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John Major Biography and Profile

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John Major Biography and Profile

As Prime Minister Sir John Major oversaw Britain’s longest period of continuous economic growth and the beginning of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. John Major was born in 1943 in Carshalton, Surrey, but raised in Brixton. Unlike many Prime Ministers of the 20th century, he did not attend university after leaving school at 16. John Major entered politics at a young age as an active Young Conservative in Brixton and stood as a candidate for Lambeth Council aged only 21, winning the seat and becoming chairman of the Housing Committee. He stood for Parliament twice in 1974 in St Pancras, losing both times before winning Huntingdonshire in 1979.

In 1981 he became a ministerial aide and then a minister himself in 1985. Entering Cabinet in 1987 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, he won the admiration and respect of his colleagues due to his ability to keep spending down. He was then promoted to Foreign Secretary in 1989 and Chancellor of the Exchequer soon after that. Following Margaret Thatcher, John Major became Prime Minister and attempted to make peace between both party and country in the wake of a divisive decade. He took a leading role, alongside US President George HW Bush, in the first Gulf War, and survived an IRA mortar attack on Number 10 during a Cabinet meeting. He won the 1992 general election, with the Conservatives receiving the highest number of popular votes in history but with a smaller majority of 21, which itself was reduced in by-election defeats during the parliament. This victory was on the back of reversing the unpopular poll tax, Community Charge, which was introduced at the end of the Thatcher government.

After this election, however, his fortunes began to change. Five months into the new parliament, John Major was forced to abandon a leading part of his economic policy: membership of the Exchange Rate Mechanism. Intended to keep inflation low by linking exchange rates to the Deutschmark, the markets forced the UK out after government spent billions trying to buck the market. At the same time a fresh round of conflict began within his own party over Europe. He secured a number of opt-outs from the Maastricht Treaty regarding social policy and membership of the single currency – but this was not enough for a number of his colleagues. Throughout the rest of his time as Prime Minister, he suffered from continued attacks from his own party and Cabinet on Europe, which played a role in destabilising the government

In addition to this, the Major government was the subject of a number of press stories about infidelity and poor moral behaviour both within the Cabinet and wider party. The label of ‘Tory sleaze’ stuck and lost John Major’s government further credibility. The economy picked up after leaving the Exchange Rate Mechanism, and, under John Major, the beginning of Britain’s longest period of continuous economic growth began. He also began work engaging with the IRA to work towards a peaceful end to the conflict in Northern Ireland, his work there leading the way for the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Who is Sir John Major Biography and Profile?

Sir John Major was born on 29th March 1943, the son of Tom Ball, known as Tom Major, and Gwen Major. He was educated at Cheam Common Primary School and then Rutlish Grammar School. He left school in 1959, on the day before his sixteenth birthday. Out of school, he continued to study, and qualified as a Banker (AIB).

Sir John was elected a councillor at Lambeth Borough Council in 1968, going on to become Chairman of the Housing Committee. He became the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for the safe Labour seat of St Pancras North for both the General Elections in 1974.

In 1976, Sir John became the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Huntingdonshire, and in 1979 he won in the General Election to become an MP. The constituency was renamed Huntingdon and the boundaries redrawn, and Sir John was to hold this seat comfortably until his retirement from the House of Commons in 2001. He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 13th June 1979.

In 1981, Sir John was appointed a Parliamentary Private Secretary and then a junior whip in 1983. He became the Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Security in 1985, and then a Minister of State in the same department in the following year.

Following the 1987 General Election, Sir John was promoted to the Cabinet as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and appointed a Privy Councillor. He was then promoted to become Foreign Secretary on 24th July 1989, a position he held only until 26th October 1989 when he became the Chancellor of the Exchequer, following the shock resignation of Nigel Lawson. He set out his views in the 1989 Autumn Statement where he focused on the need to keep inflation low, and repeated that priority in the 1990 Autumn Statement, made just days before he was to become Prime Minister.

Following Margaret Thatcher’s resignation following the November 1990 Conservative leadership contest, Sir John became Prime Minister on 28th November 1990. In Sir John’s first Cabinet, Norman Lamont became the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kenneth Baker became Home Secretary and Douglas Hurd remained as the Foreign Secretary.

Sir John became Prime Minister just after Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait, and he worked closely with President George Bush to liberate Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Storm. After the war ended, and Saddam Hussein began to persecute the Kurds, Sir John launched the “Safe Havens” policy, that protected them and saved many thousands of lives. In a joint doorstep interview with the President on 22nd December 1990, he set out the British Government’s position in Iraq. Despite the efforts of the Prime Minister and other world leaders to get Saddam Hussein to leave Kuwait, military action started in mid January 1991, with Sir John making a broadcast to the nation on 17th January 1991.

