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119-474: The Falkirk Herald and Stirlingshire Monthly Advertiser was established by Alexander Hedderwick, a Glasgow-based lawyer. The first edition went on sale on Saturday, 14 August 1845. Less than a year later the fledgling title was sold to Archibald Johnston , whose grandfather had first established a printing business in 1763. Johnston moved production of the Herald to Falkirk, and the first edition to be printed in

238-648: A leadership bid by Anthony Meyer ; though she won easily, 60 MPs had not voted for her, and it was rumoured that many more had had to be strong-armed into supporting her. By early 1990, it was clear that bills for many under the new poll tax regime would be higher than anticipated, and opposition to the Tax grew, with a non-payment campaign gaining much support and an anti-poll tax demonstration in Trafalgar Square in March ending in rioting . The Conservatives lost

357-453: A 'budget for savers', with the creations of the tax-exempt special savings account (TESSA), arguing that measures were required to address the marked fall in the household savings ratio that had been apparent during the previous financial year . Major also abolished the composite rate tax and stamp duty on share trades, whilst increasing taxes on alcohol, cigarettes and petrol. Tax cuts were also made which benefited football associations,

476-585: A 'favourite' of Thatcher's and he was widely tipped for further promotion. Nevertheless, Major's appointment to Foreign Secretary in July 1989 came as a surprise due to his relative lack of experience in the Cabinet and unfamiliarity with international affairs. Major found the prospect daunting, and unsuccessfully attempted to convince Thatcher to allow him to stay on at the Treasury. There were also fears within

595-621: A Conservative party event in Brixton in April 1970, and the two became engaged shortly thereafter, marrying at St Matthew's Church in Brixton on 3 October 1970. John's mother died shortly before in September at the age of 65. John and Norma moved into a flat at Primrose Court, Streatham , which John had bought in 1969, and had their first child, Elizabeth, in November 1971. In 1974

714-582: A Foreign Office minister on a trip to South America, visiting Colombia , Peru and Venezuela . In September 1985, Major was made Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS), before being promoted to become Minister of State in the same department in September 1986. The large size of the DHSS granted Ministers a greater degree of responsibility than in other departments, with Major assisting with work on

833-567: A Labour stronghold, the Conservatives received a huge boost following Enoch Powell 's anti-immigration ' Rivers of Blood speech ' in April 1968 and Major won, despite strongly disapproving of Powell's views. Major took a major interest in housing matters, with Lambeth notorious for overcrowding and poor-quality rented accommodation. In February 1970 Major became Chairman of the Housing Committee, being responsible for overseeing

952-433: A candidate for a more promising seat, and despite numerous attempts was unsuccessful until December 1976. Growing increasingly frustrated, Major resolved to make one last attempt, applying for selection to the safe Conservative seat of Huntingdonshire and finally he succeeded. Major was in some ways an odd choice, being a born-and-bred Londoner in a largely rural constituency still home to many landed families; however, he

1071-575: A chief agent in concluding the treaty with the English parliament in the autumn of 1643, and was appointed a member of the Committee of Both Kingdoms in London which directed the military operations, and in this capacity went on several missions to the parliamentary generals. The articles of the unsuccessful Treaty of Uxbridge were, for the most part, drawn up by him in late 1644. He took his seat early

1190-432: A difficult one, with his mother suffering from pleurisy and pneumonia and John requiring several blood transfusions due to an infection, causing permanent scarring to his ankles. The Major family—including John, his parents, and his two older siblings Terry and Pat) —lived at 260 Longfellow Road, Worcester Park , Surrey, a middle-class area where Major's father ran a garden ornaments business and his mother worked in

1309-409: A divorcée 13 years his elder with two children who lived opposite the family on Burton Road, who became his mentor and lover. Seldon writes "She ... made Major smarten his appearance, groomed him politically, and made him more ambitious and worldly." Major later moved in with Kierans when his family left Burton Road in 1965; their relationship lasted from 1963 to sometime after 1968. Major left

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1428-760: A fact-finding trip to the Middle East in April 1982. The group met with King Hussein of Jordan and Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation in Lebanon; in Israel they were briefly caught in the middle of a shooting incident between Israeli troops and a Palestinian rock-thrower. Major later became an assistant whip in January 1983, responsible for East Anglian MPs. During this period Major became also involved in

1547-577: A fiercely critical broadside against Thatcher in the House of Commons on 13 November. The day after Howe's speech Michael Heseltine , Thatcher's former Secretary of State for Defence who had acrimoniously resigned in 1986 over the Westland affair , challenged Thatcher for the leadership of the Conservative Party. Both John Major and Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd supported Thatcher in

1666-608: A high turnout, the Conservatives earned over 14 million votes which remains a record in any UK general election. This was the Conservatives' fourth consecutive election victory. Neil Kinnock was replaced by John Smith as Labour leader and Leader of the Opposition in 1992. On 16 September 1992, the pound sterling crashed out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism after the Chancellor of

1785-512: A landslide in the 1997 general election , ending 18 years of Conservative government. After Blair became prime minister, Major served as Leader of the Opposition for seven weeks while the leadership election to replace him took place. He formed a temporary shadow cabinet , and Major himself was shadow foreign secretary and shadow secretary of state for defence . His resignation as Conservative leader formally took effect in June 1997 following

