By 1990, Thatcher was presiding over a dichotomy, decaying industrial cities in the north and a well developed southern economy. As a result, she was replace by John Major (Columbia Encyclopaedia, 2004).

By 2000, GDP was growing at a faster rate than unemployment, possibly due to the fact that Major had obtained an IRA cease-fire, so that Northern Ireland had at least some respite from draining the economy and culture. Indeed, direct rule by Great Britain was abolished in Northern Ireland in 1999, although home rule has resulted in substantial political manoeuvring (Columbia Encyclopaedia, 2004).

By 2005, unemployment was somewhat lower, but GDP had ceased to grow at the rate it enjoyed before 2001, the year of the terrorist attacks on New York City. While the United Kingdom was not directly affected by the attacks, as a partner with the United States in that nation's stand against the Taliban in...
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