Sir John pledged to concentrate on keeping inflation low, and started to launch the idea behind the Citizen’s Charter pledging to give power back to individuals, a subject he spoke on in detail at the Economist Conference in January 1992. In the early part of 1991 plans were drawn up to replace the controversial Community Charge “Poll Tax” with the Council Tax.

In December 1991, Sir John negotiated the Maastricht Treaty, but obtained an opt out from the Euro to keep Sterling an independent currency. He also opted out of the Social Chapter.

He also pledged to seek a solution to the troubles in Northern Ireland and launched the Peace Process, working successively with Albert Reynolds and John Bruton as Taoiseach of Ireland. On 15 December 1993, he and Albert Reynolds launched the Downing Street Declaration.

Sir John was a supporter of public services, and spoke widely on education and his vision to widen education to more individuals, speaking on the matter at a speech to the CPS on 3rd July 1991. In his first Conservative Party conference as leader in October 1991, he referred to his commitment to the NHS, saying “it is unthinkable that I, of all people, would try to take that security away”.

Despite adverse opinion polls, Sir John won the General Election on 9th April 1992, with the highest number of votes ever obtained by any political party, over 14 million. Unfortunately, this translated into only a small majority of seats. The 1992 Conservative Party manifesto set out the aims for the next Parliament.

In 1993 the National Lottery Act was passed, with the aim of raising extra money for the arts, sports, millennium and good causes. Sir John saw this as an opportunity to allow investment in areas which often lost out when expenditure was being allocated and spoke on this at the English Heritage Conference in September 1994. Sir John launched the National Lottery in London in November 1994.

In April 1993, at a speech to the Conservative Group for Europe, Sir John was speaking of how Britain would remain unique and distinctive, and his phrase, “fifty years from now Britain will still be the country of long shadows on county grounds, warm beer, invincible green suburbs, dog lovers and pools fillers” has been much quoted.

In June 1994, Sir John vetoed Jean-Luc Dehaene as President of the European Commission, opting instead for the less federalist Jacques Santer. Tony Blair was elected as leader of the Labour Party in July 1994 following the death of John Smith. Shortly after, in early September 1994, Sir John gave a speech at the William and Mary lecture in Leiden putting forward his vision for the future of the European Union.

In September 1994, Sir John visited South Africa to mark the progress made in the country since apartheid. He addressed the South African Parliament with his vision for the country’s future.

In February 1995, the Framework Document on peace in Northern Ireland was published, following the IRA ceasefire in August 1994. In February 1996 an IRA bomb ended the ceasefire, but all-party talks resumed in June 1996, despite a bomb that month in Manchester. The Government published an update on the Prime Minister’s position in November 2006.

In June 1995, Sir John stood down as leader of the Conservative Party, triggering a leadership contest, which he won in the first round.

Sir John’s time in office saw interest rates fall from 14% to 6%, unemployment was down to 1.6 million and inflation remained low. He handed over an economy that had been growing for five years.

Sir John was awarded the Companion of Honour by the Queen in 1999 and he stood down from Parliament in 2001. On St. George’s Day, 2005, Sir John was appointed a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter by HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Sir John Major Biography and Profile (John Major)

#British Politician #British Prime Minister #Conservative Party #John Major #John Major Biography #John Major Biography and Profile #Sir John Major Biography and Profile #UK Politician

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edenbray8 · 4 years

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THE END OF MY ERA

‘This damn work ethic’

I have decided to chronicle my working Career – Part memoir plus a kind of open C.V. that anyone may read with a few more personal observations and recollections and maybe some photos to boot.

I have decided to do this as my working career is to be taken away from me by redundancy. I now know the truth of that awful word but at my time of life there isn’t the usual chance of taking a nice little “redundancy package” and launching myself off the ‘springboard of chance’ into a brand new and exciting career. No, at this moment its looking like the end of the trail hombre – time to unbuckle your holster and hang up your boots and after 53 years – that is more than a bit demoralising and rather a sad way for things to end.

I used to joke with my workmates that my new ambition was to get sacked before I retire – “I have never been sacked” I would say “and I want to be”. I think I was joking but to be honest, it would have been almost more preferable than this!

After 4 months of LOCKDOWN due to a CLINICALLY VULNERABLE medical history and at a time when I was preparing myself to get into the right mindset and condition for my place of work – this event has brought about a most humiliating, damp-squib of an exit after a 53 YEAR – NON-STOP – WORKING CAREER and its proving pretty tough to assimilate!