1904-621: A local church fair and was invited to watch his first debate in the House of Commons , where Harold Macmillan presented his only Budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer . Major has attributed his political ambitions to this event. Major's first job was as a clerk in the London-based insurance brokerage firm Price Forbes in 1959, though finding the job dull and offering no prospects he quit. Major began working with his brother Terry at

2023-486: A local library and as a part-time dance teacher. John Major later described the family's circumstances at this time as being "comfortable but not well off". Following a German V-1 flying bomb attack in the area in 1944 which killed several people, the Majors moved to the village of Saham Toney , Norfolk, for the remainder of the war . John began attending primary school at Cheam Common School from 1948. His childhood

2142-831: A member of the Committee of Estates . After the defeat he urged the removal of General Leslie, afterwards Lord Newark, from the command of the Scottish army, and on 21 September delivered a violent speech in Charles' presence, attributing all the late misfortunes to the Stuarts and their opposition to the Reformation . After Dunbar the Committee of Estates persuaded the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland that it

2261-626: A member of the Council of State . On the restoration of the Rump Parliament in 1649, and on its suppression, he became permanent president of the Committee of Safety . After the restoration of the monarchy he fled abroad. He was condemned to death in absentia and arrested in Rouen . With Louis XIV's consent he was returned to Britain and after a spell of imprisonment in the Tower of London

2380-546: A more bitter expression"; and on Johnston continuing his speech ordered him to be silent and declared he would speak to more reasonable men. In August Johnston read a paper before the Parliament of Scotland , strongly condemning its prorogation . In the following year he was appointed to attend the general of the army and the committee, and on 23 June, when the Scottish forces were preparing to invade England, he wrote to Thomas, Lord Savile asking for definite support from

2499-411: A new leader had been elected. Major subsequently announced on 22 November that he would stand in the second ballot, with Thatcher's backing. Major's platform was one of moderation on Europe, a review of the poll tax, and the desire to build a "classless society". Unlike in the first ballot, a candidate only required a simple majority of Conservative MPs to win, in this case 187 of 372 MPs. The ballot

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2618-575: A number of candidates fighting for the crown. It would merely prolong the agony." Major served as Leader of the Opposition for seven weeks while the leadership election to replace him was underway. He formed a temporary Shadow Cabinet , but with seven of his Cabinet ministers having lost their seats at the election, and with few senior MPs left to replace them, several MPs had to hold multiple briefs. Major himself served as shadow foreign secretary (having served as foreign secretary for three months in 1989) and Shadow Secretary of State for Defence , and

2737-453: A priority, stating that tough measures were needed to bring it down and that "if it isn't hurting, it isn't working." He delivered his first Autumn Statement on 15 November, announcing a boost in spending (mainly for the NHS) and with interest rates to be kept as they were. As Chancellor, Major presented only one Budget , the first to be televised live, on 20 March 1990. He publicised it as

2856-465: A restructuring and write-off of some Third World debt at a Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting in Trinidad and Tobago in September 1990. Opposition within the Conservative Party to Margaret Thatcher had been brewing for some time, focusing on what was seen as her brusque, imperious style and the poll tax , which was facing serious opposition across the country. In December 1989, she had survived

2975-564: A serious car crash in which he broke a leg and had to be flown home. Leaving hospital, he split his time between Jean Kierans' house and a small rented flat in Mayfair , working at Standard Bank's London office and resuming his banking diploma and activities with the Young Conservatives in his spare time. Major stood again as Councillor in the 1968 Lambeth London Borough Council election , this time for Ferndale ward . Though

3094-470: A single European currency there could instead be a 'hard ECU ', which different national currencies could compete against and, if the ECU was successful, could lead to a single currency. The move was seen as a wrecking tactic by France and Germany, especially when the increasingly Euro-sceptic Thatcher announced her outright opposition to EMU, and the idea was abandoned. More successfully, Major managed to get

3213-584: A total of 24. His son, Frederick Patrick Mair Johnston, took over the chairman's role, remaining at the helm until his retirement in 2001. Under his charge, the company made its first English acquisition, the Derbyshire Times . Further acquisitions followed in Yorkshire, Sussex and the Midlands. Circulation of The Falkirk Herald peaked at 40,000 in 1979, around the time production of the paper

3332-623: Is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. He previously held Cabinet positions under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , his last as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1989 to 1990. Major was Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon , formerly Huntingdonshire , from 1979 to 2001. Since stepping down as an MP in 2001, Major has focused on writing and his business, sporting, and charity work, and has occasionally commented on political developments in

3451-498: The 1990 Mid Staffordshire by-election to Labour and the 1990 Eastbourne by-election to the Liberal Democrats , both Conservative seats, causing many Conservative MPs to worry about their prospects at the upcoming general election, due in 1991 or 1992. Thatcher's staunch anti-European stance also alienated pro-Europe Conservatives. On 1 November, the pro-European deputy prime minister Geoffrey Howe resigned, issuing

3570-844: The Citizen's Charter , removed the Poll Tax and replaced it with the Council Tax , committed British troops to the Gulf War , took charge of the UK's negotiations over the Maastricht Treaty , led the country during the early 1990s economic crisis , withdrew the pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (on Black Wednesday ), promoted the socially conservative back to basics campaign , privatised

