 00:32:17,653
If we are not prepared to
deal with this matter now,
658
00:32:17,663 --> 00:32:21,490
we might face, quite apart
from not correcting a wrong
659
00:32:21,500 --> 00:32:22,906
that needs to be put right,
660
00:32:22,916 --> 00:32:24,908
we might face a far greater problem
661
00:32:24,918 --> 00:32:26,035
in the not too distant future.
662
00:32:26,045 --> 00:32:27,621
I don't think that's tolerable.
663
00:32:27,631 --> 00:32:28,912
We've learned from history in the past
664
00:32:28,922 --> 00:32:31,332
that if you put off dealing
with this sort of problem,
665
00:32:31,342 --> 00:32:34,335
you may well have a larger
problem a little later.
666
00:32:34,345 --> 00:32:34,962
Everyone, I think,
667
00:32:34,972 --> 00:32:36,920
in the international community understands
668
00:32:36,930 --> 00:32:38,005
that very well.
669
00:32:38,015 --> 00:32:39,550
Major flew to the Gulf
670
00:32:39,560 --> 00:32:42,426
to see for himself what the situation was.
671
00:32:42,436 --> 00:32:45,929
Meeting the servicemen
struck a chord with Major.
672
00:32:45,939 --> 00:32:49,225
His son was only a little
younger than the troops,
673
00:32:49,235 --> 00:32:50,853
and it was very moving for him
674
00:32:50,863 --> 00:32:53,971
to see the reality of what was happening.
675
00:32:54,972 --> 00:32:56,190
The Prime Minister charged
676
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:58,276
across the sands of Saudi Arabia today
677
00:32:58,286 --> 00:33:00,904
in the company of the
troops who, next week,
678
00:33:00,914 --> 00:33:02,614
may be committed to war.
679
00:33:02,624 --> 00:33:04,948
In Mr. Major's words to the troops,
680
00:33:04,958 --> 00:33:05,949
Close in please.
681
00:33:05,959 --> 00:33:06,993
"We may invite you
682
00:33:07,003 --> 00:33:10,204
to forcibly remove Saddam Hussein,"
683
00:33:10,214 --> 00:33:12,541
but for all the war
like talk in the desert,
684
00:33:12,551 --> 00:33:15,293
Mr. Major has effectively
ruled out the use
685
00:33:15,303 --> 00:33:16,960
of the ultimate weapon.
686
00:33:16,970 --> 00:33:17,630
The question?
687
00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:19,798
If the allies are attacked
with chemical weapons,
688
00:33:19,808 --> 00:33:21,965
would they retaliate with nuclear?
689
00:33:21,975 --> 00:33:24,218
We have plenty of weapons short of that
690
00:33:24,228 --> 00:33:26,970
and we have no plans of
the sort you envisage,
691
00:33:26,980 --> 00:33:28,891
and we hope, and we hope,
692
00:33:28,901 --> 00:33:32,644
we hope it is perfectly
clear to Saddam Hussein that,
693
00:33:32,654 --> 00:33:34,978
firstly, that our men
will be well protected
694
00:33:34,988 --> 00:33:35,979
against chemical weapons.
695
00:33:35,989 --> 00:33:37,981
He'd be very unwise to do that.
696
00:33:37,991 --> 00:33:39,568
I hope he won't do that.
697
00:33:39,578 --> 00:33:41,612
I hope he will actually have the sense
698
00:33:41,622 --> 00:33:42,905
to make a peaceful withdrawal,
699
00:33:42,915 --> 00:33:46,700
but we have plenty of weapons
short of those you mention.
700
00:33:46,710 --> 00:33:47,743
Otherwise, Mr. Major
701
00:33:47,753 --> 00:33:49,870
took an extremely tough
line against Saddam,
702
00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:52,330
promising there'd be no
concessions to gain peace.
703
00:33:52,340 --> 00:33:55,959
He would be forced to leave
all the land he had taken.
704
00:33:55,969 --> 00:33:57,961
It was a visit designed to raise morale
705
00:33:57,971 --> 00:34:00,213
among the armed forces and at home as well,
706
00:34:00,223 --> 00:34:03,059
as the deadline for action draws near.
707
00:34:05,144 --> 00:34:06,010
Major made
708
00:34:06,020 --> 00:34:08,847
an unusual prime ministerial broadcast
709
00:34:08,857 --> 00:34:11,466
upon his return to the UK.
710
00:34:12,593 --> 00:34:16,395
First, we must get Iraq out of Kuwait,
711
00:34:16,405 --> 00:34:17,856
right out of Kuwait.
712
00:34:17,866 --> 00:34:22,760
Second, we must restore
Kuwait's legitimate government,
713
00:34:22,770 --> 00:34:26,405
and third, we must uphold the authority
714
00:34:26,415 --> 00:34:27,324
of the United Nations.
715
00:34:27,334 --> 00:34:31,828
The operation on which we
have embarked involves danger
716
00:34:31,838 --> 00:34:33,280
and sacrifice,
717
00:34:33,614 --> 00:34:36,951
but I am confident that it will succeed
718
00:34:37,074 --> 00:34:40,913
and we know it is a battle
which has to be fought.
719
00:34:43,749 --> 00:34:46,593
Now, the 28 countries with forces
720
00:34:46,603 --> 00:34:50,889
in the Gulf area have
exhausted all reasonable efforts
721
00:34:50,899 --> 00:34:52,975
to reach a peaceful resolution,
722
00:34:52,985 --> 00:34:58,730
have no choice but to drive
Saddam from Kuwait by force.
723
00:34:58,740 --> 00:35:00,063
We will not fail.
724
00:35:00,073 --> 00:35:05,270
Air attacks are underway
against military targets in Iraq.
725
00:35:06,063 --> 00:35:09,407
On the 16th January, 1991,
726
00:35:09,417 --> 00:35:13,110
Operation Desert Storm commenced.
727
00:35:14,214 --> 00:35:19,166
US war planes attacked
military targets in Iraq.
728
00:35:19,176 --> 00:35:24,265
On the 24th February, ground war began.
729
00:35:37,570 --> 00:35:38,478
Of course, the Queen,
730
00:35:38,488 --> 00:35:42,983
among her many other roles,
is head of armed forces.
731
00:35:42,993 --> 00:35:46,485
Conversations between the
Queen and her Prime Minister
732
00:35:46,495 --> 00:35:49,112
would have surely included great discussion
733
00:35:49,122 --> 00:35:51,992
about sending her troops to war.
734
00:35:52,002 --> 00:35:55,954
Most unusually, the Queen
televised a broadcast
735
00:35:55,964 --> 00:35:59,122
detailing the nation's
pride in its armed forces
736
00:35:59,132 --> 00:36:03,829
and her hope for a swift
conclusion to the Gulf War.
737
00:36:06,163 --> 00:36:10,133
As they, with our allies, face a fresh
738
00:36:10,143 --> 00:36:12,253
and yet sterner challenge,
739
00:36:12,797 --> 00:36:15,389
I hope that we can unite in praying
740
00:36:15,399 --> 00:36:19,344
that their success will be
as swift as it is certain
741
00:36:20,177 --> 00:36:23,146
and that it may be achieved
with as small a cost
742
00:36:23,156 --> 00:36:26,852
in human life and suffering as possible.
743
00:36:27,310 --> 00:36:31,655
Then may the true reward of
their courage be granted,
744
00:36:31,665 --> 00:36:34,191
a just and lasting peace.
745
00:36:35,193 --> 00:36:37,120
By the 28th February,
746
00:36:37,130 --> 00:36:42,416
Bush announced a ceasefire,
leaving Kuwait liberated.
747
00:36:42,426 --> 00:36:44,543
On the 3rd March, 1991,
748
00:36:44,553 --> 00:36:47,756
Iraq agreed to all UN resolutions
749
00:36:47,766 --> 00:36:50,008
and an agreement was finally signed
750
00:36:50,018 --> 00:36:52,645
on the 6th of April, 1991.
751
00:36:53,855 --> 00:36:56,639
Thank you very much for what
you've done over the last,
752
00:36:56,649 --> 00:36:57,640
over the last few months.
753
00:36:57,650 --> 00:37:01,103
It's been an absolutely fabulous job.
754
00:37:01,113 --> 00:37:03,562
I don't think it could
have been better done
755
00:37:03,572 --> 00:37:05,606
and the general impression back home,
756
00:37:05,616 --> 00:37:08,191
and I think it's the right impression,
757
00:37:08,201 --> 00:37:09,070
is that this has been one
758
00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:13,196
of the most remarkable
military episodes ever.
759
00:37:13,206 --> 00:37:15,658
It's been a copy book exercise.
760
00:37:15,668 --> 00:37:17,576
It was brilliantly planned,
761
00:37:17,586 --> 00:37:19,202
It was brilliantly done,
762
00:37:19,212 --> 00:37:21,748
and I'd just like you
to know how very proud
763
00:37:21,758 --> 00:37:25,168
at home everyone is in
the way that performed
764
00:37:25,178 --> 00:37:26,129
and the way you operated
765
00:37:26,139 --> 00:37:27,711
over the period of the last few months.
766
00:37:27,721 --> 00:37:31,382
We won't keep you out here a
day longer than we have to.
767
00:37:31,392 --> 00:37:34,217
The sooner we can get you
back home, we'll do so.
768
00:37:34,227 --> 00:37:38,140
I can't tell you precisely
when that will be,
769
00:37:38,150 --> 00:37:39,222
but I do give you my word
770
00:37:39,232 --> 00:37:41,893
there will be no undue delay about it.
771
00:37:41,903 --> 00:37:44,311
From one forward
camp merging with the desert
772
00:37:44,321 --> 00:37:46,522
to another and to the soldiers in each,
773
00:37:46,532 --> 00:37:48,231
he brought the same message.
774
00:37:48,241 --> 00:37:50,276
Thank you for your magnificent effort.
775
00:37:50,286 --> 00:37:52,611
We'll get you home as soon as possible,
776
00:37:52,621 --> 00:37:54,697
and you'll go on leave when you get there.
777
00:37:54,707 --> 00:37:58,241
In return, the Desert Rats
presented the Prime Minister
778
00:37:58,251 --> 00:37:58,953
with a memento,
779
00:37:58,963 --> 00:38:01,745
a helmet, and a Chinese made Kalashnikov.
780
00:38:01,755 --> 00:38:03,289
Thank you very much indeed.
781
00:38:03,299 --> 00:38:06,343
This will give me cabinet
authority of a sort.
782
00:38:09,262 --> 00:38:12,683
Just wait till we discuss
public expenditure next year.
783
00:38:14,727 --> 00:38:16,887
His final visit was to HMS Brave,
784
00:38:16,897 --> 00:38:19,014
where he brought to the
sailors the same news
785
00:38:19,024 --> 00:38:21,765
and message he'd given to the land forces.
786
00:38:21,775 --> 00:38:24,895
Absolutely fabulous, well done.
787
00:38:24,905 --> 00:38:26,188
Thanks very much indeed.
788
00:38:26,198 --> 00:38:26,939
Thank you, thank you.
789
00:38:26,949 --> 00:38:28,231
But the importance of this visit,
790
00:38:28,241 --> 00:38:30,066
to Kuwaitis and British forces,
791
00:38:30,076 --> 00:38:32,986
lies in Mr. Major being
the first senior statesman
792
00:38:32,996 --> 00:38:34,528
to come here since the war.
793
00:38:34,538 --> 00:38:36,239
Desmond Hamill, News at 10
794
00:38:36,249 --> 00:38:38,291
with the Prime Minister in the Gulf.
795
00:38:39,212 --> 00:38:41,462
Like seeing one of you lot with my wife.
796
00:38:51,288 --> 00:38:53,422
The Queen welcomed home British troops
797
00:38:53,432 --> 00:38:56,299
returning from the first Gulf War.
798
00:38:56,309 --> 00:38:59,470
Thousands watched as 1,000 service men
799
00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:02,275
and women paraded through London.
800
00:39:14,327 --> 00:39:18,865
Though more reserved in its
celebrations than in the US,
801
00:39:18,875 --> 00:39:22,077
a quiet triumph filled the city,
802
00:39:22,087 --> 00:39:22,702
a shared hope
803
00:39:22,712 --> 00:39:26,757
and genuine sense of pride
pervaded the country.
804
00:39:48,385 --> 00:39:49,395
Another defining factor
805
00:39:49,405 --> 00:39:54,150
for Major was the Northern
Ireland peace process.
806
00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:55,651
Major took his premiership
807
00:39:55,661 --> 00:39:59,530
in the midst of the troubles
with Northern Ireland.
808
00:39:59,540 --> 00:40:02,033
The tension had been rising for decades,
809
00:40:02,043 --> 00:40:04,702
and he was given a
distinct and clear reminder
810
00:40:04,712 --> 00:40:08,747
of the work that was needed
to unite the nations.
811
00:40:08,757 --> 00:40:11,374
On the 7th February, 1991,
812
00:40:11,384 --> 00:40:15,171
the IRA launched three
homemade mortar shells
813
00:40:15,181 --> 00:40:16,379
at 10 Downing Street
814
00:40:16,389 --> 00:40:20,676
in an attempt to assassinate
Prime Minister John Major.
815
00:40:20,686 --> 00:40:22,553
This was a well planned attack
816
00:40:22,563 --> 00:40:25,223
aimed at the center of government.
817
00:40:25,233 --> 00:40:25,975
On firing White Hall,
818
00:40:25,985 --> 00:40:28,726
the van used to launch
mortars at 10 Downing Street
819
00:40:28,736 --> 00:40:30,644
while the war cabinet was in session.
820
00:40:30,654 --> 00:40:33,480
An ITN camera was recording
outside the front door
821
00:40:33,490 --> 00:40:35,701
when the blast rocked the building.
822
00:40:40,147 --> 00:40:41,364
Over the top of the building,
823
00:40:41,374 --> 00:40:42,906
a plume of smoke from the blast,
824
00:40:42,916 --> 00:40:46,409
one mortar landed in the
garden of Number 10 and exploded,
825
00:40:46,419 --> 00:40:48,121
blowing a deep crater in the lawn
826
00:40:48,131 --> 00:40:49,998
and smashing dozens of windows.
827
00:40:50,008 --> 00:40:51,749
The other two failed to go off.
828
00:40:51,759 --> 00:40:54,294
Two men were seen running
away from the van,
829
00:40:54,304 --> 00:40:55,419
which appears to have been stopped
830
00:40:55,429 --> 00:40:57,796
on a precise spot to launch the bombs.
831
00:40:57,806 --> 00:41:00,507
There's no doubt this attack
had been well planned.
832
00:41:00,517 --> 00:41:02,593
The mortar's aimed at a precise angle
833
00:41:02,603 --> 00:41:04,054
through a hole cut in the roof.
834
00:41:04,064 --> 00:41:07,108
Finding that spot would've
taken weeks of surveillance.
835
00:41:07,692 --> 00:41:11,737
One bus driver saw the
missiles actually being launched.
836
00:41:13,447 --> 00:41:15,106
He's just went into there.
837
00:41:15,116 --> 00:41:16,649
I mean, first we heard the bang,
838
00:41:16,659 --> 00:41:20,569
then the missile came through
the roof of the transit van,
839
00:41:20,579 --> 00:41:22,780
which didn't go very high.
840
00:41:22,790 --> 00:41:25,574
I saw myself, it didn't go very high.
841
00:41:25,584 --> 00:41:30,163
Then within five seconds,
another bang came out of 10
842
00:41:30,173 --> 00:41:30,830
and the missile came out
843
00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:34,201
and then the van went into a flame.
844
00:41:34,368 --> 00:41:36,459
ITN staff working only a few yards
845
00:41:36,469 --> 00:41:38,921
from the back of Number
10 ran for their lives
846
00:41:38,931 --> 00:41:40,423
as the mortars rained down.
847
00:41:40,433 --> 00:41:44,001
We were sitting in our
outside broadcast vehicle
848
00:41:44,461 --> 00:41:46,346
behind Downing Street,
849
00:41:46,356 --> 00:41:49,598
and all of a sudden, we
heard a loud explosion
850
00:41:49,608 --> 00:41:53,137
to the right of us, a
matter of a few feet away.
851
00:41:53,803 --> 00:41:56,231
The whole vehicle shook.
852
00:41:56,241 --> 00:41:57,557
We lost of power,
853
00:41:57,765 --> 00:42:01,444
lots of smoke in the vicinity,
854
00:42:01,454 --> 00:42:02,903
and then we ran for it.
855
00:42:02,913 --> 00:42:04,114
Police immediately moved in
856
00:42:04,124 --> 00:42:07,490
to clear an area stretching up
to a mile in each direction.
857
00:42:07,500 --> 00:42:09,618
Nobody knew whether there were more bombs
858
00:42:09,628 --> 00:42:10,661
or booby trapped devices
859
00:42:10,671 --> 00:42:14,998
inside the area.
- Go back up the street now.
860
00:42:15,008 --> 00:42:15,834
Go back up the street.
861
00:42:15,844 --> 00:42:17,510
It is not safe. Move.
862
00:42:18,554 --> 00:42:21,755
In fact, one woman and
two policemen had been hurt
863
00:42:21,765 --> 00:42:22,506
by flying glass.
864
00:42:22,516 --> 00:42:25,218
The Prime Minister and his
war cabinet had been protected
865
00:42:25,228 --> 00:42:27,453
by strengthened windows.