So, I’ve decided to put the record straight – to remind myself and whoever else is listening or even remotely interested, of what I, Stephen Richard Alan have actually achieved ‘WORK-WISE’ in nearly …

53 YEARS !!!

of employment

… because quite frankly at this very moment I am feeling a bit like a piece of discarded DOG-SHIT 💩 …

I had a little RETIREMENT LEAVING PARTY I was planning when I finally did retire – you know, everyone does that and if they had asked me what I wanted, as they often do and because they had a little WHIP-ROUND for the old-boy, I knew exactly what I would ask for, for a little send-off prezzie (nothing too ostentatious) just to remember my days there – 9,220 days to be precise! I wonder how many of those ‘whip-rounds’ have I paid into over the years?

– Don’t get me wrong, I know I may sound bitter, I’m not really and I know it could be worse – I truly know there are people far worse off than me, yes I really do and I have genuinely wept for the younger ones who will be laid off like me and who have young families to support with mortgages hanging around their necks … but nevertheless – RIGHT NOW – I need to make a STATEMENT! – – – I need to record what I have actually achieved over these past … 53 YEARS … because it ain’t nothing!! … I need to write my own retirement speech because lets face it, no one else is going to … so HERE GOES for nothing!

⚚

TODAY – the 24th July – would have been my 53rd WORKING ANNIVERSARY, if 3 days ago I hadn’t heard the sad news but as I AM NOT OFFICIALLY REDUNDANT YET! – I SUPPOSE IT STILL IS – MY 53RD WORKING ANNIVERSARY! ~ 53 YEARS Huh?!

I started working as a TRAINEE DESIGN DRAUGHTSMAN

ON THE 24TH. JULY 1967 at FIFTEEN YEARS OF AGE I started working as a TRAINEE DESIGN DRAUGHTSMAN for THE KARTRET SWITCHGEAR COMPANY in Wellesley Road in Sutton, Surrey. I cycled to and from my work and received a wage of 5 POUNDS a week. I worked from 9am to 5.30pm and to get the vacancy I had to agree to attend a CITY and GUILDS ELECTRICIANS COURSE at Carshalton College of Further Education – 3 NIGHTS A WEEK – with the PROVISO that if I passed the 1st Year, they would then grant me a DAY-RELEASE for one day a week in order to complete a FOUR YEAR COURSE and eventually become a Qualified ELECTRICAL TECHNICIAN. My duties were to copy up drawings for the Manufacture Workshop. The drawings were working diagrams and schematics of TELEPHONIC SWITCHBOARDS, completed either in PENCIL on heavy-gauge double-imperial TRACING PAPER or with INDIAN INK on HEAVY-DUTY Cloth-based Drafting Film. I also had to collect the Teas and Coffees AM and PM for the whole Drawing Office and from 3pm each day – to print up DRAWINGS on an old-fashioned LIGHT-EXPOSURE Camera Light-Box contraption. I developed the Drawings in a shallow bath, mangle-tray, I dried them on a special heater, folded them into eighths and then returned them to the Post Room to be mailed to clients. I stayed in that fetid, freezing cold, spider-infested room with no daylight till I had finished, sometimes running on to nearly 6 o’clock with no overtime pay and then I had to cycle 3 miles to Carshalton for my Evening Class, arriving home around 9.45pm on three days a week. After 12 months I passed my 1st years City and Guilds Electrical Technicians Course with a Distinction to earn my 2nd Year Day Release.

I passed my 1st years City and Guilds Technicians Course with a Distinction

After 12 months however I was finding the work impersonal and having learned of an opportunity in the West End of London in the Charing Cross Road and overlooking Leicester Square I went for an interview, got the job and I handed in my notice. I immediately began commuting by bus and on the London underground each day.

I worked for GRESTOCK and MARSH – ARTISTS AGENTS as a Trainee Representative. I was now 16 years old and my wage increased to £8 per week. I was also encouraged by the Managing Director Mr Marsh to fiddle the petty cash to cover the cost of my daily fares each day from Cheam in Surrey to Leicester Square. By walking between stops at work and pocketing the fare I was soon earning pretty good money for that time anyway and I began saving to pay for driving lessons and to purchase my first motor vehicle.