3689-685: The Engagement of 1648, and may have drawn up the Act of Classes in 1649. He was appointed Lord Clerk Register in 1649 and is said to have given Leslie fatal advice at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650, after which he lost his offices. In 1657, as a leading Remonstrant (see below), he was renamed by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell as Lord Clerk Register. He was a member of Oliver and Richard Cromwell 's House of Lords and

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3808-518: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) that Major would be Thatcher's 'hatchet-man', as her relations with the department under Geoffrey Howe had been poor and characterised by mutual distrust. Major accepted the job and began to settle into the department, living in an upstairs room at the FCO and devolving decision making where necessary, though he found the increased security burdensome and disliked

3927-681: The High Street . His severed head was displayed on the Netherbow (town gate) and afterwards buried with his body in Greyfriars Kirkyard . Johnston was a man of great energy, industry and ability, and played a large part in the defence of the Presbyterian settlement of 1638. He is described by his contemporary Robert Baillie as “one of the most faithful and diligent and able servants that our church and kingdom has had all

4046-404: The Maastricht Treaty . On 12 May 1994, John Smith died from a heart attack and was replaced by Tony Blair who continued Labour's modernisation under the slogan of " New Labour ". Some polling at the end of 1994 and the start of 1995 had Labour with a vote share of over 60%. The Tories remained divided over this era and in an attempt to silence his critics, Major resigned as Party leader. In

4165-597: The Young Conservatives in Brixton. He soon became a highly active member; this helped increase his confidence following the failure of his school days. Encouraged by fellow Conservative Derek Stone, he started giving speeches on a soap-box in Brixton Market . According to his biographer Anthony Seldon , Major brought "youthful exuberance" to the Tories in Brixton, but was sometimes in trouble with

4284-403: The leadership election , Major comfortably beat John Redwood in June 1995. Following a string of by-election defeats, the Conservatives' majority of 21 had been eroded by 13 December 1996. In the 1997 election on 1 May 1997, Labour won a 179-seat majority, ending their eighteen years in opposition. This was the worst general election result of the 20th century for the Conservatives, seeing

4403-554: The pacification of Berwick in 1639 and the treaty of Ripon in 1640. He was Lord of Session as Lord Warriston in 1641. In 1643 as commissioner for Midlothian he opposed neutrality in English affairs . He played a prominent part in the Westminster Assembly , and in 1644 became a member of the Committee of Both Kingdoms representing Scotland in London. Named King's Advocate by Charles I in 1646, he resisted

4522-781: The 1971 Lambeth Council election, Major continued to nurse political ambitions, and with help from friends in the Conservative Party managed to get onto the Conservative Central Office's list of potential MP candidates. Major was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Labour-dominated St Pancras North constituency, fighting both the February and October 1974 general elections, losing heavily both times to Labour's Albert Stallard . Major then attempted to get selected as

4641-686: The Argentine foreign minister , the first such meeting since the end of the Falklands War seven years earlier. Major's last major summit as Foreign Secretary was the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malaysia . The meeting was dominated by the issue of sanctions on South Africa, with Britain being the only country to oppose them, on the grounds that they would end up hurting poorer South Africans far more than

4760-416: The Conservatives would suffer a landslide defeat in the upcoming general election. During this period, Michael Portillo had frequently been touted as the favourite to replace Major, but lost his seat in the election, thus eliminating him from the running. Although many Conservative MPs wanted Major to resign as leader immediately because of the 1997 election loss, there was a movement among the grassroots of

4879-581: The Covenants; but he was associated in private friendship and public life with Argyll. He had a large family, the most famous of his sons being James Johnston (1643–1737), known as Secretary Johnston. Having taken refuge in Holland after his father's execution, Johnston crossed over to England in the interests of William of Orange just before the Glorious Revolution of 1688. In 1692 he

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4998-561: The Crown and the King's just power as the Chancellor and Warriston did for many days together. When, however, Presbyterianism was attacked and menaced by the Sovereign, he desired, like John Pym , to restrict the royal prerogative by a parliamentary constitution, and endeavoured to found his arguments on law and ancient precedents. Johnston's acceptance of office under Cromwell hardly deserves

5117-562: The ERM at a rate of DM 2.95 to £1.00 (with an agreed 6% floating 'band' either side) was announced the following day. An interest rate cut of 1% (from 15%) was also announced on the same day. The rest of Major's Chancellorship prior to the leadership contest was largely uneventful; he considered granting the Bank of England operational independence over monetary policy, with the ability to set interest rates, but decided against it. He also agreed

5236-803: The Environment Committee and also assisted with work on the Housing Act 1980 , which allowed council house tenants the Right to Buy their homes. At this time Major lived in De Vere Close, Hemingford Grey. Major's first promotion came when he was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary in January 1981 to Patrick Mayhew and Timothy Raison , both Ministers of State at the Home Office . Seeking to gain more exposure to foreign affairs, he joined several Labour Party MPs on

5355-556: The European Union , parliamentary scandals (widely known as "sleaze") and questions over his economic credibility. Despite being reelected as Conservative leader in the 1995 leadership election , his government remained unpopular, and soon lost its parliamentary majority. The Labour Party pulled ahead of the Conservatives in every local election during Major's premiership, which increased after Tony Blair became Labour leader in 1994 . The Conservatives were defeated by Labour in

