This Week in History: Thatcher isolated and Clinton on cusp of victory

The political death knell rings for Margaret Thatcher as a difficult European summit intensifies Cabinet rifts at home, setting the wheels in motion for her ultimate downfall. Trouble also calls for Silvio Berlusconi who is convicted of fraud, while the Bush administration faces criminal indictments over a retaliatory CIA leak. From a landslide second term victory for Bill Clinton to sectarian violence gripping both Belfast and Baghdad, all is captured across this week’s front pages.

29 October 1990 – Thatcher isolated at European summit over single currency

Prime minister Margaret Thatcher finds herself politically isolated at a European Community summit in Rome as 11 member states agree to adopt a single currency, despite British reservations. The resulting Conservative party rebellion, spearheaded by senior minister Geoffrey Howe, would ultimately trigger her dramatic resignation from office the following month.

27 October 1993 – Belfast violence escalates

Belfast faces a week of sectarian violence as loyalist gunmen actively target Catholic workers across the city, leaving fourteen people dead in just a few days. This wave of retaliatory shootings would tragically culminate in the infamous Greysteel pub massacre later that same week before political leaders finally accelerated the peace process.

1 November 1996 – Clinton brings the ‘personal touch’ to campaign trail

President Bill Clinton demonstrates his famous political charisma as he reaches out to supporters in Minneapolis during the final stretch of the election campaign. His tailored messaging and ability to connect with voters, would ultimately secure him a second term in office following a landslide electoral victory over Bob Dole just a few days later.

27 October 2001 – Defence chief warns Afghan war could take four years

As Britain prepares to deploy ground forces to Afghanistan, defence officials deliver a stark warning to the public that the war could require military involvement for up to four years. Allied combat troops would ultimately remain in the region for 13 years while a broader international military presence endured for two full decades, culminating in a chaotic withdrawal in 2021.

27 October 2002 – Moscow theatre rescue ends in massive hostage tragedy

A desperate rescue operation to end a three-day Chechen militant siege at a Moscow theatre ends in massive tragedy as a mysterious sleeping gas kills dozens of hostages. Russian authorities later admit that pumping an undisclosed fentanyl derivative into the building caused the deaths of over 130 civilians, rather than terrorist gunfire.

29 October 2005 – Top Bush officials implicated in CIA operative leak

Prosecutors strike a “reverberating blow” to the Bush administration by indicting senior official Lewis Libby for his role in deliberately exposing covert CIA operative Valerie Plame. The criminal charges expose a coordinated campaign of political retaliation designed to punish her husband for criticizing the Iraq War while directly linking the office of the vice president to the scandal.

1 November 2006 – Baghdad under siege as insurgents cut roads

Sunni insurgents successfully sever all major supply routes linking Baghdad to the rest of Iraq as the nation violently fractures. Sectarian battles effectively partition surrounding towns while American and British political leaders argue over who bears responsibility for the escalating national crisis.

27 October 2012 – Berlusconi sentenced to jail for corporate tax fraud

Italian courts finally convict former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi of masterminding a tax fraud scheme following 18 years of extensive legal investigations. Although Berlusconi is sentenced to prison, Italian laws protecting elderly citizens prevents the politician from actually serving time behind bars. Authorities instead allow him to complete his punishment under strict curfew while volunteering at a local care home.

29 October 2014 – Sixty days to save West Africa from Ebola catastrophe

A major humanitarian appeal launches across Britain to combat the deadly Ebola epidemic actively devastating West Africa. The Ebola outbreak completely overwhelmed local hospitals in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone before eventually claiming more than 11,000 lives over the following two years.

28 October 2018 – One million people back The Independent Brexit petition

The Independent celebrates a major campaign milestone as one million people sign a petition demanding a final public vote on the impending Brexit deal. The Final Say campaign fought to give British voters a direct say on the withdrawal terms negotiated by prime minister Theresa May. Despite widespread public support for a second referendum, the Conservative government consistently refused and officially led the nation out of the European Union.