Her Majesty and the Last Five of her Ten

Two weeks ago I wrote of the first five of the ten Prime Ministers who have served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It seemed important to note that while the Queen hasn't many of the powers she does retain the power to appoint a prime minister, as well as, her power to choose whether or not to grant dissolution of Parliament. Generally, the prime minister is the leader of the party claiming a majority in Parliament. The Queen can, however, appoint a prime minister whom she feels is necessary to carry on her government. Of course the Prime Minister and the government have the right to resign as well. This is exactly what Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and his government threatened to do if Edward VIII married Wallis Simpson. Edward VIII chose to abdicate rather than put the country through all the upheaval. Both Baldwin and Edward VIII have left an indelible mark on the history of the monarchy.

In the nearly 50 years of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II has been served by a total of ten prime ministers. In 1952 at twenty-five she was fortunate to have Sir Winston Churchill who also served with her father, George VI. Her second Prime Minister was Sir Anthony Eden who succeeded upon the Queen's appointment of April 6, 1955. In 1957 Harold Macmillan, a half-American from a humble background, stepped up to the plate serving until his resignation in 1963 after a health scare. The fourth was Sir Alec Douglas-Home who served a short term from 1963 - 1964. (Sir Alec had the distinction of being the first peer to be appointed Prime Minister in nearly 70 years.) Number five was Harold Wilson who served as PM from 1964-70 and again from 1974-6 and holds the distinction of being the Labour Party's longest serving Prime Minister. This brings us to the man who served from 1970 - 1974, the Conservative Edward Heath.

Edward Heath is the son of a carpenter and builder who famously said, "If politicians lived on praise and thanks they'd be forced into some other line of business." Heath proposed an agenda of trade union reform, tax cuts and spending restraints that he was forced to abandon due to the drastic rise in the price of commodities and oil from 1970-74. He also was the Prime Minister who was finally able to lead Britain into EC membership. In 1974 the Conservatives lost the election, despite winning more votes than Labour overall. Harold Wilson then returned to serve until his unexpected resignation in 1976.

Wilson's resignation cleared the way for James Callaghan who, though not the favorite, was the oldest candidate (64) and least divisive which was enough to win him the vote. As Prime Minister, Callaghan presided over a sterling crisis and persevered in office even after Labour's small majority disappeared in 1977. He could not hold onto his premiership, however, after 1978's 'Winter of Discontent' in which industrial action over pay policy severely damaged the government's authority and finally forced a lost a confidence motion on March 28, 1979. Though the motion was lost by just one vote, Callaghan was obligated to hold a general election, which returned the Conservative Party to power.

Enter Margaret Thatcher the first woman to serve as Prime Minister. She took office during a tough economic period marked by high unemployment. She led the country to war against Argentina in the Falkland Islands. She won the 1983 election by a landslide, not only due to her strength and the gradually recovering economy, but because the Labour Party had become so disjointed. She continued her tough stance and radical reform aimed at reducing the role of government. She made friends with international leaders such as US President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev. She served 11 years achieving the position of being the longest serving Prime Minister for more than 150 years. She lost her premiership after a chain of events surrounding the issue of Europe. Thatcher was eventually persuaded not to go forward and her Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Major, won the election.

John Major was a great supporter of Margaret Thatcher's throwing his hat in the ring only after she'd stepped down. With Thatcher's support he beat his opponents Michael Heseltine and Douglas Hurd. (He appointed Heseltine and Hurd to his new Cabinet.) His Premiership started with his being catapulted into an international crisis in which he led Britain in the war the Allies waged against Iraq's Saddam Hussein his invasion of Kuwait. He abolished poll tax, he negotiated the Treaty on European Union winning a compromise acceptable to the opposing wings of his party and he championed the Citizens Charter to introduce greater accountability and to drive up standards of public services. The economy continued it's recovery, but even so, his approval rating in the polls was often as low as 20%. I personally remember him for this compassionate delivery of this sad news: "It was announced today from Buckingham Palace that with regret the Prince and Princess of Wales have decided to separate…"

Tony Blair became the Prime Minister in 1997 due largely to his ability to lead the Labour Party, which had been disorganized, and out of power for the 18 years from 1979 - 1997 that the Conservatives were in the majority. It was upon the sudden death of John Smith, the Labour Party Leader since 1992 who had appointed Blair Shadow Home Secretary, that Tony Blair stepped forward to lead the party toward his vision, which he termed 'New Labour'. Being born in 1953 Tony Blair holds the unique distinction of being the first Prime Minister to have been born during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. His son, Leo, is the first child born to a serving Prime Minister in over 150 years. He is known for his ability to communicate with the voters on their level and for his commitment to the things that improve the quality of the average persons life such as investments in education and a tough stance on crime. He has been taking on a greater role on the international stage since the tragic terrorist events of September 11, 2001. In the 2001 General Election, Tony Blair was again re-elected with a landslide majority. 

Well there you have it - the second five of the ten Prime Ministers serving HM Queen Elizabeth II. It is another diverse group that includes younger people (John Major at 47 and Tony Blair at 43) and the first woman to serve in the office, Margaret Thatcher. It is interesting to try and imagine the Queen interacting with each of these unique individuals who's strength's, style and fate have lead them to this extraordinary path.

Sadly, John Grigg, the writer and historian who was punched by a fellow citizen after he aired his views on the monarchy in 1957, passed away on New Year's Eve day. He was 77. To learn more about this extraordinary man and his life, here is the link to the Times Obituary.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,60-2002000174,00.html

May he rest in peace.


All the best,