My duties each day were to collect Artist Materials from the various Art Shops in the centre of London and post them to our Artists. I would collect Artwork from their studios in the London area or from the central London Train Stations and take their completed, commissioned work to the Journals, Magazines and Comics in famous areas like Fleet Street, High Holborn, Fetter Lane and the many Advertising Agents dotted around Central London. We were the leading Artists Agents of the day and served all the popular and prestigious publications of that time, such as Woman, Womans Own, Womans Realm, Eagle, Look and Learn, Robin plus many other magazines and comics along with mens mags such as Men Only and Parade which all had massive circulations. We also sold-on the rights to illustrated stories to countries all around Europe and the U.S.A. I had innumerable duties to perform apart from learning the ropes as a sales executive rep. and I landed some pretty impressive accounts including several Mag-ads and a London Bus Panels contract for Hushpuppies I remember. I found working in London and the art environment exciting and it definitely broadened my mind and my understanding.

I had innumerable duties to perform apart from learning the ropes as a sales executive rep.

Whilst working at Grestock’s I also began working as a Barman and Wine Waiter at the Croydon Suite in Croydon, Surrey – sometimes 4 or 5 nights a week. I would journey straight from work via Victoria to Croydon and start work at 7pm, sometimes not returning home till 2 or 3 in the morning via Mini Cabs that the Company paid for and then I was up at 7pm for work in London the next day. I began this work to pay off loans I had taken to finance my first car and subsequent repairs it required but I enjoyed the work so much that I eventually gained a promotion to Bar Manager of Bar 3 on the 2nd Floor and I also worked on Function Nights as a Wine Waiter where tips were not inconsiderable.

I eventually gained a promotion to Bar Manager of Bar 3

I continued in these positions for around 4 years before a personal assault from a road-side mugging left me unconscious, gave me unspecified amnesia and changed my outlook so that at the age of 20 years I left Grestock’s to further my Artistic Career, or so I hoped.

I gained admission to a Fine Art Course at Croydon Art School on the condition that I completed the required number of GCE’s. I had not taken my GCE’s in certain subjects at School as I left a year too early to take them. The absence of a father’s influence at such a crucial time in my life has proved to work against me I believe, as without the necessary qualifications I should have gained, I have often had to rely on my wits, ingenuity and personal motivation.

I gained admission to a Fine Art Course at Croydon Art School

My mother however insisted that I began work immediately after leaving Grestock & Marsh which I now truly applaud her for. Indeed my mother had drummed into me a true and wholesome work ethic that I believe has served me well throughout my working career and in my personal life as I genuinely struggle to understand what it means to be ‘bored’.

So, I travelled straight to the Labour Exchange and found work the very same day working for the JOHN PERRING FURNITURE Co. at their Warehouse in Worcestor Park, Surrey. I started the following morning as a Furniture Porter on their Delivery Vans and sometimes in the Warehouse. Two evenings a week I was again attending classes at Carshalton College – this time studying English Language, Literature and Mathematics so I that could obtain the two GCE’s I needed to take up the ART-COURSE position I had been promised but after 10 months at JOHN PERRINGS another work opportunity opened up at SUTTON GENERAL HOSPITAL as a HOSPITAL PORTER where I had many personal friends.

Working as a Hospital Porter in 1972 – possibly the most enjoyable and satisfying working experiences of my whole career

I began working at the old-fashioned but supremely efficient MATRON-RUN Sutton General Cottage Hospital as a HOSPITAL PORTER which turned out to be possibly the most enjoyable and satisfying working experiences of my whole career. My wage to begin with was £19 per week. Our duties ranged from collecting the dirty and soiled linen bags from the wards and taking them to the Laundry. Collecting the fresh laundry and re-stocking the Ward Linen Cupboards. Taking patients to ex-ray, outpatients etc., assisting on Theatre Duty by collecting patients from the wards, taking them into the operating theatre and returning them after surgery. On night shifts we covered the Hospital Switchboard operating a board ironically much like those I used to design in my first job. We connected relatives enquiry calls and answered emergency calls, arranging and notifying medical teams. We collected food lockers and distributed meals to and from the wards three times a day. Other duties included – taking the dead to the Mortuary, laying them to rest. Fetching and assembling beds, mattresses and all ward furniture. Incinerating dangerous items and amputated limbs and assisting on the wards with heavy patients and other manual duties. We delivered patients notes to the Eye Clinic and occasionally similar duties in the Psychiatric Hospital. Basically being a Hospital Porter in those days, involved doing any job that no one else wanted to do but the camaraderie and the work atmosphere were second to none.

