On May 16th David Davies talked about ‘The Grey Years – 1990-97’. This presentation dealt with the seven years that John Major spent as the UK Prime Minister.

David took us through many ‘major’ events in this period – including the opening of both The Globe Theatre in London and the Channel Tunnel. Politically there were a surprising number of wars (the first Gulf War, the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the continuing ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland that eventually claimed some 3000 lives).

Like our present Prime Minister, John Major had a tiny majority, but skilfully engineered change including withdrawing Mrs Thatcher’s Poll Tax, introducing a Citizens’ Charter – that has encouraged consumer participation – and signed the Maastricht Treaty for ‘ever closer union’ with Europe, in spite of much opposition from within the Conservative Party.

John Major has been credited with much of the work during this period to present the Downing Street Declaration in 1993 and the subsequent Good Friday Agreement, finally made in 1998 just after Tony Blair became Prime Minister.

Through David’s fascinating talk members were helped to recall this significant period in everyone’s lives, and contribute their own questions, comments and anecdotes.