Postscript: Put Up and Shut Up

Abstract

For those who write about contemporary politics, the fact that one’s subject is always changing is a source of both fascination and frustration. The manuscript for this book was originally ‘completed’ in early June 1995. Later that month, John Major decided that his best hope for holding on to the Conservative Party leadership lay in his resigning the office and forcing an immediate leadership contest. Major’s action, and the events of the 1995 contest, provide further support for many of the conclusions presented in previous chapters.

‘Well, I have had enough of it, to be frank, and I think it is time we sorted out once and for all the leadership of the party.’ — John Major, 22 June 1995, after temporarily resigning as Leader of the Conservative Party¹