866
00:42:27,463 --> 00:42:28,804
As news of the attack spread,
867
00:42:28,814 --> 00:42:30,013
there was a deep sense of shock
868
00:42:30,023 --> 00:42:31,514
that the provisional IRA had managed
869
00:42:31,524 --> 00:42:35,853
to strike so accurately at a
time of such high security.
870
00:42:35,863 --> 00:42:38,064
Police had been convinced for some time
871
00:42:38,074 --> 00:42:40,816
that an IRA cell was still in this country.
872
00:42:40,826 --> 00:42:44,195
First priority now will
be to examine the van
873
00:42:44,205 --> 00:42:44,738
and the missiles
874
00:42:44,748 --> 00:42:46,989
to see whether they provide any clues
875
00:42:46,999 --> 00:42:49,276
as to who the attackers were.
876
00:42:49,566 --> 00:42:51,702
The IRA had been planning this attack
877
00:42:51,712 --> 00:42:54,955
against former Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher,
878
00:42:54,965 --> 00:42:57,167
but after her sudden resignation,
879
00:42:57,177 --> 00:42:59,835
they decided to target her successor.
880
00:42:59,845 --> 00:43:03,546
The mortar shells exploded
in the garden of Number 10
881
00:43:03,556 --> 00:43:06,967
in an attempt to destroy
the cabinet office.
882
00:43:06,977 --> 00:43:09,678
Due to the bomb resistant windows,
883
00:43:09,688 --> 00:43:11,554
none of the cabinet were hurt,
884
00:43:11,564 --> 00:43:14,892
though four people received minor injuries,
885
00:43:14,902 --> 00:43:17,678
two of which were police officers.
886
00:43:18,347 --> 00:43:21,940
This was a real wake up
call for the Prime Minister.
887
00:43:21,950 --> 00:43:24,860
He knew helping to build
a peaceful relationship
888
00:43:24,870 --> 00:43:28,571
with Northern Ireland
would be an important part
889
00:43:28,581 --> 00:43:29,582
of his premiership.
890
00:43:31,584 --> 00:43:35,330
A new draft of the Anglo-Irish
Declaration was proposed
891
00:43:35,340 --> 00:43:40,959
in 1993, eventually becoming
the Downing Street Declaration,
892
00:43:40,969 --> 00:43:43,837
one of the first significant
steps on the road
893
00:43:43,847 --> 00:43:47,467
to the Good Friday Agreement years later.
894
00:43:47,477 --> 00:43:50,470
It contained the principle of consent,
895
00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:54,097
the foundation on which the
peace process was built,
896
00:43:54,107 --> 00:43:56,518
essentially stating the
constitutional future
897
00:43:56,528 --> 00:44:01,390
of Northern Ireland would be
decided by its own people.
898
00:44:02,639 --> 00:44:04,608
Unfortunately, in 1996,
899
00:44:04,618 --> 00:44:08,987
the IRA planted a bomb
which exploded in Docklands.
900
00:44:08,997 --> 00:44:13,409
The event marked the end
of a 17 month ceasefire.
901
00:44:13,419 --> 00:44:15,619
Two were killed and many more injured.
902
00:44:15,629 --> 00:44:20,375
It was a horrific event that
prompted further discussions
903
00:44:20,385 --> 00:44:22,286
on the peace process.
904
00:44:23,579 --> 00:44:27,173
Major gave a ministerial
broadcast, addressing the nation
905
00:44:27,183 --> 00:44:32,135
on the bombing and the
breakdown of the IRA's ceasefire.
906
00:44:32,145 --> 00:44:37,133
More needed to be done to
unite the nations in peace.
907
00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:40,018
After five months of peace,
908
00:44:40,028 --> 00:44:42,480
surely it is time to look ahead,
909
00:44:42,490 --> 00:44:45,567
judge our proposals as a whole.
910
00:44:45,577 --> 00:44:47,943
There is nothing you need fear.
911
00:44:47,953 --> 00:44:49,778
Although Major was not Prime Minister
912
00:44:49,788 --> 00:44:53,656
when the Good Friday Agreement
was signed a few years later
913
00:44:53,666 --> 00:44:55,659
by Prime Minister Tony Blair,
914
00:44:55,669 --> 00:44:57,660
it cannot be understated the work
915
00:44:57,670 --> 00:45:01,707
and influence Major had on
realizing the agreement.
916
00:45:01,717 --> 00:45:06,128
It remains one of the great
successes of his premiership,
917
00:45:06,138 --> 00:45:08,881
highlighting his extraordinary patience
918
00:45:08,891 --> 00:45:11,876
and skill in negotiating.
919
00:45:13,462 --> 00:45:17,680
The Queen's cousin, Lord
Louis Mountbatten was killed
920
00:45:17,690 --> 00:45:20,643
by the IRA in 1979,
921
00:45:20,653 --> 00:45:22,562
but later, in 2011,
922
00:45:22,572 --> 00:45:26,232
she would display the
importance of peace and diplomacy
923
00:45:26,242 --> 00:45:29,735
as she shook hands with
a former IRA leader.
924
00:45:29,745 --> 00:45:33,071
Discussions between Her
Majesty and the Prime Minister
925
00:45:33,081 --> 00:45:35,698
during these years must have focused
926
00:45:35,708 --> 00:45:37,670
on the need for resolution.
927
00:45:42,031 --> 00:45:46,709
♪ For he's a jolly
good fellow ♪
928
00:45:46,719 --> 00:45:48,630
In April, 1992,
929
00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:53,384
Major called for an election
which he won unexpectedly
930
00:45:53,394 --> 00:45:56,596
with a majority of 336 seats,
931
00:45:56,606 --> 00:46:00,600
the fourth conservative
election win in a row.
932
00:46:00,610 --> 00:46:02,768
It was an extraordinary win,
933
00:46:02,778 --> 00:46:05,103
as he remains the only Prime Minister
934
00:46:05,113 --> 00:46:08,231
to have gained more than 14 million votes
935
00:46:08,241 --> 00:46:09,742
in a general election.
936
00:46:12,746 --> 00:46:14,737
After 16 months on an uncertain lease,
937
00:46:14,747 --> 00:46:16,739
Mr. Major is already a
different man.
938
00:46:16,749 --> 00:46:19,211
Downing Street is now, he says, home.
939
00:46:19,795 --> 00:46:20,744
Thank you very much indeed.
940
00:46:20,754 --> 00:46:22,497
I've only got one thing to say.
941
00:46:22,507 --> 00:46:23,675
It's nice to be back.
942
00:46:24,757 --> 00:46:26,749
The boost to his confidence was obvious
943
00:46:26,759 --> 00:46:27,750
as he strode into Downing Street,
944
00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:30,672
a street which is normally
closed to the general public
945
00:46:30,682 --> 00:46:33,006
but which today was opened
up to let supporters
946
00:46:33,016 --> 00:46:34,967
and well wishers come and say hello.
947
00:46:34,977 --> 00:46:36,853
Someone called for three cheers.
948
00:46:41,798 --> 00:46:42,351
To John Major,
949
00:46:42,361 --> 00:46:44,352
the fact that he's now
been chosen by the people,
950
00:46:44,362 --> 00:46:46,103
albeit a minority of the electorate,
951
00:46:46,113 --> 00:46:48,648
rather than by the secret
committee room votes
952
00:46:48,658 --> 00:46:50,941
of his fellow MP's is important.
953
00:46:50,951 --> 00:46:51,694
I can now,
954
00:46:51,704 --> 00:46:54,277
I can now accept that the
country have elected me
955
00:46:54,287 --> 00:46:56,779
in my own right to be Prime Minister.
956
00:46:56,789 --> 00:46:58,781
I'm immensely proud of that.
957
00:46:58,791 --> 00:47:00,200
I shall try and ensure
958
00:47:00,210 --> 00:47:03,036
that I reach the aspirations of people
959
00:47:03,046 --> 00:47:04,706
and that I let no one down.
960
00:47:04,716 --> 00:47:06,957
That is, I'm delighted to have it.
961
00:47:06,967 --> 00:47:07,710
Thank you.
962
00:47:07,720 --> 00:47:08,792
And the change in the man was clear
963
00:47:08,802 --> 00:47:12,829
as he enjoyed his moment
of glory, first alone,
964
00:47:15,500 --> 00:47:17,009
and then with Chris Patten,
965
00:47:17,019 --> 00:47:18,801
strong personal support for the man
966
00:47:18,811 --> 00:47:20,178
who helped Mr.
Major to victory
967
00:47:20,188 --> 00:47:22,923
and lost his own seat in the process.