5474-405: The Exchequer Norman Lamont delivered his budget speech to the House of Commons, which included tax cuts widely perceived to achieve votes at the forthcoming general election. The next day, as universally expected, Major called an election for 9 April. To the surprise of many pollsters, the Conservatives won a majority on the 9 April election, with 336 seats, and earning 41.9% of the vote. With

5593-411: The Exchequer Norman Lamont had invested heavily in trying to keep it there, adjusting interest rates four times in one day. This event would later be called Black Wednesday . Despite the recession finally ending in 1993, the Conservatives' popularity didn't improve. Major's second ministry was also defined by conflicts within the Conservative Party regarding Europe following the government's defeat on

5712-482: The Herald grew from around 7000 to 15,000 a week as public literacy rates improved and the demand for reading materials increased. In 1891, Johnston established the Linlithgow Gazette to serve the neighbouring county of Linlithgowshire. The author Neil Munro worked briefly as a journalist for the paper in 1890. The newspaper's staff moved into a purpose-built two-storey office in Falkirk High Street in 1909. The Falkirk Herald launched several notable appeals in

5831-458: The Huntingdon seat by a large margin in the 1979 general election , which brought the Conservatives led by Margaret Thatcher to power. He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 13 June 1979, voicing his support for the government's budget. Major assiduously courted contacts at all levels of the party in this period, joining the informal 'Guy Fawkes club' of Conservative MPs and attending various Committees . He became Secretary of

5950-422: The King's execution, and Warriston was present officially at the proclamation of Charles II as King at Edinburgh, on 5 February 1649. On 10 March 1649 Warriston was appointed Lord Clerk Register . In May he pronounced the sentence of death on Montrose and is said to have witnessed along with Argyll the victim being drawn to the place of execution. He was present at the battle of Dunbar (3 September 1650) as

6069-402: The LEB and took up a post at District Bank in May 1965, though he soon left this to join Standard Bank the following year, largely because the latter offered the chance to work abroad. In December 1966 he was sent for a long secondment in Jos, Nigeria , which he enjoyed immensely, though he was put off by the casual racism of some of the ex-pat workers there. In May 1967 he was involved in

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6188-406: The Queen 's invitation to form a government, succeeding Margaret Thatcher . He inherited a majority government from Margaret Thatcher who had been the prime minister for the previous eleven years. The Conservatives' popularity was low, with some polling showing Labour 's Neil Kinnock with a 23% lead over the Tories in April 1990 following the introduction of the Community Charge (poll tax). By

6307-405: The Social Security Act 1986 and improving provision for disabled people. Major began to gain a bigger profile, giving his first speech at the Conservative Party Conference in October 1986. He first attracted major national media attention in January 1987 over cold weather payments to the elderly, when Britain was in the depths of a severe winter. Amidst intense media criticism, Major discussed

6426-452: The Treasury from 1987 to 1989, Foreign Secretary in 1989, and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1989 to 1990. Following Thatcher's resignation in 1990, after a challenge was launched to her leadership, Major stood in the 1990 Conservative leadership election to replace her and emerged victorious, becoming prime minister. Major's mild-mannered style and moderate political stance contrasted with that of Thatcher. As prime minister, Major created

6545-479: The UK he and Thatcher met with French president François Mitterrand , in which the future direction of the European Community was discussed. In September 1989, Major delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly , in which he pledged to support Colombia's effort to tackle the drugs trade and reiterated Britain's opposition to the apartheid regime in South Africa. Major also met US president George H. W. Bush in Washington, D.C. and Domingo Cavallo ,

6664-573: The UK to remain in the European Union , and has often criticised Brexit since the outcome of the 2016 referendum . Major was appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG) in 2005 for services to politics and charity, and became a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1999 for his work on the Northern Ireland peace process. Although public favourability of Major has improved since he left office, his premiership has generally been viewed as average in historical rankings and public opinion of British prime ministers. John Major

6783-433: The UK's sectors. Falling house prices stalled construction in the housing sector. Economic growth wasn't re-established until early 1993. By December 1991, unemployment was at 2.5 million (compared to 1.6 million 18 months earlier). Additionally, inflation was in double digits and interest rates reached 15%. However, opinion polling for Major's government remained stable during this period. On 10 March 1992, Chancellor of

6902-417: The United Kingdom. The paper celebrated its 150th anniversary on 14 August 1995. Letters of congratulation were received from Her Majesty The Queen and Prime Minister John Major , amongst others. Production and printing of the newspaper moved to Camelon , a suburb of Falkirk, in 2001. In November 2010, all editorial and advertising staff moved to a new office in Grangemouth . A small office in Manor Street

7021-486: The aim being to increase funding on safety measures following the Bradford City stadium fire and Hillsborough disaster . Extra funding was also made available to Scotland in order to limit the impact of the Community Charge (widely dubbed the 'Poll Tax'), which had been introduced there that year. The European Community's push for full Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) was another important factor in Major's time as Chancellor; in June 1990 he proposed that instead of

7140-441: The apartheid regime at which they were aimed. The summit ended acrimoniously, with Thatcher controversially and against established precedent issuing a second final communiqué stating Britain's opposition to sanctions, with the press seizing on the apparent disagreement on the matter between Major and Thatcher. After just three months as Foreign Secretary Major was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer on 26 October 1989 following