with Ruth, we were soon to be married

I loved my four and a half years at SUTTON HOSPITAL but as I was now married and a daddy to our first child and had sadly failed to gain one of the qualifications necessary to take up the promised position at CROYDON ART COLLEGE, I decided that now was the time to leave the hospital, begin work as a FREELANCE, SELF-EMPLOYED GRAPHIC ARTIST and make a name for myself in the burgeoning graphic arts industry that was emerging at that time. I worked from 8pm till sometimes 7 or 8 in the evening, preparing samples of my work while self-training to produce camera-ready artwork for print and reproduction, a bit like my father who had recently died in Manhattan, New York after a successful career as a graphic artist and promotions manager. I mailed out my original samples to prospective customers with an s.a.e. and I used my experience at Grestock’s to represent myself at the few Interviews I was able to arrange but the work, although personally satisfying, was not financially rewarding and my number of clients was far too few. Nevertheless I worked the business all the hours I could, as we got to know our first child – Sarah, Helen.

with Sarah Helen, our first child

I began working part-time for a Printer in late 1976 with a view to working for him in Watford, Herts., preparing Artwork for Print but the commute was costly, time-consuming, un-rewarding and financially we were now struggling. For six months we refused to claim any benefits and lived on a very meagre income and the small amount of savings I had amassed by cashing in my NHS Pension-fund was running low. Fortunately we had no rent or mortgage payments to make but I recognised my need to take action and advertise my business in a more prominent high-street setting. So, in May, 1977 we bought an ongoing and established Art and Gifts Shop in Norbury, London SW16 investing all the money I had just received from my late fathers estate. We used the balance of our money to replace a very out-of-date shopfront and unsafe wood flooring.

the new shopfront and chic sun-blind in Norbury, S.London decorated with my own signwriting

We had burned our bridges by moving to Norbury to live in the rented accommodation above the shop and so began the story of my self-employed shopkeeper years which really deserves a greater telling than I shall afford it here. With three shops in London and Boston, Lincolnshire I was to remain self-employed for nearly 34 years which I will always consider my greatest working achievement.

I cut my teeth running the business in London, learning all the principles of good Retail Management – Buying, Selling, Stock Control, Merchandising, Signage, Sale Preparation, Budgeting, Staff Training and Accountancy. I prepared my own Accounts, conducted my own Stock-takes, worked a 5 and 1/2 or a 6 day week, with only 1-2 weeks Annual Holiday. We often worked overtime in the evenings, sometimes to as late as 1 in the morning and after nearly 8 fairly successful years trading we had little option but to accept a buy-out offer from aggressive Property Developers who had bought the lease from our deceased landlady’s beneficiaries. After selling up we decided to move our family of 3 small children to the safer, sleepy, market-town of Boston in Lincolnshire which at the time was a definite improvement on London.

After selling up, we moved our family of 3 small children to the safer, sleepy, market-town of Boston in Lincolnshire.

To run a successful business for such a number of years, having received no retail or business training and with no family-history in retail or any other type of business and to choose to sell distinctly specialised ‘artist materials’ that had a recognised low turnaround – in not just one, but two distinctly different geographic and cultural locations and both in less than prime retail areas is, I maintain, nothing short of remarkable.

At the outset of my time in Boston I worked for a short while as a wholesale sales agent for Frederick DeDuve of Madrid selling Chess-sets and Jewellery Boxes and later around 1988 I began a sideline signwriting enterprise decorating the fascia boards of shop premises in the West End side of Boston and other business properties.

It may impress you further to learn that despite sinking every single penny into our business, shopfront and fittings that we ran our business for 34 years without once failing with the rent or ever having to take an overdraft or go one single penny into the red in either our Business or Personal Bank Accounts. We did not even take a loan, apart from a 25 year mortgage which we secured on our chalet-bungalow in Boston, Lincolnshire around 1988. It was fully paid up by 2013.

I put on two successful and rewarding Artist Exhibitions

In the late 90’s I was finally able to take some time out to fulfil my artistic ambitions that had inspired me to leave my top job in the West End way back in 1970 and then later leave my satisfying work at the Hospital to become self-employed, 20 years previously. I put on two successful and rewarding Artist Exhibitions that sadly I was unable to follow up, due to the increasing commitments of running our busy and developing Art store. I was informed by the curator that I made more sales in my local Guildhall Exhibition than any previous Artist.

Receiving the Trophy for the Best Trade Stand from the Mayoress at the Horticultural Show

The shops in London and Boston became popular, they were loved by both communities and provided a satisfactory income for us as we raised our young family of now 4 children, living in a generous property in a semi-affluent and peaceful rural area. The Boston business virtually doubled its turnover in one calendar-trading year which is unheard of in most retail sectors or locations, let alone when marketing specialised products such as Artist Materials within a rural, farming community.

