Sir John Major is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon, formerly Huntingdonshire, from 1979 to 2001. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, Major served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the third Thatcher government.
Major was born in St Helier, London. He left school in 1959 with three O-levels, worked a variety of jobs and endured a period of unemployment, later establishing a career at Standard Bank. He was elected as a Conservative councillor on Lambeth London Borough Council, and later became an MP at the 1979 general election, when the Conservative Party returned to government with Margaret Thatcher as the new Prime Minister. He held several junior government positions in the early years of Thatcher's government, including Parliamentary Private Secretary and assistant whip. After the 1987 election, he was promoted to the Cabinet by Thatcher, becoming Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He was later promoted to become Foreign Secretary in July 1989, and again promoted three months later to become Chancellor of the Exchequer.
In November 1990, Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister following a challenge to her leadership. Major entered the second stage of the contest to replace her and emerged victorious, becoming Prime Minister on 28 November 1990. Major went on to lead the Conservative Party to a fourth consecutive electoral victory at the 1992 election, winning over 14 million votes, which remains to this day a record for any British political party.
As Prime Minister; Major created the Citizen's Charter, removed Poll Tax and replaced it with Council Tax, committed British troops to the Gulf War, took charge of the UK's negotiations over the Maastricht Treaty of the EU, led the country during the early 1990s economic crisis, withdrew the pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (a day which came to be known as Black Wednesday), promoted the socially conservative back to basics campaign, passed further reforms to education and criminal justice, privatised the railways and coal industry, and took steps to encourage peace in Northern Ireland.
Internal Conservative Party divides on the EU, a number of scandals involving Conservative MPs (widely known as "sleaze"), and questions about his economic credibility are seen as the main factors that led Major to resign as party leader in June 1995. However, he sought reelection as Conservative leader, and was comfortably re-elected. Notwithstanding, public opinion of his leadership was poor, both before and after. By December 1996, the Government had lost its majority in the House of Commons due to a series of by-election defeats and an MP crossing the floor. At the 1997 election, the Labour Party inflicted one of the largest electoral defeats upon the Conservative Party, resulting in a Labour government ending 18 years of Conservative rule. John Major subsequently resigned as Conservative Leader, and was succeeded by William Hague. Retiring as an MP in 2001, Major has since pursued interests in business and charity, while seldom making political interventions.
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Some of their strengths
John Major has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Loyal, Honest, Passionate, Generous, Optimistic, Protective, and Altruistic.
Independent and Brave
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, John Major is someone who is an independent, brave, and honest person who approaches life with energy, intuition, passion, and generosity. A person who seems to identify with family, heritage and ancestry.
Passionate and Intense
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know John Major well know them as someone who can be passionate, proud, and intense, like the sun or a blazing fire.
Optimistic and Frank
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe John Major as someone who is optimistic, principled, adventurous, and direct.
A person who isn't shy about expressing their opinions, loves competition, loves learning things themself, who is known for being inventive and original, and who loves being surrounded by friends and loved ones.
Justice-seeking and Insightful
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, John Major is someone who tends to be intolerant of unfairness in life, and who has an uncanny ability to reveal the truth in any situation.
They are also someone who is confident and creative, and who has a love for starting new projects, inventing new things, and giving back to the community.
Independent and Dynamic
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, John Major tends to be someone who is independent, dynamic, and courageous. Who can be positive, energetic, self-reliant, and adventurous, and who can make friends easily.
Some of John Major's challenges
While John Major has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, John Major can be Stubborn, Sensitive, Short-tempered, Impulsive, Suspicious, Pushy, and Restless.
Short-tempered and Impulsive
One of John Major's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as short-tempered and impulsive.
John Major must also exercise caution as they can have a hard time reconciling wants and needs, and can be excessive and unrealistic.
Pushy and Restless
John Major is someone who can be arrogant and bossy, who can have difficulty concentrating and focusing, be unable to separate emotions from business decisions, and who can engage in excessive spending in support of an expensive lifestyle and habits.
Aggressive and Domineering
Finally, John Major also can be aggressive, impatient, impulsive, and short-tempered.