7259-427: The building of several large council estates . He also promoted more openness at the council, initiating a series of public meetings with local residents. Major also undertook fact-finding trips to the Netherlands, Finland and the Soviet Union . Despite the Lambeth housing team being well-regarded nationally, Major lost his seat in the 1971 Lambeth London Borough Council election . Major met Norma Johnson at

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7378-448: The business in severe financial difficulties. A recalled business loan which the family were unable to repay forced Tom Major to sell the house in Worcester Park in May 1955, with the family moving to a cramped, rented top-floor flat at 144 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton . With his parents distracted by their reduced circumstances, John's difficulties at Rutlish went unnoticed. Acutely conscious of his straitened circumstances in relation to

7497-461: The chief adviser of the covenanting leaders Johnston drew up their remonstrances. On 22 February 1638, in reply to a royal proclamation , he read a strong protestation to an enormous multitude assembled at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh . Together with Alexander Henderson he was the co-author of the National Covenant of 1638, drawing up the second part as a recapitulation of all the Acts of Parliament that had condemned " popery " while asserting

7616-415: The couple moved to a larger residence at West Oak, Beckenham , and had a second child, James, in January 1975. Meanwhile, Major continued to work at Standard Bank (renamed Standard Chartered from 1975), having completed his banking diploma in 1972. Major was promoted to head of the PR department in August 1976, and his duties necessitated the occasional foreign trip to East Asia. Despite his setback at

7735-442: The election of William Hague . Major remained in the House of Commons as a backbencher, regularly attending and contributing in debates, until he stood down at the 2001 election to focus on writing and his business, sporting and charity work. Since leaving office, Major has tended to maintain a low profile in the media, occasionally making political interventions. He supported the unsuccessful Britain Stronger in Europe campaign for

7854-494: The extensive ceremonial aspects of the role. Amongst Major's first acts as Foreign Secretary was to cancel the sale of Hawk aircraft to Iraq , over concerns they would be used for internal repression. He represented Britain at the Paris Peace Conference to determine the future of Cambodia . Major also met with US secretary of state James Baker , with whom he primarily discussed the issue of Vietnamese boat people , and with Qian Qichen , Foreign Minister of China, becoming

7973-415: The first decades of the 20th century. A fundraising drive on behalf of Belgian refugees from the First World War earned a formal thank you from the King of Belgium. In the aftermath of the Redding pit disaster in 1923, The Falkirk Herald appealed for its readers to give generously on behalf of the victims. The appeal raised a staggering £63,000 – equivalent to several million pounds today. In 1940 an appeal

8092-434: The first round. Major was at home in Huntingdon recovering from a pre-arranged wisdom tooth operation during the first leadership ballot, which Thatcher won but not by the required threshold, necessitating a second round. Following discussions with her cabinet, in which many stated that though supporting her they doubted she could win, Thatcher withdrew from the contest and announced that she would resign as prime minister once

8211-455: The first senior Western politician to meet with a Chinese official since the violent crackdown of pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square the previous month. Discussions focused primarily on the future of Hong Kong , which Britain was scheduled to hand over to China in 1997. Major spent most of a summer holiday that year in Spain conducting extensive background reading on foreign affairs and British foreign policy. Upon his return to

8330-445: The foot of Warriston Close in Edinburgh (so named in his honour) on its east side, which had previously been home to Sir Lewis Craig . At the Restoration Warriston was excluded from the general pardon. On 1 February 1661 he was summoned along with John Home of Kello, William Dundas of Magdalens and others to appear before Parliament on a charge of high treason. He had already fled to Holland and thence to Hamburg in Germany, so he

8449-531: The future funding of the NHS , against the background of an NHS strike in February 1988 over pay, resulting in the 'Working for Patients' white paper and subsequent National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 . Major also insisted in discussions with Thatcher that government assistance should be provided to support the sale of Short Brothers to Bombardier , an aerospace company and major employer in Northern Ireland which might otherwise have collapsed. In 1987–1988, it became clear that Major had become

8568-452: The garden ornaments business; this had been sold in 1959, enabling the family to move to a larger residence at 80 Burton Road, Brixton. Major's father died on 27 March 1962. John left the ornaments business the following year to care for his ill mother, though when she got better he was unable to find a new job and was unemployed for much of the latter half of 1962, a situation he says was "degrading". After Major became prime minister, it

8687-593: The government until the Restoration . In January 1658 he was included by Cromwell in his new House of Lords and sat also in the upper chamber in Richard Cromwell 's parliament. Upon the latter's abdication and the restoration of the Rump, he was chosen a member of the Council of State and continued in the administration as a member of the Committee of Public Safety . Johnston lived in a mansion house at

8806-490: The issue with Margaret Thatcher and an increase in the payments was approved. Following the 1987 general election , in which Major retained his seat with an increased majority, he was promoted to the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury , making him the first MP of the 1979 intake to reach the Cabinet. The then-Chancellor Nigel Lawson generally made significant decisions with little input from others, and Major

8925-912: The leaders of the Kirk Party opposed to the Engagement, and during the ascendancy of the Engagers retired to Kintyre as the guest of the Marquess of Argyll . He returned again after the Whiggamore Raid , met Cromwell at Edinburgh in October after the defeat of the Engagers at Preston, and in conjunction with Argyll promoted the Act of Classes , passed on 23 January 1649, disqualifying royalists from holding public office. The good relations now formed with Cromwell were soon broken, however, by

