On 12 September 1995, protests broke out in Birmingham, England, against nuclear weapons testing, in particular against France’s decision to resume testing in the Pacific Ocean. Although the main focus was on French tests, these protests were part of a broader international movement against nuclear weapons testing, fuelled by fears about nuclear proliferation and environmental impact. During those protests, British Prime Minister John Major came under fire for not condemning the tests and visiting Birmingham amid the protests. For more details on the reasons for Birmingham residents’ dislike of Major, visit birminghamyes.com.
No to nuclear testing
The essence of the problem, and therefore of the protests, was that France, under President Jacques Chirac, announced plans to conduct a series of nuclear tests on the Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific. This decision prompted protests in many countries around the world and led to condemnation of the attempt. Environmental and anti-nuclear activists, joined by governments of various countries, were particularly insistent on stopping the tests.
These protests were primarily motivated by concerns about the impact of nuclear explosions, which were to take place near the Pacific islands, on the environment. Environmentalists believed that this negative impact would be enormous. In addition, protesters were opposed to the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons and their continued existence.
As a result, the protests of environmentalists, combined with pressure from other international organisations, forced France to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996. Although the treaty has not yet entered into force due to its non-ratification by some countries, it remains a significant achievement in the fight against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In essence, the document prohibits all nuclear explosions, including subcritical tests.
The figure of John Major
John Major was a politician little known to the general public, but this did not prevent him from quite unexpectedly replacing the very dominant and strong-willed Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. This happened in November 1990. He then served in the Cabinet for less than four years before becoming Prime Minister, spending more than half of that time as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
This position, incidentally, does not usually bring much recognition outside Westminster. As for Major, he was chosen partly because he was expected to bring calm and stability, as well as a less divisive approach to governance than that chosen by the Iron Lady.
Major then surprised many observers at the time by winning another Conservative victory in the general election in April 1992, with a narrow majority of 21 seats. However, his second term as Prime Minister was fraught with many misunderstandings, and in May 1997, his Labour Party rival Tony Blair won a landslide majority of 179 seats. For this reason, Major was widely considered a rather weak and unsuccessful Prime Minister.
Nevertheless, Major gained recognition during his first 18 months in office. He decisively replaced the unpopular poll tax with a less controversial local council tax, which remains the system of financing local government to this day. This move helped him distance himself from his predecessor’s confrontational and frivolous reputation. Moreover, the speed with which this new system was introduced helped the prime minister get re-elected in 1992.
Major was credited with effectively resolving the problems caused by the war in the Persian Gulf in early 1991. As is well known, the war was fought to expel Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, which he had invaded shortly before Major took office. Major worked effectively with Britain’s allies and the United States, led by President George H. W. Bush, and successfully interacted with both British troops and British public opinion. Ultimately, this active stance strengthened Major’s position as leader of the nation.
Major’s ties to Birmingham
There was talk that Sir John Major had certain ties to the West Midlands. This talk prompted some Birmingham historians to even conduct research on the matter. But, as it turned out, much of the supposedly close relationship between Birmingham and the politician turned out to be nothing more than an urban myth.
The facts are that John’s parents, who were both musical theatre performers, lived and married in Smethwick in 1929, a town near Birmingham. The family lived at 65 South Road in Smethwick. They were married at Holy Trinity Church, located nearby.
In addition, his mother gave birth to her first child in Smethwick as well. However, the child died a few days after birth. Later, the family moved to Surrey, where Sir John himself was born in 1943. So he didn’t know much about his family’s life in the West Midlands, but he remembers that his father spoke warmly of his time in the Black Country.
His father, Tom Ball, was an artist who went by the stage name Tom Major. This name appeared on posters at the Smethwick Empire Theatre in March 1929. He worked as a character vocalist and comedian. Sir John’s mother, Gwen Coates, whose stage name was Gwen Glen, also appeared on theatre posters at the time, playing the role of a sophisticated comic actress. Incidentally, the Smethwick Empire building still exists, but now it is a Sikh gurdwara, or temple.
This concludes the story of Sir John Major’s political ties to the West Midlands region and, accordingly, to Birmingham. Well, except that since he was and still is a member of the Warwickshire Cricket Club, he visited the area quite often.
The history of the conflict
But what was the conflict between British Prime Minister John Major and the residents of the country’s second-largest city? The thing is that Birmingham, like other cities around the world, became a centre of protests against French nuclear testing. This happened during Sir John’s premiership. These protests included marches, rallies and other forms of public demonstrations. And it was during the protests that John Major visited Birmingham. Of course, the city’s activists gave him a ‘warm’ welcome.
But how was the British Prime Minister connected to the French nuclear tests? What did Greenpeace activists want to achieve with their protests, and what did they want to persuade Sir John Major to do? All concerned citizens, townspeople, and Greenpeace activists protested against the refusal of the British government, led by the Prime Minister, to condemn the nuclear tests carried out by the neighbouring country. The protests of those years were so powerful that the British government was almost the only one that refused to condemn the plans of its French colleagues.
Therefore, during Prime Minister John Major’s visit to Birmingham, he was able to see for himself that the level of opposition to his silence in the city was very significant. Greenpeace disrupted Major’s visit to a conference centre and a school, leading to the cancellation of a photo opportunity.
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