My Life, Our Times

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My Life, Our Times Page 63

by Gordon Brown


  ‘sofa government’, 117, 199, 225

  soft power, 136

  South Africa, 1–2, 44, 47–8, 53, 137, 199, 338, 391, 392

  South Korea, 124, 293, 328, 336

  South Sudan, 392

  Soviet Union, 291

  Spain, 59, 242, 257, 301, 324, 326, 327–8, 321, 332, 346

  Special Drawing Rights, 335

  Special Liquidity Scheme, 302, 303

  Spence, Laura, 237

  Sports Personality of the Year, 38

  Springboks, 2, 47

  St Andrew’s Day, 403

  St Andrews, Fife, 340

  St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, 93

  St George’s Hospital, London, 422

  St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, 44

  St Paul’s Cathedral, London, 424

  stamp collection, 34–5

  stamp duty, 306, 349

  Standard Chartered, 224

  Standing Committee on Euro Preparations, 181

  steel industry, 15, 34

  Stein, Jock, 59

  Stern Review (2006), 443

  Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, 195

  Stewart, John ‘Jackie’, 308

  Stirrup, Graham Eric ‘Jock’, 262, 272, 273, 277, 282, 287, 288

  Stoddart, David, 61

  Stoltenberg, Jens, 244, 324

  ‘Storm Warning’ (Darling), 305–6

  Stormont, Belfast, 212, 367–8

  Straw, Jack, 102, 202, 240, 250, 253

  Straw, Will, 413

  Streatham, London, 372

  Stubbs, Derek, 61

  Student, 44, 47

  Subbuteo, 38

  subprime mortgage crisis (2007–2010), 298–321

  Sudan, 214

  Suez conflict (1956), 11, 196, 249

  Suffolk, England, 218, 373

  Sugar, Alan Michael, Baron Sugar, 204

  Summers, Larry, 92, 103, 341

  Sun, 189–90, 438

  and Afghanistan, 190, 267, 288–90

  Blair’s third term story (2004), 185

  and European Union, 176, 178, 179, 190, 220, 368

  and general election (2010), 368–9, 377

  and Iraq, 256

  Labour leadership election (1994), 95

  Leveson Inquiry (2011–12), 393–4

  and Obama, 329

  Sunday Times, 96, 189–90

  Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, 240, 372

  Supreme Court, 416

  Sure Start, 8, 15, 235, 367, 441–2, 460

  surgeries, 4, 180, 390

  Surrey, England, 211, 215

  Surtees, John, 38

  sustainable investment rule, 131

  Sutherland, Graham 459

  Swansea, West Glamorgan, 99

  Swindon, Wiltshire, 92

  Switzerland, 175, 321

  Syria, 200, 244, 390, 392, 403

  T

  ‘Take Back Control’ movement, 30, 408, 412, 450

  Taliban, 10, 269, 270, 273–5, 278–9, 281, 286, 287, 288, 292

  Tambo, Oliver, 216

  Tanzania, 245, 324, 392

  Tata, Ratan, 347

  ‘Tax Bombshell’, 82

  tax credits, 4, 8, 106, 112, 129, 133, 139, 142, 146–52, 155, 346, 351, 371, 453

  taxation, 80, 82, 84, 88–9, 139–56, 349, 350

  air passenger duty, 152

  avoidance, 125, 153–4, 330

  on bankers’ bonuses, 340

  banking levy, 340–43

  basic rate, 101, 104, 110, 145, 149–51, 165

  Budgets, see under Budgets

  capital gains tax, 104, 110, 440

  charities, 152

  on children’s sweets, 40

  climate change levy, 152

  corporation tax, 134, 153, 440

  dementia tax, 142

  and devolution, 57, 399

  environmental taxes, 152

  fuel tax, 142–3, 152

  graduate tax, 206, 236–9

  havens, 125, 153–4, 330

  income tax, 104, 107, 109, 141, 147, 149–51, 453–4

  inheritance tax, 104, 167, 221

  on land deals, 59

  landfill tax, 152

  married couple’s allowance, 139, 140, 143, 144, 147, 167

  mortgage tax relief, 139, 140, 143–4, 147, 167

  and National Health Service (NHS), 4, 83, 101, 102, 112, 154, 155, 156, 162–8

  pan-European savings tax, 174

  of pensions, 134

  poll tax, 80, 84, 141

  stamp duty, 306, 349

  ‘Tax Bombshell’ poster (1992), 82

  tax-and-spend, 81, 82, 84, 87, 89, 108–11

  tax credits, 4, 8, 106, 112, 129, 133, 139, 142, 146–52, 155, 346, 351, 371, 453