968
00:47:23,840 --> 00:47:24,807
Later, some very small boys
969
00:47:24,817 --> 00:47:27,603
with a bit of help from the
Metropolitan Police came
970
00:47:27,613 --> 00:47:29,146
to deliver some presents,
971
00:47:29,156 --> 00:47:30,897
and there was the Prime Minister again,
972
00:47:30,907 --> 00:47:34,351
no photo opportunity missed today.
973
00:47:35,645 --> 00:47:37,405
The contrast with Neil Kinnock's return
974
00:47:37,415 --> 00:47:39,699
to his home could not have been greater.
975
00:47:39,709 --> 00:47:41,659
The word is that he and
his wife Glenys feel
976
00:47:41,669 --> 00:47:43,243
that they've taken enough punishment
977
00:47:43,253 --> 00:47:45,455
and that only massive
pressure from the party
978
00:47:45,465 --> 00:47:47,164
for him to stay on will prevent him
979
00:47:47,174 --> 00:47:49,082
from calling it a day as leader.
980
00:47:49,092 --> 00:47:49,876
As to his future today,
981
00:47:49,886 --> 00:47:52,835
"Long and wonderful" were
the only words he had
982
00:47:52,845 --> 00:47:53,464
to describe it.
983
00:47:53,474 --> 00:47:55,832
It's going to be long and wonderful.
984
00:47:56,500 --> 00:47:59,594
Unfortunately, 1992 would not turn out
985
00:47:59,604 --> 00:48:03,972
to be a good year for
monarch nor Prime Minister.
986
00:48:03,982 --> 00:48:06,849
Hello. Utter turmoil
in the money markets.
987
00:48:06,859 --> 00:48:09,144
That's what dominates the news today.
988
00:48:09,154 --> 00:48:09,937
For the first time ever,
989
00:48:09,947 --> 00:48:14,484
the government has put up
interest rates twice in one day.
990
00:48:14,494 --> 00:48:15,858
The new rate is 15%,
991
00:48:15,868 --> 00:48:18,613
the weapon with which
the government will take
992
00:48:18,623 --> 00:48:20,197
on the currency dealers.
993
00:48:20,207 --> 00:48:21,532
For investors, it's good news.
994
00:48:21,542 --> 00:48:24,577
Mortgage holders will
fiscally dare breathe.
995
00:48:24,587 --> 00:48:27,162
The big building societies
have said they will try
996
00:48:27,172 --> 00:48:28,871
to hold off putting up rates
997
00:48:28,881 --> 00:48:31,793
until after the French vote on Sunday.
998
00:48:31,803 --> 00:48:34,877
The first rise of 2% came mid-morning,
999
00:48:34,887 --> 00:48:37,715
but that didn't stop pressure on the pound.
1000
00:48:37,725 --> 00:48:38,467
So three hours later,
1001
00:48:38,477 --> 00:48:43,846
another 3% rise to 15% to
take effect from tomorrow.
1002
00:48:43,856 --> 00:48:49,267
September, 1992,
the pound sterling crashed.
1003
00:48:49,277 --> 00:48:50,893
Britain was forced to withdraw
1004
00:48:50,903 --> 00:48:54,897
from the European Exchange
Rate Mechanism, the ERM,
1005
00:48:54,907 --> 00:48:57,900
because it could not prevent
the value of the pound
1006
00:48:57,910 --> 00:49:01,938
from falling below the
specified lower limit.
1007
00:49:02,858 --> 00:49:04,991
The ERM was created in the 1970s
1008
00:49:05,001 --> 00:49:09,121
to help put European
currencies on a level playing field
1009
00:49:09,131 --> 00:49:13,375
in preparation for the
economic and monetary union
1010
00:49:13,385 --> 00:49:15,795
and the introduction of the Euro.
1011
00:49:15,805 --> 00:49:19,465
If a country was looking
to replace their currency
1012
00:49:19,475 --> 00:49:20,007
with the Euro,
1013
00:49:20,017 --> 00:49:23,926
they must keep the value
within the specific range
1014
00:49:23,936 --> 00:49:24,980
for several years.
1015
00:49:31,051 --> 00:49:35,313
Today has been an extremely
difficult and turbulent day.
1016
00:49:35,323 --> 00:49:38,108
Massive speculative flows have continued
1017
00:49:38,118 --> 00:49:39,942
to disrupt the functioning
1018
00:49:39,952 --> 00:49:41,863
of the Exchange Rate Mechanism.
1019
00:49:41,873 --> 00:49:46,701
As chairman of the Council of
European Finance Ministers,
1020
00:49:46,711 --> 00:49:47,494
I have called a meeting
1021
00:49:47,504 --> 00:49:51,454
of the monetary committee
in Brussels urgently tonight
1022
00:49:51,464 --> 00:49:54,082
to consider how stability can be restored
1023
00:49:54,092 --> 00:49:56,293
to the foreign exchange markets.
1024
00:49:56,303 --> 00:49:59,087
In the meantime, the
government has concluded
1025
00:49:59,097 --> 00:50:01,047
that Britain's best interests are served
1026
00:50:01,057 --> 00:50:06,003
by suspending our membership
of the Exchange Rate Mechanism.
1027
00:50:06,128 --> 00:50:09,682
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Norman Lamont,
1028
00:50:09,692 --> 00:50:11,974
invested heavily, trying to keep it
1029
00:50:11,984 --> 00:50:14,604
in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism,
1030
00:50:14,614 --> 00:50:20,317
raising interest rates first
to 12% and then to 15%,
1031
00:50:20,327 --> 00:50:21,944
but it didn't work.
1032
00:50:21,954 --> 00:50:24,780
Major and Lamont admitted defeat.
1033
00:50:24,790 --> 00:50:29,025
Britain was suspended from
its membership of the ERM.
1034
00:50:29,736 --> 00:50:30,786
At extreme cost,
1035
00:50:30,796 --> 00:50:33,996
the Prime Minister faced
great political damage,
1036
00:50:34,006 --> 00:50:38,586
even more so because he had
recently won re-election
1037
00:50:38,596 --> 00:50:41,455
on a pro-Euro platform.
1038
00:50:42,038 --> 00:50:44,926
A building in chaos for a policy in ruins,
1039
00:50:44,936 --> 00:50:47,970
John Major arrived in Downing
Street three hours ago,
1040
00:50:47,980 --> 00:50:49,304
still with the builders there.
1041
00:50:49,314 --> 00:50:51,056
The policy he conceived as Chancellor
1042
00:50:51,066 --> 00:50:54,016
and carried out as Prime
Minister in tatters.
1043
00:50:54,026 --> 00:50:56,311
But it's the present
Chancellor Norman Lamont
1044
00:50:56,321 --> 00:51:00,799
who may be feeling the
political heat most this morning.
1045
00:51:00,809 --> 00:51:02,818
Yesterday, you backed Norman Lamont
1046
00:51:02,828 --> 00:51:05,278
for what you called his speed and courage.
1047
00:51:05,288 --> 00:51:06,697
Shouldn't you know, now though,
1048
00:51:06,707 --> 00:51:09,324
have a fresh start with a fresh Chancellor?
1049
00:51:09,334 --> 00:51:12,034
No, I shouldn't, and I'll tell you why not.
1050
00:51:12,044 --> 00:51:14,580
Norman Lamont was the
Chancellor of the Exchequer
1051
00:51:14,590 --> 00:51:17,875
but the policy that Norman
Lamont followed was my policy,
1052
00:51:17,885 --> 00:51:20,920
the cabinet's policy,
all the cabinet's policy,
1053
00:51:20,930 --> 00:51:23,045
the policy we contested
a general election on,
1054
00:51:23,055 --> 00:51:25,340
the policy we won a general election on.
1055
00:51:25,350 --> 00:51:27,425
Norman Lamont has followed that policy.
1056
00:51:27,435 --> 00:51:31,429
He was overwhelmed by
events and I do not believe
1057
00:51:31,439 --> 00:51:33,515
because he was overwhelmed by events,
1058
00:51:33,525 --> 00:51:35,558
doing what he promised he would do,
1059
00:51:35,568 --> 00:51:37,812
seeking what he'd promised he would seek,
1060
00:51:37,822 --> 00:51:41,106
upon that basis, you cannot
ask a man to leave a job
1061
00:51:41,116 --> 00:51:43,451
he's been honorably doing and doing well.
1062
00:51:44,662 --> 00:51:47,529
However, prosperity followed this event
1063
00:51:47,539 --> 00:51:50,950
in the 1990s, improved economic growth,
1064
00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:54,745
lower unemployment and lower inflation.
1065
00:51:54,755 --> 00:51:55,871
It must also be said,
1066
00:51:55,881 --> 00:51:59,249
though Black Wednesday
was seen as a real failure
1067
00:51:59,259 --> 00:52:00,083
at the time,
1068
00:52:00,093 --> 00:52:03,085
it did keep the UK out of the Eurozone,
1069
00:52:03,095 --> 00:52:08,001
saving it from far more
serious problems later on.
