24: John Major: The Gulf War, Black Wednesday, and Populism (Part 2)
The Rest Is Politics: Leading
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The Empire Loyalists in the Conservative Party
John Smith was a member of the Conservative Party from his early teens. He says it goes back to Empire loyalists who were distraught at India becoming independent in 1948 under Atley government. They found it hard to come to terms with fact that we were no longer an empire, he adds. The growth of English nationalism has got far worse, accompanied by the growth of populism - both things have gone hand in hand for UK politics. And there are people in all political parties who don't really belong in them on the fringes but go to the three main parties because they can get elected as part of their labels.
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