  Tobin tax, 341

  top rate, 101–2, 109–10, 111, 149, 155, 165

  value-added tax (VAT), 84, 103, 110, 123, 127, 141, 153, 346, 347–8, 349

  windfall tax, 25, 88–9, 102, 105–7, 127, 155

  window tax, 141

  Taylor, Alan John Percivale, 196

  Taylor, Charles, 428

  Taylor, Matthew, 224

  Teach First, 234

  Tebbit, Norman, 60, 69, 105

  technological progress, 443–4

  telecommunications, 25, 80, 81, 105, 132, 153

  Telegraph Media Group, 368

  Telford, Shropshire, 373

  Temple, Henry John, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, 216

  ten-year science plan, 133

  Tendulkar, Sachin, 308

  tennis, 48, 49

  terrorism, 207–8, 209, 284

  Glasgow attack (2007), 205, 214

  July 7 attacks (2005), 191, 248

  September 11 attacks (2001), 182, 247–8, 269

  test-tube babies, 26

  Tewson, Jane, 422

  textile industry, 37, 133

  Thackeray, William Makepeace, 20

  Thailand, 124, 137

  That Was the Week That Was, 41

  Thatcher, Margaret, 7, 22, 100, 424

  on Balmoral, 217

  and Bank of England independence, 115

  Blair, relationship with, 75

  Brown, relationship with, 73, 79

  and European Union, 408

  Falklands War (1982), 250

  leadership election (1990), 31, 80–81

  and married couple’s allowance, 139

  and mortgage tax relief, 139, 143

  and pensions, 107

  poll tax (1989–90), 80

  and public spending, 350, 358

  Theory of Moral Sentiments, The (Smith), 36, 424

  ‘Think Positively’, 67

  Third Way Conference (2009), 327

  Third World debt, 8, 124, 137–8, 190–91, 367, 390, 393

  Thomas, Gareth, 373

  Thomas, Rachael, 401

  three-day week (1974), 53

  Tibet, 245, 334

  Times, The, 20, 62, 99, 169, 178–80, 219–20, 237, 369, 394, 427, 438

  Tobin, James, 341

  Today, 89, 95, 109, 438

  Tom Fletcher, 200–201

  Tomlinson, Ian, 330

  Tooting, London, 372, 373

  Top Gear, 49

  Torrance, Sam, 59

  Tottenham Court Road, London, 34

  Tower Hamlets, London, 234

  Tower of London, 35

  trade unions, 27, 28, 53, 60, 61, 68, 86

  Amalgamated Engineering Union, 91

  GMB (General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied), 95

  levy payers, 76

  miners’ strike (1974), 53

  miners’ strike (1984–1985), 71–3

  National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), 62

  and ‘one member, one vote’, 87–8, 91

  Scottish Mineworkers’ Union, 73

  Trades Union Congress (TUC), 87, 110, 182, 214, 237, 247

  UNISON, 110

  Upper Clyde Shipbuilders, 62

  Trades Union Congress (TUC), 87, 110, 182, 214, 237, 247


  ‘Train to Gain’, 235

  transistor radios, 34

  travel bans, 207

  Treasury, 9, 17, 76, 91, 93, 107, 111

  and Afghanistan, 271–2, 276–8

  and Asian financial crisis (1997), 124

  bank failure simulation exercise (2006–2007), 296

  Bank of England independence, 113–24, 351

  and debt/deficit, 350–63, 379, 385

  Enterprise Act (2002), 134

  Enterprise and Growth Unit, 133

  and euro, 173–84

  and financial crisis (2007–2009), 295, 302, 305–6, 312–21, 345, 351

  and international development, 138

  and Iraq, 251, 259–60

  and minimum wage, 133

  and National Health Service funding, 162–8

  New Deal, 8, 25, 88, 92, 105, 127–31, 133

  Northern Rock rescue plan (2007), 295

  Office of Management and Budget proposal, 186, 188

  and public expenditure, 131–6, 186, 350

  and public-private partnerships (PPPs), 81, 92, 104, 135–6, 185, 440

  and public sector pay rises, 350

  tax credits, 4, 8, 106, 112, 129, 133, 139, 142, 146–52, 155, 346, 351

  and tuition fees, 236

  Treasury Asian financial crisis (1997), 124

  Treasury Bank of England independence, 113–24

  Treasury New Deal, 8, 25, 88, 92, 105, 127–31

  Tribune Group, 69, 86, 89

  Trichet, Jean-Claude, 318

  Trinidad and Tobago, 286

  Trollope, Anthony, 20, 69

  Trotskyism, 53, 74

  Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), 311, 313, 319

  Trump, Donald, 5, 220, 390

  tuition fees, 206, 236–9, 365, 440

  Turing, Alan, 426–7

  Turkey, 255, 256, 293, 392

  Twain, Mark, 44

  Twitter, 7, 361, 362

  Two Concepts of Liberty (Berlin), 450

  U

  UBS, 298

  Uganda, 224, 392

  UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party), 68, 327, 407, 416

  Ulster Unionist Party, 368

  unemployment, 2, 3, 8, 19, 40, 51, 54–5, 104, 115, 444

  and austerity, 358, 360

  and automation, 444

  of graduates, 51

  and inflation, 25

  and laziness, 69

  Major ministry, First (1990–1992), 82, 83, 128

  in mining industry, 36–7, 72

  New Deal, 8, 25, 88, 92, 105, 127–31

  and recession (2008–2009), 348

  in Scotland, 36–7, 50

  structural, 346

  Thatcher ministry, First (1979–1983), 128

  Union Jack, 394

  UNISON, 110

  United Arab Emirates (UAE), 243, 301, 317

  United Nations, 199, 203, 214, 241, 336, 339

  and Afghanistan, 282

  and education, 245, 392

  and financial crisis (2007–2009), 18, 312, 324

  and G20 London summit (2009), 331, 332

  and Iraq, 250, 252, 253, 256–7, 258, 259, 265

  responsibility to protect, 291

  United States, 27–8

  1933 launch of New Deal, 28, 361

  1941 Churchill begins stay at White House, 20

  1960 Kennedy’s New Frontier speech, 28

  1962 Kennedy visits Cape Canaveral, 7–8; Cuban missile crisis, 247

  1963 Kennedy visits UK, 20; assassination of Kennedy, 41–2, 247

  1964 Wilson declines to send troops to Vietnam, 249

  1976 presidential election, 92

  1981 assassination attempt on Reagan, 451–2

  1991 Clinton outlines New Covenant, 28

  1992 presidential election, 5, 82

  1993 formation of Clinton administration, 92

  1998 Brown’s Harvard speech, 124

  1999 establishment of G20 group, 125; agreement on Third World debt, 138

  2001 Blair gifts Bush bust of Churchill, 328; September 11 attacks, 182, 247–8, 269; tech-boom crisis begins, 122; invasion of Afghanistan, 248; Bush discusses Iraq with Blair, 251

  2002 Bush–Blair meeting in Crawford, 251; Bush–Blair meeting at Camp David, 252; report on Iraqi WMDs, 253–4

  2003 Bush–Blair meeting at White House, 257; invasion of Iraq, 31, 173, 182, 258–9; launch of de-Ba’athification in Iraq, 259

  2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal breaks, 184

  2005 Gleneagles G8 meeting, 191

  2006 bank failure simulation exercise launched, 297

  2007 troop surge in Iraq, 261; Brown makes visit, 209, 213–14, 260; subprime crisis begins, 298

  2008 Federal Reserve cuts interest rates, 300; collapse of Bear Stearns, 301, 305; Brown makes visit, 302; collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, 303; Lehman Brothers collapse, 306–7; AIG bailout, 307; troop surge in Afghanistan, 279; creation of TARP, 311; Bush meets with Brown, 312–13, 325; congress passes TARP, 319; recapitalisation, 319, 320

  2009 formation of Obama administration, 278, 279; Riedel Review, 279; fiscal stimulus announced, 328; Brown makes visit, 326; G20 London summit, 2, 18, 280, 328–31, 334; D-Day anniversary, 11; McChrystal submits report on Afghanistan, 282–3; G20 Pittsburgh summit, 19, 336; surge and drawdown announced in Afghanistan, 12, 285, 286; demand for Pakistani action against terrorism, 284; Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, 337, 338

  2010 new division of responsibilities in Afghanistan, 287; London conference on Afghanistan, 286–7; takeover from UK in Helmand, 287; South Korean initiative on trade deficit, 336; discussions on banking levy, 341–2