1070
00:52:09,125 --> 00:52:11,428
On reflection of the political disaster
1071
00:52:11,438 --> 00:52:13,305
that was Black Wednesday,
1072
00:52:13,315 --> 00:52:15,097
Major considered resigning
1073
00:52:15,107 --> 00:52:18,601
but was convinced by his sister to stay on.
1074
00:52:18,611 --> 00:52:22,104
Nonetheless, opinion
polls of Major took a turn
1075
00:52:22,114 --> 00:52:23,105
for the worse.
1076
00:52:23,115 --> 00:52:24,232
General government approval
1077
00:52:24,242 --> 00:52:28,371
and a sense of economic
optimism took a sudden fall.
1078
00:52:30,165 --> 00:52:32,783
Determined to try and unite his party
1079
00:52:32,793 --> 00:52:34,117
and silence his critics,
1080
00:52:34,127 --> 00:52:36,954
aides billed this as a
speech from the heart.
1081
00:52:36,964 --> 00:52:39,915
John Major reverted to his
man of the people approach
1082
00:52:39,925 --> 00:52:42,793
which worked for him at the last election.
1083
00:52:42,803 --> 00:52:45,004
Let me just pass this message
1084
00:52:45,014 --> 00:52:49,174
to everyone who wishes the
Conservative Party well,
1085
00:52:49,184 --> 00:52:51,927
no diversions, no squabbles.
1086
00:52:51,937 --> 00:52:55,806
Let's get on with that job
of passing back that message
1087
00:52:55,816 --> 00:53:00,518
and then we will have the
self-confident expanding country
1088
00:53:00,528 --> 00:53:01,947
that we all want to see.
1089
00:53:03,156 --> 00:53:05,691
Constantly referring to his long term aims,
1090
00:53:05,701 --> 00:53:08,150
he also warned there had to
be cuts in public spending.
1091
00:53:08,160 --> 00:53:11,822
We are not prepared to see
an ever increasing tax burden
1092
00:53:11,832 --> 00:53:14,491
and nor are we prepared
to mortgage our future
1093
00:53:14,501 --> 00:53:16,284
by unrestrained borrowing.
1094
00:53:16,294 --> 00:53:17,285
So, we have to ensure
1095
00:53:17,295 --> 00:53:20,322
that expenditure is properly disciplined
1096
00:53:20,865 --> 00:53:21,916
At present, And while he insisted
1097
00:53:21,926 --> 00:53:24,126
he was committed to public
services like health,
1098
00:53:24,136 --> 00:53:27,129
he said the education system
was betraying some children.
1099
00:53:27,139 --> 00:53:30,841
One in four of our children
leave secondary education
1100
00:53:30,851 --> 00:53:34,636
and can't read properly,
can't write properly,
1101
00:53:34,646 --> 00:53:37,714
and are not competent in arithmetic.
1102
00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:39,642
And what are they going to do?
1103
00:53:39,652 --> 00:53:42,612
They can't all be Prime Minister.
1104
00:53:53,605 --> 00:53:59,570
1992 is not a year on
which I shall look back
1105
00:53:59,821 --> 00:54:02,157
with undiluted pleasure.
1106
00:54:03,407 --> 00:54:07,920
In the words of one of my more
sympathetic correspondents,
1107
00:54:07,930 --> 00:54:12,308
it has turned out to
be an annus horribilis.
1108
00:54:16,252 --> 00:54:17,180
For the Queen,
1109
00:54:17,190 --> 00:54:20,515
the year would later be known
as her annus horribilis.
1110
00:54:20,525 --> 00:54:23,144
It was the year in which the rocky marriage
1111
00:54:23,154 --> 00:54:26,228
between Charles and Diana
became public knowledge
1112
00:54:26,238 --> 00:54:30,151
with the release of the
infamous Andrew Morton book.
1113
00:54:30,161 --> 00:54:34,196
It was also the year Andrew
and Fergie would separate,
1114
00:54:34,206 --> 00:54:35,823
Anne and Mark would divorce,
1115
00:54:35,833 --> 00:54:39,711
and her beloved Windsor
Castle would set on fire.
1116
00:54:42,131 --> 00:54:44,081
There can be no doubt, of course,
1117
00:54:44,091 --> 00:54:45,791
that criticism is good for people
1118
00:54:45,801 --> 00:54:50,579
and institutions that
are part of public life.
1119
00:54:51,788 --> 00:54:55,257
No institution, city, monarchy,
1120
00:54:55,267 --> 00:55:00,430
whatever should expect to be
free from the scrutiny of those
1121
00:55:00,440 --> 00:55:03,592
who give it their loyalty and support,
1122
00:55:03,927 --> 00:55:06,595
not to mention those who don't,
1123
00:55:07,387 --> 00:55:10,272
but we are all part of the same fabric
1124
00:55:10,282 --> 00:55:12,518
of our national society,
1125
00:55:13,061 --> 00:55:16,822
and that scrutiny by one part of another
1126
00:55:16,832 --> 00:55:18,280
can be just as effective
1127
00:55:18,290 --> 00:55:22,077
if it is made with a touch of gentleness,
1128
00:55:22,087 --> 00:55:24,380
good humor and understanding.
1129
00:55:26,217 --> 00:55:28,290
As the year came to an end,
1130
00:55:28,300 --> 00:55:29,291
the responsibility fell
1131
00:55:29,301 --> 00:55:32,294
to Her Majesty's Prime Minister John Major
1132
00:55:32,304 --> 00:55:36,008
to announce Charles and
Diana's decision to separate.
1133
00:55:36,018 --> 00:55:39,136
It is announced from Buckingham
Palace that, with regret,
1134
00:55:39,146 --> 00:55:43,182
the Prince and Princess of
Wales have decided to separate.
1135
00:55:43,192 --> 00:55:46,185
Their Royal Highnesses
have no plans to divorce,
1136
00:55:46,195 --> 00:55:49,729
and their constitutional
positions are unaffected.
1137
00:55:49,739 --> 00:55:52,024
This decision has been reached amicably,
1138
00:55:52,034 --> 00:55:55,152
and they will both continue
to participate fully
1139
00:55:55,162 --> 00:55:57,112
in the upbringing of their children.
1140
00:55:57,122 --> 00:55:59,114
In a year that faced turmoil
1141
00:55:59,124 --> 00:56:01,366
for both Prime Minister and Queen,
1142
00:56:01,376 --> 00:56:04,452
those private and
confidential conversations
1143
00:56:04,462 --> 00:56:08,364
must have been very
valuable to each of them.
1144
00:56:12,744 --> 00:56:15,214
For both monarch and Prime Minister,
1145
00:56:15,224 --> 00:56:17,925
the decade was not an easy one.
1146
00:56:17,935 --> 00:56:19,341
In fact, it is well known
1147
00:56:19,351 --> 00:56:23,097
to be one of the Queen's
most difficult decades.
1148
00:56:23,107 --> 00:56:24,346
But the special relationship
1149
00:56:24,356 --> 00:56:26,349
between the Constitutional Monarch
1150
00:56:26,359 --> 00:56:29,061
and Prime Minister was one valued
1151
00:56:29,071 --> 00:56:32,388
to a great extent by both parties.
1152
00:56:33,016 --> 00:56:35,025
As ever, the Prime Minister's audience
1153
00:56:35,035 --> 00:56:38,736
with the monarch is kept
absolutely confidential.
1154
00:56:38,746 --> 00:56:41,073
They meet once a week, every week,
1155
00:56:41,083 --> 00:56:44,243
and there is no record
kept of anything said
1156
00:56:44,253 --> 00:56:45,577
during these meetings.
1157
00:56:45,587 --> 00:56:47,997
It is just the Queen and the Prime Minister
1158
00:56:48,007 --> 00:56:52,126
with no witnesses, no
recordings or minutes taken.
1159
00:56:52,136 --> 00:56:56,297
Major has often spoke about
these audiences with the Queen,
1160
00:56:56,307 --> 00:56:59,133
referencing how he and
prime ministers before
1161
00:56:59,143 --> 00:57:04,630
and after him considered them
to be cathartic experiences.
1162
00:57:05,505 --> 00:57:06,389
I mean, in those meetings,
1163
00:57:06,399 --> 00:57:09,517
one small anecdote was
that, more often than not,
1164
00:57:09,527 --> 00:57:10,978
you did have a gallery audience,
1165
00:57:10,988 --> 00:57:14,189
but the gallery audience was the corgis,
1166
00:57:14,199 --> 00:57:15,025
and they would sit there,
1167
00:57:15,035 --> 00:57:18,776
and mostly they were well
behaved, but not invariably.