9044-584: The leading opposition peers in England and their acceptance of the National Covenant, which drew from the other side at first nothing but vague assurances. In October Johnston was a commissioner for negotiating the Treaty of Ripon and went to London. After the peace he continued to urge punishment of the incendiaries, especially of Traquair , and in a private interview with the king strongly opposed

9163-556: The liberties of the Scottish church . He was said to have supported the prophesies of Margaret Mitchelson who predicted the success of the National Covenant. Johnston was appointed clerk to the Tables (the revolutionary executive) and also clerk and afterwards procurator or counsel to the General Assembly held at Glasgow the same year, when he discovered and presented several missing volumes of records. In June 1639 he took part in

9282-633: The loss of all the party's seats in Wales and Scotland. On the morning of 2 May 1997, on his final departure from Downing Street to offer his resignation to the Queen , Major announced his intention to step down as leader of the Conservative Party, stating in his exit speech that "when the curtain falls, it's time to get off the stage". He was succeeded as prime minister by Tony Blair . Speculation over Major's leadership had continued since his re-election in 1995, and intensified as it became increasingly likely that

9401-516: The minority Protestors was to haunt the Church of Scotland for decades after. In the autumn of 1656 Warriston went to London as representative of the Remonstrants; and soon afterwards, on 9 July 1657, he was restored by Cromwell to his office of Lord Clerk Register , and on 3 November was appointed a commissioner for the administration of justice in Scotland, henceforth remaining a member of

9520-459: The negotiations leading to the Pacification of Berwick which ended the first Bishops' War . His firm attitude displeased the king extremely. After Charles promised a new Assembly and Parliament to settle the church question, Johnston responded by accusing him of playing for time, to which the king replied in anger "that the devil himself could not make a more uncharitable construction or give

9639-489: The new European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) located in London. By early 1990, Major had become convinced that the best way to combat inflation and restore macroeconomic stability would be if the British pound were to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), and he and Douglas Hurd (Major's successor as Foreign Secretary) set about trying to convince a reluctant Thatcher to join it. The move

9758-425: The newspaper and its coverage. The Scottish Midlands Journal section of the masthead was dropped, with the paper now simply titled The Falkirk Herald . The first Falkirk Herald website was set up in 1996 by chief reporter Graeme Smith. It has undergone a series of relaunches in the years since and is now updated on a daily basis with breaking local news and sport, a range of columnists and items first published in

9877-577: The newspaper. It also has active Facebook and Twitter accounts. Archibald Johnston Archibald Johnston, Lord Wariston (1611 – 1663) was a Scottish judge and statesman. He assisted Alexander Henderson in writing the Scottish National Covenant in 1638, and was appointed Procurator of the Kirk in the same year. He was said to have supported the prophesies of Margaret Mitchelson as true. Johnston helped negotiate

9996-562: The now slightly enlarged seat of Huntingdon at the 1983 general election . Shortly thereafter he and Norma moved to a larger house (Finings) in Great Stukeley ; Major generally spent his weekends there, and weekdays at a rented flat in Durand Gardens, Stockwell . Major was invited to join the prestigious 'Blue Chip' group of rising stars in the Conservative Party, and he was promoted to Treasury Whip in October 1984. It

10115-507: The office of Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland was left vacant until after the 2001 general election as the party no longer had any Scottish MPs. Major's resignation as Conservative leader formally took effect on 19 June 1997 after the election of William Hague . Major's Resignation Honours were announced on 1 August 1997. He remained active in Parliament, regularly attending and contributing in debates. He stood down from

10234-413: The other Johnston Press titles were bought by JPIMedia on 17 November 2018 after a pre-packaged deal was agreed with creditors. It was announced in the edition published on 26 October 2011 that the newspaper would switch to tabloid format the following week. The decision to end the paper's 166 years as a broadsheet was taken following the results of a consultation in which readers were asked to comment on

10353-621: The other pupils, Major was something of a loner and consistently under-performed except in sports, especially cricket , coming to see the school as "a penance to be endured". Major left school just before his 16th birthday in 1959 with just three O-level passes in History, English Language and English Literature, to his parents' disappointment. Major's interest in politics stems from this period, and he avidly kept up with current affairs by reading newspapers on his commutes from Brixton to Wimbledon. In 1956 Major met local MP Marcus Lipton at

10472-476: The party, encouraged by his political allies, to have him stay on as leader until the autumn. Lord Cranborne , his chief of staff during the election, and the chief whip, Alastair Goodlad , both pleaded with him to stay on: they argued that remaining as leader for a few months would give the party time to come to terms with the scale of defeat before electing a successor. Major refused, saying: "It would be terrible, because I would be presiding with no authority over

10591-401: The policy of conciliation then pursued for a short time by the King, was appointed on 13 November 1641 a Lord of Session, with the title Lord Warriston (from his estate at Currie which he had purchased in 1636), was knighted and given a pension of £200 a year. The same month the parliament appointed him a commissioner at Westminster for settling the affairs of Scotland. Lord Warriston was

10710-402: The professional agent Marion Standing. Major stood as a Councillor in the 1964 Lambeth London Borough Council election for Larkhall ward at the age of 21 in 1964, losing to Labour. He also assisted local Conservative candidates Kenneth Payne in the 1964 general election and Piers Dixon in the 1966 general election . Another formative influence on Major in this period was Jean Kierans,

