Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Palgrave Macmillan

The Major Premiership

Politics and Policies under John Major, 1990–97

  • Book
  • © 1999

Overview

Editors:
  1. Peter Dorey

    1. Cardiff University, UK

    View editor publications

    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Chaos or Cohesion? Major and the Conservative Parliamentary Party

    • Philip Cowley
    Pages 1-25

  3. A Permanent Revolution in Whitehall: the Major Governments and the Civil Service

    • Kevin Theakston
    Pages 26-44

  4. Centralisation and Fragmentation: John Major and the Reform of Local Government

    • John Kingdom
    Pages 45-67

  5. Renewed Consultation or Continued Exclusion? Organised Interests and the Major Governments

    • Rob Baggott, Victoria McGregor-Riley
    Pages 68-86

  6. Strategic Errors and/or Structural Binds? Major and European Integration

    • Daniel Wincott, Jim Buller, Colin Hay
    Pages 87-107

  7. Renewed Hope for Peace? John Major and Northern Ireland

    • Christopher Norton
    Pages 108-125

  8. Devout Defender of the Union: John Major and Devolution

    • J. Barry Jones
    Pages 126-145

  9. The 3 Rs — Reform, Reproach and Rancour: Education Policies under John Major

    • Peter Dorey
    Pages 146-164

  10. Rolling Back the (Welfare) State: the Major Governments and Social Security Reform

    • Michael Hill
    Pages 165-178

  11. No Return to ‘Beer and Sandwiches’: Industrial Relations and Employment Policies under John Major

    • Peter Dorey
    Pages 179-198

  12. The Limitations of Likeability: the Major Premiership and Public Opinion

    • David Broughton
    Pages 199-217

  13. Despair and Disillusion Abound: the Major Premiership in Perspective

    • Peter Dorey
    Pages 218-249

  14. Back Matter

    Pages 250-276
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

This book examines the politics and policies of the Major governments from 1990 to 1997. It examines how and why the Major governments sought to reform the civil service, local government, education, social security, and industrial relations, and the extent to which such reform constituted a continuation of Thatcherism. It also considers the problems experienced by John Major in leading and managing the parliamentary Conservative party, with Europe proving particularly problematic for his premiership.

Reviews

'A searching and judicious survey of the Major years, showing how the Government's relentless drift to the right inevitably ended in electoral disaster for the Conservative Party. A scholarly and at the same time extremely readable book.' - Lord Gilmour

'John Major will always suffer because of his misfortune in coming after Margaret Thatcher and before Tony Blair. But his premiership lasted for seven years and deserves attention in its own right. This book should be warmly welcomed for providing a detailed analysis of the politics and the policies of the Major era which allows a proper assessment to be made of the Government's successes and failures, and helps to throw some light on the reasons why it all ended in such a catastrophic defeat.' - Andrew Gamble, Professor of Politics, University of Sheffield

'...convincing and well written...useful to students and more advanced scholars of this period in British history and of public policy in democratic states.' - Karl H. Cerny, Perspectives on Political Science

'This book provides a well-written and insightful account of many of the themes of John Major's policies and actions...It is written by insightful experts and will be of great value to students.' - Ian davies, Talking Politics

'...an important and timely volume which takes our understanding far beyond anything that has so far appeared in print.' - Anthony Seldon, Times Literary Supplement

Editors and Affiliations

  • Cardiff University, UK

    Peter Dorey

About the editor

ROB BAGGOTT Reader in Public Policy, De Montford University, Leicester JIM BULLER Lecturer in Politics, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham DAVID BROUGHTON Lecturer in Politics, School of European Studies, Cardiff University PHILIP COWLEY Lecturer in Politics, University of Hull, and Research Secretary, Centre for Legislative Studies COLIN HAY Lecturer, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham, and Visiting Fellow, Department of Political Science, MIT MICHAEL HILL Visiting Professor, Department of Social Policy and Politics, Goldsmiths College, University of London, and Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne J. BARRY JONES Senior Lecturer in Politics, School of European Studies, Cardiff University JOHN KINGDOM Reader in Politics, Sheffield Hallam University VICTORIA MCGREGOR-RILEY Lecturer in Public Policy, Department of Health and Continuing Professional Studies, De Montford University, Leicester CHRISTOPHER NORTON Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Wolverhampton KEVIN THEAKSTON Reader in Government, University of Leeds DANIEL WINCOTT Lecturer, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation