100 years ago

“Citizen,” York, wrote: “I see by the Council meeting that nothing has been done as regards the Council acquiring the Museum gardens for the benefits of the citizens.

Part of these gardens belong to the citizens, and in no other town in the country would a class (as mentioned by the lecturer recently at a lecture) be allowed to have possession of a place that the whole of the citizens should use. Where are our working men councillors, to remain silent in the face of the concluding remarks at the lecture a few weeks ago 'about class’?”

50 years ago

Whit Monday was not much of a day for weather for York's visitors. But they came in their thousands, as usual, thronging the streets and going where the guidebooks advised.

The dull weather meant rain coats, jackets and woollies. Cameras were not all that much in evidence - the light was not really good enough - but when a peacock in the Museum Gardens obligingly spread out its colourful plumage, the amateur photographers crowded round as though a film star had just stepped from a plane.

Judging by their accents, many of the visitors had not come very much further than the county boundaries. York, it seemed, made a pleasant run and a nice contrast for inhabitants of the industrial West Riding.

25 years ago

A triumphant treble for Mrs Thatcher. Bitter disappointment for Neil Kinnock. And disaster for the Alliance.

This was the stark result of a General Election in which Margaret Thatcher had torn up the history books and taken power for the 1990s. Her true-blue fans popped champagne corks, sang “Maggie we love you” and “Three-nil, three-nil” as she became the first British Prime Minister in the century to win three General Elections in a row.

And what a victory it was. A jubilant Mrs Thatcher was heading for a Commons majority of around 100. And Labour and Alliance had forecast a hung Parliament. Their failure was as pronounced as Mrs Thatcher's glory. “Wonderful”, Mrs Thatcher pronounced as she prepared to snatch some sleep before driving to the Palace to receive the Queen's permission to form a government. But along with the harvest of joy, a divisive and venomous campaign left a harvest of hate.

After a momentous night, Neil Kinnock surveyed the new political map of Britain - blue in the South, red in the North, and told supporters to “mourn for those who will be the victims of Tory rule”. The blows for the Alliance came thick and fast. Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams and Bill Rodgers were all beaten, leaving Owen the sole survivor of the SDP's original “gang of four”.