I actually heard 3 locals talking outside our doors on the day before we opened our Boston store in May, 1986 and they all agreed – ‘It will never last’, they commented. They were wrong, Boston Artstore lasted 24 long and successful years, initially surviving an arson attack in 2001, until the competition of Internet trading arrived. The same competition which is effectively now killing the high-street and all types of trades and businesses and the competition which has nailed the last tack into my retail working career.

I take immense pride in what we achieved over 34 consecutive trading years and that we were able to employ six staff members and contribute to two extremely diverse socio-economic and cultural areas.

The shops in London and Boston all became popular

However in October, 2005 we finally closed our doors due to changes in local trading patterns, the internet competition and unsustainable price-cutting and I was fortunate enough to walk straight into my final workplace thanks to an invitation from a major shareholder and twice Managing Director of the towns famous Department Store – Oldrids.

Although redundancy notices will soon be served on many of my friends who have been loyal Oldrid’s staff like myself, I have enjoyed my 15 years working at Oldrid’s of Boston where I soon recognised those same traditional principles of good retail management that I had learned for myself and that in a large Department Store are played out by individuals who are responsible for the various facets of business that I had once been responsible for alone. It gave me a warm-hearted feeling to realise I had accomplished all of those duties early in my Retail career, duties that I was able to share with Ruth my wife in the later years of our Art Store business.

I was lucky enough to walk straight into my final workplace at Intown-Oldrids of Boston Department Store

During my 53 year and virtually non-stop working career I have received government benefits for just 2 short spells. In 1976, for 4 months when we finally accepted Income Support while I was working on my self-employed Graphic Business and for 5 months while I was planning our 2nd Business after we moved to Boston in 1985. That is 9 months out of 636 when I have had to draw money out of the system but for over 52 years I have paid my dues – paid for my NIS stamp and my full taxes.

Each year we were able to provide our family with a decent and varied British-based family holiday yet we ourselves only twice enjoyed a vacation of more than 7 or 10 days. Indeed, while I was self-employed I took no more than 10 days holiday from my work each year. Is it any wonder that I am feeling bereft and strange as I come to terms with my enforced retirement and life after 53 consecutive years of following that instilled work-ethic I inherited from my mother and a whole wonderful generation of hard-workers who endured World War II so solidly together.

Thanks for listening!!!

STEVE LEEDE

A NEW CAREER AWAITS!

What does the future hold for Stephen, Richard, Alan

Watch This Space!

. . . . . . . . .

CV- RESUMÉ ~ STEPHEN RICHARD ALAN EEDE

~ 53 years – EMPLOYMENT ~

. . .

1967 – KARTRET SWITCHGEAR CO. ~ TRAINEE DRAUGHSTMAN/ELEC.TECH. – 12M.

1968 – GRESTOCK & MARSH LTD ~ OFFICE BOY/MESSENGER & TRAINEE REP. – 42M.

1969 ~ TOPRANK CROYDON SUITE ~ CHIEF BAR STEWARD & WINE-WAITER – 28M.

1971 ~ JOHN PERRING FURNITURE CO. ~ W’HOUSE/VAN FURNITURE PORTER – 10M.

1972 ~ SUTTON GEN. HOSPITAL ~ HOSPITAL PORTER/THEATRE ORDERLY etc- 54M.

1976 ~ SEEDESIGNS – SELF EMPLOYED ~ FREELANCE GRAPHIC ARTIST – 15M+

1976 ~ REVELATION PRINT SERVICES ~ PART-TIME GRAPHIC ARTUIST. – 10M.

1977 ~ HARVEST ARTS – SELF EMPLOYED ~ SHOP PROPRIETOR/MANAGER. – 102M.

1985 ~ HALCYON ENTERPRISES – SELF EMPL. ~ DeDUVE’s/PREMIER BRUSHES – 6M.+

1886 ~ ARTSTORE – SELF EMPLOYED ~ SHOP PROPRIETOR/REP./MANAGER. – 257M.

1986 ~ SEEDESIGNS – SELF EMPLOYED ~ SIGNWRITING SERV./GRAPHIC ART – 12M+

1992 ~ N.S.A. ENV. PRODUCTS + WATER FILTS – S.E. ~ DIRECT MARKETING – 20M.

1995 ~ SEEDART EXHIBITIONS – S.E. ~ FINE ART/WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS – 24M +

2001 ~ BOSTON ARTSTORE – SELF EMPL.~ SHOP PROPRIETOR/MANAGER – 52M.

2005 ~ OLDRIDS & COMPANY LTD – ART CONSULTANT + SALES ADVISOR. – 177M.