  2012 presidential election, 371

  2015 drafting of Paris Agreement, 338

  2016 presidential election, 414

  2017 Trump announces withdrawal from Paris Agreement, 338, 390

  universal basic income, 147

  universal education, 391

  University College London, 232

  University of Rhodesia, 53

  Upper Clyde Shipbuilders, 62

  uranium, 256

  Urenco, 185

  Urgent Operational Requirements system, 276

  Usque conabor, 198, 344

  V

  Vadera, Shriti

  and bank lending, 347

  and debt relief, 137

  and financial crisis (2007–2009), 298, 302, 304, 305, 311–16, 320

  and G20 London summit (2009), 323, 332

  Vallance, Iain, 106–7

  value-added tax (VAT), 84, 103, 110, 123, 127, 141, 153, 346, 347–8, 349

  Values, Visions and Voices (Wright and Brown), 105

  van Fleet, Justin, 392

  Vass, Ken, 59

  Vaughan, Nick, 92

  Vector vehicles, 276

  Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom, 217

  Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 328

  Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, 43

  Vietnam War (1955–1975), 44, 249, 280, 293

  Vine, Jeremy, 372

  Virgin, 296

  Vodafone, 153

  Volunteers’ Green, Kirkcaldy, 35

  voting reform, 375, 378, 380

  Vow (2014), 403, 405–6

  W

  Waddell, Bruce, 403, 404

  Wade, Rebekah, see Brooks, Rebekah

  Wages Councils, 133

  Wales, 23, 29, 30, 57, 165, 374, 395, 397

  Walker, Peter, 105

  Wallace, Moira, 117, 118

  Wallis, James, 258, 432

  Walton, Liverpool, 74

  Wanless, Derek, 164, 166, 168

  Wartime Courage (Brown), 15

  Washington Consensus, 124–5, 339, 449

  Watkins, Kevin, 391

  Watson, Tom, 190

  Watt, Peter, 224

  Watts, George Frederic, 2, 328

  ‘Ways to Fix the World’s Financial System’ (Brown), 300

  Wealth of Nations, The (Smith), 36, 424

  weapons of m
ass destruction (WMDs), 250–59, 265

  Webb, Beatrice, 436

  Webster, Philip, 178

  welfare state, 34, 69–70, 72, 76

  child benefit, 83, 145–6, 224, 235, 346

  Child Trust Fund, 148

  Cowdenbeath scheme (1984), 70

  family credit, 145

  means testing, 69

  National Insurance, 12–14, 82, 102–3, 155, 163–8, 233, 349, 354, 453

  pension credit, 140, 148, 152

  reforms (1985), 70

  ‘snooper squads’ affair (1985), 70

  Social Work (Scotland) Act (1968), 72

  universal basic income, 147

  welfare-to-work, 80, 124, 129

  Winter Fuel Allowance, 73, 148

  welfare-to-work, 80, 124, 129

  Welsh Labour Party, 99

  Wembley conference (1981), 68

  Wen Jiabao, 18, 199, 242, 324, 334, 338

  West Primary School, Kirkcaldy, 38

  West, Alan, 204

  Wester Ross, Highland, 204

  Wexham Hospital, Slough, 229

  Weymouth, Dorset, 215

  What’s Your Problem?, 59

  Whelan, Charles, 91, 109, 179–80

  Where There is Greed (Brown), 79

  White House, Washington, DC, 20, 213, 247, 257, 258, 302, 312–13, 325–6

  gifts from UK, 328–9

  Whyte, Annmarie, 405

  Wicks, Nigel, 114

  Williams, Rowan, 152–3, 423, 429

  Williams, Shirley, 403–4

  Williams, Ted, 19

  Wills, Jonathan, 51

  Wills, Michael, 92, 202

  Wilson, Harold, 197, 201, 223

  on Balmoral, 217

  Bank of England, relations with, 352

  ‘Battle Against Poverty, The’ (1963), 40

  Brighton Cabinet meeting (1966), 204

  Brown, relations with, 65, 208

  death (1995), 104

  Department of Economic Affairs, creation of (1964), 133

  devaluation of pound (1976), 90–91

  elections (1964, 1966), 41

  and European Union, 409

  resignation (1976), 31, 65

  and Values, Visions and Voices, 104

  and Vietnam War, 249

  ‘white heat’ speech (1963), 41

  Wilson, Samuel, 17

  windfall tax, 25, 88–9, 102, 105–7, 127, 155

  window tax, 141

  Windsor Castle, Berkshire, 107

  Winter Fuel Allowance, 73, 148

  Wolfensohn, James, 245, 390

  Women’s Land Army, 15

  women’s rights, 30, 391

  Woodward, Shaun, 16

  Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, 268

  Workers’ Educational Association, 54

  World Bank, 138, 169, 186, 245, 318, 323, 331, 336, 339, 390

  World Cup, 59–60, 332

  World Economic Forum, 300

  World Trade Agreement, 325

  World Trade Organization, 199, 344

  World War I (1914–1918), 3, 15, 20, 140, 249

  World War II (1939–1945), 11, 15, 20, 34, 249–50, 291, 409, 414

  World Wide Web, see Internet

 

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