1168
00:57:18,786 --> 00:57:19,528
And from time to time,
1169
00:57:19,538 --> 00:57:22,655
the Queen would speak very
sharply to one of the corgis,
1170
00:57:22,665 --> 00:57:24,866
all of which she knew by name.
1171
00:57:24,876 --> 00:57:25,576
If the corgi came round
1172
00:57:25,586 --> 00:57:28,287
and was sort of indicating an interest
1173
00:57:28,297 --> 00:57:29,080
in jumping up on your lap
1174
00:57:29,090 --> 00:57:31,748
or deciding to make a meal of your toe,
1175
00:57:31,758 --> 00:57:34,751
the Queen would gently discipline the dog
1176
00:57:34,761 --> 00:57:35,793
and it would be moved away.
1177
00:57:35,803 --> 00:57:39,547
So, one saw that as you might
in any home in the country.
1178
00:57:39,557 --> 00:57:43,676
The Queen, beyond doubt,
is the best known woman
1179
00:57:43,686 --> 00:57:44,428
in the world,
1180
00:57:44,438 --> 00:57:47,056
probably the most loved woman in the world,
1181
00:57:47,066 --> 00:57:48,431
I would think as well.
1182
00:57:48,441 --> 00:57:54,604
And then suddenly, behind
that enormous, enormous facade
1183
00:57:54,614 --> 00:57:57,439
that exists because of her position,
1184
00:57:57,449 --> 00:58:02,813
you see the private
woman who lurks behind it
1185
00:58:03,022 --> 00:58:05,376
and that's rather a lovely thing to see.
1186
00:58:06,918 --> 00:58:08,410
Major was the first
1187
00:58:08,420 --> 00:58:10,452
of Her Majesty's prime ministers
1188
00:58:10,462 --> 00:58:12,622
to be younger than the Queen.
1189
00:58:12,632 --> 00:58:15,457
No doubt her experience
and extensive knowledge
1190
00:58:15,467 --> 00:58:19,171
of the governments that
preceded Major's would've been
1191
00:58:19,181 --> 00:58:20,880
of great value to him.
1192
00:58:20,890 --> 00:58:24,466
Indeed, when it came to
issues with foreign affairs,
1193
00:58:24,476 --> 00:58:26,468
Major would merely mention the name
1194
00:58:26,478 --> 00:58:28,846
of a state official or foreign leader,
1195
00:58:28,856 --> 00:58:31,183
and the Queen would respond immediately
1196
00:58:31,193 --> 00:58:33,435
with helpful hints and suggestions,
1197
00:58:33,445 --> 00:58:38,148
often knowing them personally
or their parents and families.
1198
00:58:38,158 --> 00:58:39,774
Well, any Prime Minister who didn't listen
1199
00:58:39,784 --> 00:58:46,149
to the Queen's views was a
very foolish man or woman indeed
1200
00:58:46,274 --> 00:58:48,700
because she had an historic memory,
1201
00:58:48,710 --> 00:58:51,412
longer than any civil service advisor,
1202
00:58:51,422 --> 00:58:54,497
and she had a great
understanding of how people lived
1203
00:58:54,507 --> 00:58:57,167
and was very interesting, interested,
1204
00:58:57,177 --> 00:58:59,211
in what government policy meant
1205
00:58:59,221 --> 00:59:03,173
for the lives of people in
different parts of the country.
1206
00:59:03,183 --> 00:59:05,092
That was something about
which she was concerned
1207
00:59:05,102 --> 00:59:07,509
and about which she would ask questions.
1208
00:59:07,519 --> 00:59:11,513
So, you got a very clear idea
1209
00:59:11,523 --> 00:59:15,477
from an intelligent, well informed person
1210
00:59:15,487 --> 00:59:18,520
about how some of the
policies might be received
1211
00:59:18,530 --> 00:59:21,191
and what their implications might be.
1212
00:59:21,201 --> 00:59:21,984
And that, to politicians,
1213
00:59:21,994 --> 00:59:24,526
who can often be locked in the narrow world
1214
00:59:24,536 --> 00:59:25,488
of Westminster is easy.
1215
00:59:25,498 --> 00:59:29,199
It's very easy to find
yourself blocked off from opinion
1216
00:59:29,209 --> 00:59:31,659
that once you would've been familiar with
1217
00:59:31,669 --> 00:59:33,953
and the Queen was one outlet,
1218
00:59:33,963 --> 00:59:38,040
where sometimes something was
said that brought you back
1219
00:59:38,050 --> 00:59:41,253
to realize exactly what something may mean.
1220
00:59:41,263 --> 00:59:43,297
And I don't think there
is a single Prime Minister
1221
00:59:43,307 --> 00:59:46,101
who has worked with her who
wouldn't say the same thing.
1222
00:59:48,145 --> 00:59:49,052
It is reported that
1223
00:59:49,062 --> 00:59:51,553
when Major took on the
role of Prime Minister,
1224
00:59:51,563 --> 00:59:53,723
it was a relief to the Queen.
1225
00:59:53,733 --> 00:59:56,601
He was said to be close to the royal family
1226
00:59:56,611 --> 00:59:59,561
and he and the Queen benefited from an easy
1227
00:59:59,571 --> 01:00:01,765
and relaxed relationship.
1228
01:00:03,351 --> 01:00:04,566
Major's close relationship
1229
01:00:04,576 --> 01:00:07,569
with the royal family
was evidenced later on.
1230
01:00:07,579 --> 01:00:09,947
When he was no longer Prime Minister,
1231
01:00:09,957 --> 01:00:13,410
he became a special guardian
to William and Harry
1232
01:00:13,420 --> 01:00:15,245
after the death of their mother,
1233
01:00:15,255 --> 01:00:17,539
Diana Princess of Wales.
1234
01:00:17,549 --> 01:00:20,582
Major went on to be the
only politician invited
1235
01:00:20,592 --> 01:00:21,667
to Prince Harry's wedding,
1236
01:00:21,677 --> 01:00:26,622
a symbol of the close and
trusting friendship that remained.
1237
01:00:27,623 --> 01:00:31,969
After Her Majesty's
death in September, 2022,
1238
01:00:31,979 --> 01:00:33,595
John Major was quick to comment
1239
01:00:33,605 --> 01:00:37,142
on the lifelong service
of an impeccable monarch.
1240
01:00:37,152 --> 01:00:40,602
It is clear that John Major
had a profound respect
1241
01:00:40,612 --> 01:00:43,391
and admiration for the Queen.
1242
01:00:43,974 --> 01:00:46,608
Well, I was immensely
saddened when I heard it.
1243
01:00:46,618 --> 01:00:48,986
It's news nobody wished to hear.
1244
01:00:48,996 --> 01:00:50,822
The Queen has been such a permanence
1245
01:00:50,832 --> 01:00:52,574
in our lives for so long.
1246
01:00:52,584 --> 01:00:54,992
You simply expected her to go on forever,
1247
01:00:55,002 --> 01:00:58,037
and it's a great shock
that suddenly she has gone.
1248
01:00:58,047 --> 01:01:00,290
It's like a great oak has fallen,
1249
01:01:00,300 --> 01:01:02,251
and it will be a day
that people will remember
1250
01:01:02,261 --> 01:01:04,545
in history for a very long time.
1251
01:01:04,555 --> 01:01:05,753
And the great gifts that Queen has had is,
1252
01:01:05,763 --> 01:01:10,509
not only has she been the
monarch, the symbol of royalty,
1253
01:01:10,519 --> 01:01:13,010
but because of the manner
in which she has lived,
1254
01:01:13,020 --> 01:01:14,304
because of her empathy,
1255
01:01:14,314 --> 01:01:17,307
she is almost as though
she's a supernumerary member
1256
01:01:17,317 --> 01:01:18,640
of every family in the country.
1257
01:01:18,650 --> 01:01:23,645
So, I think her loss will be
personally felt by people.
1258
01:01:23,655 --> 01:01:25,022
Not just felt, "Oh, it is sad
1259
01:01:25,032 --> 01:01:26,567
that we have lost a great figure,"
1260
01:01:26,577 --> 01:01:29,651
but I think there will be
personal degrees of sadness
1261
01:01:29,661 --> 01:01:34,073
and a great many tears will be
shed over the next few days.
1262
01:01:34,083 --> 01:01:36,658
So, after calling
in the lobby correspondence
1263
01:01:36,668 --> 01:01:39,036
to the Downing Street
Garden for half past four,
1264
01:01:39,046 --> 01:01:41,664
with the word growing that
this was something big,
1265
01:01:41,674 --> 01:01:44,834
Mr. Major on the stroke of
five o'clock,
1266
01:01:44,844 --> 01:01:47,246
began to explain his decision.
1267
01:01:47,496 --> 01:01:51,799
I've now been Prime Minister
for near nearly five years.