2018 ~ HERBALIFE NUTRITION UK – SELF EMPL. – DIRECT MARKETING – 23M. +

2020 ~ STEVE the LEEDE – SELF EMPLOYED – PRIVATE DOG WALKER – 1M. +

( + – STILL ONGOING )

THE END OF MY ERA ~ THIS DAMN WORK ETHIC THE END OF MY ERA 'This damn work ethic' I have decided to chronicle my working Career - Part memoir plus a kind of open C.V.

#ART #CREATIVE WRITING #CV #END OF AN ERA #HISTORY

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vioncentral-blog · 7 years

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Some Fuming, Others Defensive After UK Tory MP's 'Strange' Brexit Uni Letter

https://www.vionafrica.cf/some-fuming-others-defensive-after-uk-tory-mps-strange-brexit-uni-letter/

Some Fuming, Others Defensive After UK Tory MP's 'Strange' Brexit Uni Letter

Chris Heaton-Harris, a Tory whip and Brexiteer, sparked outrage among British university bosses and staff after he wrote to them seeking the names of lecturers teaching about Brexit as well as requesting information about the content of their online lectures over the UK's exit from the European Union.

Dr. Philip Catney, senior lecturer at the School of Politics, Philosophy, International Relations and Environment at Keele University, admitted it was a "strange" and concerning request for the universities to receive.

"He gives no clear rationale for this information request and the interpretation of it naturally leads to concerns about the nature of academic freedom. Memorably, Michael Gove decried 'experts' during the referendum campaign and Brexiteers appear to have a problematic relationship with how issues like Brexit are discussed and debated. Universities have to teach many difficult and controversial issues and enjoy autonomy from the state in how we teach these," Dr. Catney told Sputnik.

Unbelievable!

— Jussi (@eudoxos) October 24, 2017

Maybe he just wants them to explain it to him.

— Duncan Collins (@carpal24) October 24, 2017

"If Brexiteers want to have their views presented in serious intellectual discussions inside universities then they should make a serious academic contribution to the debate through rigorously developed research. Soundbites and threats will prove counterproductive in such a debate," Dr. Catney added.

University chiefs have already revealed they will refuse to comply with the request by Mr. Heaton-Harris sent to vice-chancellors at the start of October asking for the names of any professors involved in teaching European affairs "with particular reference to Brexit."

The controversial letter provided no explanation for the request, but asked for a copy of each university's syllabus and any online lectures on Brexit.

The Prosecution

The move has been met with sharp disapproval from British Prime Minister Theresa May, who immediately disowned him by insisting that the MP for Daventry was not acting on behalf of the government.

"Chris Heaton-Harris wrote to universities in his capacity as an MP, not as a representative of the government… The letter was sent in a personal capacity. Free speech is one of the foundations on which our universities are built and of course it should be respected," a spokesman for the UK premier said on Tuesday, October 25.

Lord Patten, the chancellor of the University of Oxford, called the letter an "extraordinary example of outrageous and foolish behavior — offensive and idiotic Leninism."

"I couldn't believe that it had come from a Conservative MP. I think he must be an agent of [Labour leader] Mr. Corbyn intent on further increasing the number of young people who want to vote Labour," Lord Patten said.

© AFP 2017/ Ben Stansall UK Gov't 'Could Be Guilty of Biggest Cover-Up in Decades': Gina Miller on Secret Brexit ReportsDavid Green, the vice-chancellor of Worcester University, said: "[It] appears so innocent but is really so, so dangerous. Here is the first step to thought police, the political censor and Newspeak, naturally justified as 'the will of the British people,' a phrase to be found on Mr. Heaton-Harris's website."

Alistair Jarvis, the chief executive of Universities UK, which represents university chiefs, commented: "This request suggests an alarming attempt to censor or challenge academic freedom."

There was serious criticism also from the opposition parties with Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, describing the Tory MP as acting like a "pound shop McCarthy."

"It would be deeply ironic if, even as the universities minister was unveiling his latest unworkable gimmick in the name of free speech, a senior Tory colleague was busy compiling a register of heretics," Ms. Rayner said.

"The last thing universities need is some kind of pound shop McCarthy telling them what they are allowed to teach. Academics and students are perfectly capable of critical thinking and discussion about policy issues like Brexit. If only we could say the same about Tory ministers," she added.

Layla Moran, education spokeswoman of the Liberal Democrats, called for Heaton-Harris to be sacked from his role as a whip. She demanded the MP explain his actions.

"This chilling letter could have come straight out of a dystopian novel. Conservative Brexiteers know they have lost the intellectual debate and now appear to be engaging in a witch-hunt," Ms. Moran said.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of The Universities and Colleges Union, condemned the "McCarthyite" letter.