10829-403: The proposed act of general oblivion. On the King's arrival in Scotland in 1641 he led the opposition on the important constitutional point of the control of state appointments, supporting the claims of the parliament by an appeal to the state records he had succeeded in recovering. In September, Johnston received public thanks for his services from the Scottish parliament, and, in accordance with

10948-543: The railways and coal industry, and played a pivotal role in creating peace in Northern Ireland . Two years into his premiership , Major went on to lead the Conservatives to a fourth consecutive electoral victory , winning more than 14 million votes, which remains the highest number ever won by a political party in Britain. In 1995, Major resigned as party leader, amid internal divisions over UK membership of

11067-411: The recommendation of Alexander Russell, editor of The Scotsman . During its first decade of publication the newspaper campaigned vigorously for Falkirk to be granted municipal burgh status. This would allow for the creation of a modern council to replace the medieval system of 'stentmasters' who had controlled local affairs for centuries and were widely viewed as incompetent. Burgh status would also mean

11186-530: The response to protests at RAF Molesworth , which lay in his constituency; various peace groups were opposed to the siting of cruise missiles at the base and had established a permanent 'peace camp' there. Major addressed public meetings opposed to the protesters, organised by parish councillors, and also met Bill Westwood and separately Michael Heseltine to discuss the issue. The protesters were evicted in February 1984. Major comfortably won re-election to

11305-725: The role of an elder statesman. Having left school just before his sixteenth birthday, Major worked as an insurance clerk and joined the Young Conservatives in 1959, and soon became a highly active member. He was elected to Lambeth London Borough Council in 1968 and a decade later to parliament, being elected as the Conservative MP for Huntingdonshire at the 1979 general election . Major held several junior government positions under Thatcher from 1984 to 1987, including parliamentary private secretary and assistant whip . He served in Thatcher's third ministry as Chief Secretary to

11424-558: The same year in the Westminster Assembly , to which he had been nominated, and vehemently opposed measures tolerating independency. Besides his public duties in England Warriston sat in the Scottish parliament for the county of Edinburgh from 1643 until 1647, and served on various committees. After the final defeat of Charles, when he had surrendered himself to the Scots, Johnston was made king's advocate in October 1646, and

11543-607: The same year was voted £3000 by the Scottish estates for his services. He continued to oppose concessions to Charles and strongly disapproved of the Engagement concluded in 1648 by the government of the Duke of Hamilton with Charles at Carisbrooke , which, while securing little for Presbyterianism , committed the Scots to hostilities with the English Parliament and the New Model Army . Warriston now became one of

11662-428: The severe censure it has received. In both politics and religion he stood nearer to Cromwell than the royalists, and was able to offer useful service in office. Johnston was wanting in tact and in consideration for his opponents, confessing himself that his natural temper (or rather distemper) "hath been hasty and passionate". He was disliked by Charles I and hated by Charles II, whom he rebuked for lack of commitment to

11781-466: The sudden resignation of Nigel Lawson , who had fallen out with Thatcher over what he saw as her excessive reliance on the advice of her Economic Adviser Alan Walters . The appointment meant that, despite only being in the Cabinet for a little over two years, Major had gone from the most junior position in the Cabinet to holding two of the Great Offices of State . Major made tackling inflation

11900-407: The time of Major's appointment, Labour's lead had shrunk to 14%. However, by 1991, the Conservatives had narrowly retaken Labour in the polls. Major's first ministry was dominated by the early 1990s recession which was believed to be caused by high interest rates, falling house prices and an overvalued exchange rate. The high interest rates led to more saving, less spending and less investment in

12019-464: The town could raise money needed to fund urban improvements, such as water supply and roadworks. A parliamentary bill enshrining these changes in law was eventually passed in 1859. Following the death of Archibald Johnston in 1877, control of the paper passed to his fourth son James, and eventually to Frederick, his youngest son, in 1882. Frederick Johnston was to remain as publisher of The Falkirk Herald for 53 years. Under his leadership, circulation of

12138-471: The town went on sale on 13 August 1846. The Herald was the first newspaper purchased by the Johnston family, and the title's increasing size and influence would play a crucial part in growing the company which would become the present day Johnston Press publishing empire. The Falkirk Herald switched from monthly to weekly publication in 1851 and its first full-time editor, Mr J. Finlay, was appointed on

12257-633: The tymes of our troubles.” He was learned in Scottish law, eloquent and deeply religious. His passionate devotion to the cause of the Scottish church was seen by his critics as fanaticism . According to the History by his nephew Gilbert Burnet , he looked on the Covenant as setting Christ on his throne. Johnston had by nature no republican leanings; all the Royalists in Scotland, wrote Robert Baillie as late as 1646, could not have pleaded so much for

12376-505: Was appointed one of the secretaries for Scotland , but he was dismissed from office in 1696. Under Queen Anne , however, he began again to take part in public affairs, and was made Lord Clerk Register . Johnston's later years were passed mainly at his residence (much later known as Orleans House) Twickenham , and he died at Bath in May 1737 (see separate article). John Major [REDACTED] Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943)

12495-482: Was born on 29 March 1943 at St Helier Hospital and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children in St Helier , Surrey, to Gwen Major ( née Coates, 1905–1970) and former music hall performer Tom Major-Ball (1879–1962), who was 63 years old when Major was born. He was christened "John Roy Major" but only "John Major" was recorded on his birth certificate ; he used his middle name until the early 1980s. His birth had been