1268
01:01:51,809 --> 01:01:54,927
In that time, we've achieved a great deal,
1269
01:01:54,937 --> 01:01:56,346
but for the last three years,
1270
01:01:56,356 --> 01:02:01,134
I've been opposed by a
small minority in our party.
1271
01:02:01,717 --> 01:02:02,562
During those three years,
1272
01:02:02,572 --> 01:02:06,273
there have been repeated
threats of a leadership election.
1273
01:02:06,283 --> 01:02:10,067
In each year, they turned
out to be phony threats.
1274
01:02:10,077 --> 01:02:14,814
Now, the same thing again
is happening in 1995.
1275
01:02:15,148 --> 01:02:16,782
I believe it's in no one's interest
1276
01:02:16,792 --> 01:02:20,745
that this continues right
through until November.
1277
01:02:20,755 --> 01:02:22,704
It undermines the government,
1278
01:02:22,714 --> 01:02:25,742
and it damages the Conservative Party.
1279
01:02:26,201 --> 01:02:26,835
I am not prepared
1280
01:02:26,845 --> 01:02:29,711
to see the party I care for laid out
1281
01:02:29,721 --> 01:02:32,466
on the rack like this for any longer.
1282
01:02:32,476 --> 01:02:34,216
With Scottish Secretary Ian Lang
1283
01:02:34,226 --> 01:02:36,135
and Transport Secretary Brian Mawhinney
1284
01:02:36,145 --> 01:02:38,472
already on the campaign team, watching him,
1285
01:02:38,482 --> 01:02:42,183
Mr. Major talk of the
forthcoming election.
1286
01:02:42,193 --> 01:02:42,726
If I win,
1287
01:02:42,736 --> 01:02:46,728
I shall continue as Prime
Minister and lead the party
1288
01:02:46,738 --> 01:02:50,525
into and through the next general election.
1289
01:02:50,535 --> 01:02:54,028
Should I be defeated,
which I do not expect,
1290
01:02:54,038 --> 01:02:56,197
I shall resign as Prime Minister
1291
01:02:56,207 --> 01:02:59,985
and offer my successor my full support.
1292
01:03:00,528 --> 01:03:01,744
There were great divides
1293
01:03:01,754 --> 01:03:04,789
in the party over the issues with Europe.
1294
01:03:04,799 --> 01:03:06,583
Questions were also being raised
1295
01:03:06,593 --> 01:03:08,960
as to whether Major could unite the party
1296
01:03:08,970 --> 01:03:11,830
and continue to lead effectively.
1297
01:03:12,205 --> 01:03:14,756
Majors was challenged for leadership only
1298
01:03:14,766 --> 01:03:20,339
by John Redwood MP, which
came as a surprise to many.
1299
01:03:20,880 --> 01:03:25,226
Norman Lamont became a significant
member of Redwood's team.
1300
01:03:25,236 --> 01:03:30,189
Redwood represented the
Euro-skeptic side of the party,
1301
01:03:30,199 --> 01:03:32,774
garnering a fair amount of support.
1302
01:03:32,784 --> 01:03:35,194
However, Major was victorious,
1303
01:03:35,204 --> 01:03:39,781
securing 218 votes with 66%.
1304
01:03:39,791 --> 01:03:41,451
In his cabinet reshuffle,
1305
01:03:41,461 --> 01:03:45,030
Redwood was not reappointed to cabinet.
1306
01:03:45,821 --> 01:03:47,832
Though Major won the leadership,
1307
01:03:47,842 --> 01:03:50,792
the conservative majority
was rapidly falling.
1308
01:03:50,802 --> 01:03:54,880
By 1997, the conservatives
were without a majority
1309
01:03:54,890 --> 01:03:56,591
in the House of Commons.
1310
01:03:56,601 --> 01:03:59,218
Major's government was totally divided
1311
01:03:59,228 --> 01:04:02,179
and riddled by allegations of sleaze,
1312
01:04:02,189 --> 01:04:04,840
exacerbated by the press.
1313
01:04:05,841 --> 01:04:07,686
Major waited as long as possible
1314
01:04:07,696 --> 01:04:09,811
before calling a general election,
1315
01:04:09,821 --> 01:04:14,025
which would finally
happen on 1st May, 1997.
1316
01:04:14,035 --> 01:04:16,737
The next election will offer us the chance
1317
01:04:16,747 --> 01:04:17,819
to change our country,
1318
01:04:17,829 --> 01:04:21,115
not just to promise
change, but to achieve it.
1319
01:04:21,125 --> 01:04:24,619
The historic goal of
another labor government,
1320
01:04:24,629 --> 01:04:26,496
our party, new labor,
1321
01:04:26,506 --> 01:04:28,164
our mission, new Britain,
1322
01:04:28,174 --> 01:04:29,174
new labor, new Britain.
1323
01:04:36,081 --> 01:04:38,299
In the lead up to the election,
1324
01:04:38,309 --> 01:04:40,842
on a live Channel 4 interview,
1325
01:04:40,852 --> 01:04:43,012
Blair draws his lines in the sand
1326
01:04:43,022 --> 01:04:45,640
with his definition of new labor
1327
01:04:45,650 --> 01:04:48,602
and a radical and reformed Labour Party.
1328
01:04:48,612 --> 01:04:51,521
What does your concept
of radical really involve?
1329
01:04:51,531 --> 01:04:54,691
It involves recognizing
that the basic principles
1330
01:04:54,701 --> 01:04:57,859
of the Labour Party, which are
about justice and progress,
1331
01:04:57,869 --> 01:05:00,321
that's what the Labour
Party should be about,
1332
01:05:00,331 --> 01:05:01,906
that those principles should be applied
1333
01:05:01,916 --> 01:05:03,365
in a different way to today's world.
1334
01:05:03,375 --> 01:05:06,868
Back in 1945, when Clem Attlee
and his government came in,
1335
01:05:06,878 --> 01:05:07,869
they were a radical government
1336
01:05:07,879 --> 01:05:09,163
in the sense that the way they thought
1337
01:05:09,173 --> 01:05:10,915
to do it was to build up the state,
1338
01:05:10,925 --> 01:05:12,626
nationalization and so on.
1339
01:05:12,636 --> 01:05:14,126
That's not the way for today's world.
1340
01:05:14,136 --> 01:05:18,089
The way for today's world is
education, skills, technology,
1341
01:05:18,099 --> 01:05:19,466
developing small businesses,
1342
01:05:19,476 --> 01:05:22,301
encouraging design and
invention in Britain.
1343
01:05:22,311 --> 01:05:23,845
It's a different role for government.
1344
01:05:23,855 --> 01:05:26,347
It's a different
relationship with industry,
1345
01:05:26,357 --> 01:05:27,808
and it's a different attitude
1346
01:05:27,818 --> 01:05:28,890
to the things that really matter.
1347
01:05:28,900 --> 01:05:30,017
Tony Blair later claims
1348
01:05:30,027 --> 01:05:34,523
to have been most surprised
when, on 1st May, 1997,
1349
01:05:34,533 --> 01:05:39,026
he was elected Britain's
youngest Prime Minister since 1812,
1350
01:05:39,036 --> 01:05:44,940
ending 18 years of conservative
rule with a majority of 179.
1351
01:05:47,820 --> 01:05:49,078
He's coming out now
1352
01:05:49,088 --> 01:05:53,950
and will address the nation
through those microphones.
1353
01:05:56,829 --> 01:05:57,879
Good morning.
1354
01:05:57,889 --> 01:06:00,047
I said most of what I wish to say
1355
01:06:00,057 --> 01:06:02,924
when I had the opportunity
of speaking last evening,
1356
01:06:02,934 --> 01:06:05,177
but perhaps there are
just one or two things
1357
01:06:05,187 --> 01:06:08,799
that it would be appropriate
to add this morning.
1358
01:06:08,964 --> 01:06:11,476
It has been an immense privilege
1359
01:06:11,486 --> 01:06:14,353
to serve as Prime Minister
of the United Kingdom
1360
01:06:14,363 --> 01:06:16,898
over the last six and a half years.
1361
01:06:16,908 --> 01:06:19,984
It's a privilege that
comes to very few people,
1362
01:06:19,994 --> 01:06:23,320
and it's a very precious privilege indeed.
1363
01:06:23,330 --> 01:06:26,867
I hope as I leave Downing
Street this morning
1364
01:06:26,877 --> 01:06:28,950
that I can say with some accuracy
1365
01:06:28,960 --> 01:06:31,120
that the country is in far better shape
1366
01:06:31,130 --> 01:06:34,248
than it was when I entered Downing Street.
1367
01:06:34,258 --> 01:06:35,374
The economy is booming.
1368
01:06:35,384 --> 01:06:39,961
Interest rates low, inflation
low, unemployment falling.
1369
01:06:39,971 --> 01:06:41,963
The growth pattern is well set.