CC0Hunt for the Brussels Dinner Mole Deepens as Tensions Mount Between UK and EU

"This attempt by Chris Heaton-Harris to compile a hit-list of professors has the acrid whiff of McCathyism about it and Jo Johnson [the higher education minister] must disown it in the strongest terms," Ms. Hunt argued.

The Defense

As criticism of Heaton-Harris's letter mounted, Mr. Johnson tweeted that the government was committed to protecting academic freedom. He admitted his colleague was "regretting very much" his decision, insisting it was being done to "pursue inquiries of his own" which may lead to a book on "the evolution of attitudes" to Europe.

Academic freedom absolutely fundamental and protected in statute in our recent Higher Education & Research Act 2017 https://t.co/yegE6hV5LA

— Jo Johnson (@JoJohnsonUK) October 24, 2017

Academic freedom —which we've just entrenched in statute in Higher Ed &Research Bill 2017! — is core to success +better protected than ever

— Jo Johnson (@JoJohnsonUK) October 24, 2017

"Chris was acting in an individual capacity as an MP rather than as a government minister… Chris has a very longstanding interest in European affairs and the history of European thought. I am sure Chris is regretting this very much. The critical thing is that the government is absolutely committed to academic freedom and to freedom of speech in our universities. A letter which could have been misinterpreted should probably not have been sent," Mr. Johnson admitted.

Mr. Heaton Harris has tweeted himself, saying:

To be absolutely clear, I believe in free speech in our universities and in having an open and vigorous debate on Brexit.

— Chris Heaton-Harris (@chhcalling) October 24, 2017

Several Conservative party colleagues have defended Mr. Heaton-Harris, however, with one, Paul Scully MP for Sutton & Cheam, tweeting an image of a flyer for a "100 percent Remain" rally to stop Brexit in Bristol, with the message:

.@chhcalling this is what a lecturer was handing out to my daughter who spends £9k pa for him to be teaching engineering, not politics pic.twitter.com/yFLvsU8Acm

— Paul Scully (@scullyp) October 24, 2017

Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons and fellow Leave supporter, described the letter as being "very courteous and not at all threatening letter."

"Universities are bastions of free speech so to be horrified at somebody asking a simple question with no caveat or demands either implicit or explicit in it, it seems to me to be a bit odd that they should react in such a negative way," Ms. Leadsom said said.

Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, attacked the "false outrage" from academics and suggested British universities had been "rumbled." He added that universities were full of "left-wing lecturers forcing their opinions on their students," and they should be "more balanced in their teaching."

As vice-chamberlain of Her Majesty's household, Mr. Heaton-Harris, 49, is the fourth most senior government whip. A longstanding euroskeptic, he was elected to the Commons in 2010 after a decade in the European parliament.

#after #brexit #defensive #fuming #letter #others #strange

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John Major Biography and Profil

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John Major Biography and Profil

Who is Sir John Major Biography and Profile?

In December 1991, Sir John negotiated the Maastricht Treaty, but obtained an opt out from the Euro to keep Sterling an independent currency. He also opted out of the Social Chapter.

In September 1994, Sir John visited South Africa to mark the progress made in the country since apartheid. He addressed the South African Parliament with his vision for the country’s future.

In June 1995, Sir John stood down as leader of the Conservative Party, triggering a leadership contest, which he won in the first round.

Sir John’s time in office saw interest rates fall from 14% to 6%, unemployment was down to 1.6 million and inflation remained low. He handed over an economy that had been growing for five years.

Sir John Major Biography and Profile (John Major)

#British Politician #British Prime Minister #Conservative Party #John Major #John Major Biography #John Major Biography and Profile #Sir John Major Biography and Profile #UK Politician

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politicoscope · 4 years

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John Major Biography and Profile

New Post has been published on https://www.politicoscope.com/john-major-biography-and-profile/

John Major Biography and Profile

Who is Sir John Major Biography and Profile?

In December 1991, Sir John negotiated the Maastricht Treaty, but obtained an opt out from the Euro to keep Sterling an independent currency. He also opted out of the Social Chapter.

In September 1994, Sir John visited South Africa to mark the progress made in the country since apartheid. He addressed the South African Parliament with his vision for the country’s future.

In June 1995, Sir John stood down as leader of the Conservative Party, triggering a leadership contest, which he won in the first round.

Sir John’s time in office saw interest rates fall from 14% to 6%, unemployment was down to 1.6 million and inflation remained low. He handed over an economy that had been growing for five years.

Sir John Major Biography and Profile (John Major)

#British Politician #British Prime Minister #Conservative Party #John Major #John Major Biography #John Major Biography and Profile #Sir John Major Biography and Profile #UK Politician

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