Endgame

[ewx]

Thatcher's resignation was a moment of high political drama. I still remember the word that "she's gone!" going rapidly around school that day. There doesn't seem much chance of that when Blair finally retires.

I also remember that the reaction to Major's victor in the subsequent leadership contest produced the question "but who is he?" at school. I found this slightly puzzling; I'd certainly been familiar with his name since he became Chancellor and possibly during his brief stint as Foreign Secretary, though my memory is unclear on the latter. I suppose it's possible that there are still a few people left under some rock who've managed to avoid hearing of Gordon Brown before but still.

(Another difference: the likely next Chancellor doesn't have quite such striking eyebrows as Major's first Chancellor did.)

Comments

[gerald_duck]

I would very much like to celebrate when Blair goes, much more than when Thatcher was hounded out of office.

Thatcher did a whole bunch of unethical things, and some pragmatically very bad ones, but she also did a lot of very difficult things that needed doing; I'm very glad the eighties weren't the same as the seventies, politically.

Blair's reign appears to have been a mixture of disaster, gloss and flammery.

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm very sorry the eighties weren't more like the seventies, economically, and the nineties weren't much better. The Blair years have been non-stop prosperity for my family and the places they live for the first time in thirty years, I'll settle for that.

[new-brunette.livejournal.com]

I can remember a 1A Chemistry lecturer writing the news (Thatch) on an OHP...

Gordon Brown/Texture like sun

[wendym.livejournal.com]

I'm still bitter that no-one at school told me Thatcher had gone, some classes got told, not mine. I did pop into Manchester that evening and saw the aftermath of the street party outside the students union.

I seem to remember Major had a puppet in Spitting Image before he became prime minister, so I guess he was fairly famous. I think they had him trapeezing in or something.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

Gordon Brown/Texture like sun

You're bad and wrong, you know.

[wendym.livejournal.com]

Bremner Bird and Fortune started it...