1370
01:06:41,973 --> 01:06:43,592
The health service is expanding.
1371
01:06:43,602 --> 01:06:45,967
The education service is improving,
1372
01:06:45,977 --> 01:06:48,555
and the crime statistics are falling.
1373
01:06:48,565 --> 01:06:51,683
All of those, I think, are
benevolent improvements
1374
01:06:51,693 --> 01:06:55,261
in the interests of all
the people of this country.
1375
01:06:55,511 --> 01:06:57,979
I hope, if you will forgive me,
1376
01:06:57,989 --> 01:07:00,775
I will say no more this morning.
1377
01:07:00,785 --> 01:07:01,484
I believe, as you know,
1378
01:07:01,494 --> 01:07:03,612
I have an appointment
with Her Majesty the Queen
1379
01:07:03,622 --> 01:07:06,197
in a few moments to tender my resignation,
1380
01:07:06,207 --> 01:07:09,992
so that the new government may
then be formally appointed.
1381
01:07:10,002 --> 01:07:14,079
I propose to see Her Majesty
in just a few moments.
1382
01:07:14,089 --> 01:07:16,998
The second reason I'll
say no more now is that,
1383
01:07:17,008 --> 01:07:20,085
after that, I hope that
Norma and I will be able,
1384
01:07:20,095 --> 01:07:24,005
with the children, to get to
the oval in time for lunch
1385
01:07:24,015 --> 01:07:26,007
and for some cricket this afternoon.
1386
01:07:26,017 --> 01:07:27,969
Thank you all very much indeed.
1387
01:07:27,979 --> 01:07:28,979
Thank you.
1388
01:07:29,649 --> 01:07:32,473
One can only imagine the conversation
1389
01:07:32,483 --> 01:07:33,308
at the final meeting
1390
01:07:33,318 --> 01:07:36,017
when John Major went to Buckingham Palace
1391
01:07:36,027 --> 01:07:39,180
to offer his resignation to the Queen.
1392
01:07:39,723 --> 01:07:41,232
It is almost inevitable
1393
01:07:41,242 --> 01:07:43,234
that they will have had differing views
1394
01:07:43,244 --> 01:07:47,948
on a number of issues over his
nearly seven years in office.
1395
01:07:47,958 --> 01:07:52,284
But it is widely acknowledged
that they had enormous respect
1396
01:07:52,294 --> 01:07:53,828
for each other in their roles,
1397
01:07:53,838 --> 01:07:58,133
coupled with a good degree of
personal affection and regard.
1398
01:07:59,928 --> 01:08:01,252
After seven years in office
1399
01:08:01,262 --> 01:08:03,713
and so many audiences with the Queen,
1400
01:08:03,723 --> 01:08:05,046
this was to be the last.
1401
01:08:05,056 --> 01:08:08,133
Mr. Major tendering his
resignation as Prime Minister,
1402
01:08:08,143 --> 01:08:09,886
the final formal termination
1403
01:08:09,896 --> 01:08:13,054
of 18 years of conservative government.
1404
01:08:13,064 --> 01:08:14,390
John Major, with his fellow survivors,
1405
01:08:14,400 --> 01:08:19,763
about to experience for the
first time life in opposition.
1406
01:08:22,097 --> 01:08:25,066
Tony Blair, meanwhile, was
still at his North London home,
1407
01:08:25,076 --> 01:08:28,070
basking in the glow of his
astonishing political triumph
1408
01:08:28,080 --> 01:08:31,156
and the applause of supporters
camped out in the street.
1409
01:08:31,166 --> 01:08:33,075
Soon his life would change forever.
1410
01:08:33,085 --> 01:08:34,201
With a wave to the children,
1411
01:08:34,211 --> 01:08:36,077
he was off, but not for long.
1412
01:08:36,087 --> 01:08:38,999
Within seconds, he'd stop
the car for a walkabout
1413
01:08:39,009 --> 01:08:41,918
to the obvious surprise
of the security team
1414
01:08:41,928 --> 01:08:42,929
now guarding him.
1415
01:08:44,263 --> 01:08:48,883
After Major left office in April, 2005,
1416
01:08:48,893 --> 01:08:49,592
the Queen honored him
1417
01:08:49,602 --> 01:08:52,846
with the Companion of
the Order of the Garter,
1418
01:08:52,856 --> 01:08:55,096
a personal gift from the Queen limited
1419
01:08:55,106 --> 01:08:58,099
to only 24 people at one time,
1420
01:08:58,109 --> 01:09:02,513
a display of her deep
gratitude for his service.
1421
01:09:03,891 --> 01:09:07,318
Tonight, perhaps to look back,
1422
01:09:07,328 --> 01:09:11,196
I hope with some pride at
the changes that we have made
1423
01:09:11,206 --> 01:09:13,668
to our country in the last 18 years.
1424
01:09:20,198 --> 01:09:22,624
At the time of his premiership,
1425
01:09:22,634 --> 01:09:24,002
John Major was not known
1426
01:09:24,012 --> 01:09:27,128
to be a particularly
successful Prime Minister,
1427
01:09:27,138 --> 01:09:31,216
nor a natural leader, as
he faced heavy criticism.
1428
01:09:31,226 --> 01:09:35,136
But that may not be an
entirely fair assessment.
1429
01:09:35,146 --> 01:09:38,808
Major's premiership will
surely be looked on more kindly
1430
01:09:38,818 --> 01:09:40,141
in the history books.
1431
01:09:40,151 --> 01:09:43,772
Entering his premiership
after such a formidable leader
1432
01:09:43,782 --> 01:09:45,146
as Margaret Thatcher,
1433
01:09:45,156 --> 01:09:48,484
he had a tremendous legacy to live up to.
1434
01:09:48,494 --> 01:09:50,904
But by the time he handed over the reigns
1435
01:09:50,914 --> 01:09:53,197
to labor leader Tony Blair,
1436
01:09:53,207 --> 01:09:55,199
the country's economy was growing
1437
01:09:55,209 --> 01:09:57,576
for the first time in many years.
1438
01:09:57,586 --> 01:10:03,324
I first entered Parliament
18 years ago tomorrow, I think.
1439
01:10:03,909 --> 01:10:06,127
And the difference in our country
1440
01:10:06,137 --> 01:10:09,089
is a difference you could not express
1441
01:10:09,099 --> 01:10:13,342
unless you remembered what
it was like in May of 1979
1442
01:10:13,352 --> 01:10:15,636
when the conservatives
first came to government.
1443
01:10:15,646 --> 01:10:19,099
Many people who voted
in this general election
1444
01:10:19,109 --> 01:10:20,391
perhaps never knew that,
1445
01:10:20,401 --> 01:10:22,936
for they have never known
anything in their adult lives
1446
01:10:22,946 --> 01:10:25,186
without conservative government,
1447
01:10:25,196 --> 01:10:26,271
and others, perhaps,
1448
01:10:26,281 --> 01:10:29,525
have not remembered
precisely what it was like.
1449
01:10:29,535 --> 01:10:31,945
Well, I said a moment ago
1450
01:10:31,955 --> 01:10:34,114
that this party had served
longer in government
1451
01:10:34,124 --> 01:10:34,824
than any other.
1452
01:10:34,834 --> 01:10:37,574
We've suffered great defeats before.
1453
01:10:37,584 --> 01:10:39,828
We have always come back.
1454
01:10:39,838 --> 01:10:42,831
Although it had not been an easy decade
1455
01:10:42,841 --> 01:10:44,205
for the Prime Minister,
1456
01:10:44,215 --> 01:10:46,207
Major managed to leave the country
1457
01:10:46,217 --> 01:10:49,336
in a better state than how he had found it.
1458
01:10:49,346 --> 01:10:51,756
Surely this is the hope and ambition
1459
01:10:51,766 --> 01:10:56,211
of every Prime Minister of
Her Majesty's government.
1460
01:10:56,920 --> 01:10:59,263
He is a Prime Minister
that will be remembered
1461
01:10:59,273 --> 01:11:03,852
for his mild mannered
style and sincere charm.
1462
01:11:03,862 --> 01:11:07,354
Major was an honorable
and decent Prime Minister
1463
01:11:07,364 --> 01:11:10,232
who served Britain with a simple intention
1464
01:11:10,242 --> 01:11:12,936
of making it great once more.
1465
01:11:13,561 --> 01:11:14,236
To the Queen,
1466
01:11:14,246 --> 01:11:18,407
it is obvious the relationship
was one of trust, of support,
1467
01:11:18,417 --> 01:11:20,359
and of admiration.
1468
01:11:21,153 --> 01:11:22,829
For Her Majesty the Queen,
1469
01:11:22,839 --> 01:11:27,886
Sir John Major will always
be her ninth Prime Minister.
116414
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