12614-500: Was changed to The Falkirk Herald and Scottish Midlands Journal in the early 1920s, reflecting the paper's readership across central Scotland. Publication day was switched to Saturday, with a smaller 'pictorial' edition being produced on Wednesday. Frederick Mair Johnston became managing director of the Herald's parent company in 1936. Under his leadership, the family firm of F. Johnston & Company grew from publishing two newspapers to

12733-636: Was condemned to death (and stripped of his properties and title) in absentia on 15 May 1661. In 1663, having ventured into France, he was discovered at Rouen , and with the consent of Louis XIV was brought to England and imprisoned in the Tower of London . In June he was taken to Edinburgh and confined in the Tolbooth . He was hanged on 22 July at the Mercat Cross, Edinburgh, the scene of many of his triumphs, and around 100 yards from his own house off

12852-483: Was generally happy, and he enjoyed reading, sports (especially cricket and football ) and keeping pets, such as his rabbits. In 1954 John passed the 11+ exam, enabling him to go to Rutlish School , a grammar school in Merton Park , though to John's chagrin his father insisted that he register as 'John Major-Ball'. The family's fortunes took a turn for the worse, with his father's health deteriorating, and

12971-569: Was hanged in Edinburgh on 22 July 1663. Archibald Johnston was a son of James Johnston (died 1617), a merchant burgess of Edinburgh . He was baptised on 28 March 1611, educated at the University of Glasgow , and admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1633. Johnston first came to public notice in 1637 during Charles I 's attempt to force an Episcopalian liturgy upon Scotland. As

13090-527: Was held on the afternoon of 27 November; although Major obtained 185 votes, 2 votes short of an overall majority, he polled far enough ahead of both Hurd and Heseltine to secure their immediate withdrawal. With no remaining challengers, Major was formally named Leader of the Conservative Party that evening and was duly appointed prime minister the following day. At 47, he was the youngest prime minister since Lord Rosebery some 95 years earlier. Major became prime minister on 28 November 1990 when he accepted

13209-472: Was later revealed (in 2002) that during this period Major had conducted an affair with Edwina Currie , a Conservative backbencher and later Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Health and Social Security ; the affair ended in 1988. Major narrowly avoided the IRA 's Brighton hotel bombing in October 1984, having left the hotel only a few hours before the bomb went off. Also in this period, Major stood in for

13328-528: Was launched to raise money to buy a Spitfire for the RAF . The paper's readership subsequently donated £5,000, which was used to build a plane which was named ‘The Falkirk Bairn’. It took to the skies in 1941, serving with three squadrons before being written off in combat in September 1942. Following the end of the war in 1945, The Falkirk Herald War Relief fund was launched to help injured soldiers, their families and prisoners of war. It raised £8,100. The masthead

13447-632: Was misreported that his failure to get a job as a bus conductor resulted from his failing to pass a maths test; he had in fact passed all of the necessary tests but had been passed over owing to his height. In the meantime he studied for a qualification in banking via correspondence course . Eventually in December 1962 he found a job working at the London Electricity Board (LEB) in Elephant and Castle . In 1959, Major had joined

13566-465: Was necessary to abandon the Act of Classes to allow a new national army to be raised, to include supporters of the Engagement and other royalists. A resolution to this effect was immediately drawn up. Warriston, along with some of the more implacable Presbyterians, drew up a Remonstrance or Protest against this move. The Act of Classes was duly abandoned, but the division between the majority Resolutioners and

13685-683: Was opened to maintain a presence in Falkirk town centre. Under the editorship of George Guthrie, The Falkirk Herald was named Weekly Newspaper of the Year in 2000 the Scottish Press Awards and also took the title in 2008, 2009 and 2013 with Colin Hume at the helm. On 16 November 2018, Johnston Press announced it would place itself into administration after it was unable to find a suitable buyer to refinance its debt. The Falkirk Herald and

13804-461: Was put in charge of agreeing departmental budgets with the Secretaries of State . These discussions went well, and for the first time in several years budgets were agreed without recourse to the external adjudication of the so-called ' Star Chamber '. Major successfully concluded a second round of such spending reviews in July 1988. Whilst Chief Secretary Major took part in discussions over

13923-552: Was seen as being the most likely to win-over the increasingly large numbers of upwardly mobile London over-spill families living in the area, and he was helped to familiarise himself with the area by local MP David Renton . In 1977 the Major family purchased a house at De Vere Close in the village of Hemingford Grey . Major took on a less demanding job at Standard Chartered, and started working part-time in 1978 so that he could devote more time to his constituency duties. Major won

14042-611: Was supported by the Bank of England , the Treasury, most of the Cabinet, the Labour Party, several major business associations and much of the press. With the ' Lawson Boom ' showing signs of running out of steam, exacerbated by rising oil prices following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, there were fears of a potential recession and pressure to cut interest rates. Thatcher finally agreed on 4 October, and Britain's entry into

14161-552: Was threatened by a printer's strike. The Falkirk Herald left its office in the High Street in 1982, moving a short distance to Newmarket Street. The former Herald building is now a branch of W.H. Smith. In 1988, the Herald's parent firm F. Johnston & Co. Ltd was renamed Johnston Press and was floated on the Stock Exchange. Johnston Press went on to become the third largest publisher of regional newspapers in

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