"It was a political disaster." For me this is the defining sentence of this clip. Hearing a politician reflecting on his peformance as a former PM and, not only that, admitting his failures in such an earnest and blunt way. This is what an honest leader does and says, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with his views. Unfortunately, it seems this is a generation of political leaders which is fading away very quickly. Fantastic interview!
"This is what an honest leader does and says" this is only said in hindsight some 30 years after the fact. No politician ever admits their mistakes at the time.
Don't be fooled by polite sounding people with mealy-mouths He was in politics for one reason, to further the interests of the rich Tories are a danger to the health and happiness of the poor and vulnerable communities Treating them as normal politicians is wrong
I think you forget all these people all are born into this role the same way aristocrats of the past centuries were born into powerful positions also easy to say I fucked up after the fact
Having listened to Ron Paul for over a decade it is difficult to stomach the perspectives these guys offer. I don't know if they are ignorant or compliant but neither of them were ever in any position to assist the average person.
I've never been a Tory but John Major is the only Tory PM in my lifetime who wasn't appalling. He was treated very badly and unfairly by the media during his premiership.
Yes he was! - I think his spitting image puppet was the only one that was totally grey. He was lambasted for not being charismatic, or an ‘interesting’ personality. Fast forward to Boris Johnson and Trump, who are the reverse of this: Populist personalities with zero interest, skill, or knowledge of actually governing.
The problem with conservative governments is their connection to privilege and wealth, which are subjects that the British public have a particular problem with. It would be wise for there to be a clear separation between wealth and privilege, as plenty of wealth today is earned. Additionally, the conservative dogma isn't exclusive to privilege or wealth, anyone can espouse it. Truth is that both Thatcher and Major were from working class stock and were both self made successful people which is what made them fairly level headed. The difference between Thatcher and Major was gender - Thatcher had a huge chip on her shoulder due to being a self-made female on a silver-spoon-mans stage; she was also surrounded by incompetence (due to said silver spoon), this made her stubborn and determined. Major is a very different animal and more relatable, but he struggled with the mantle of being conservative after Thatcher. Another truth is that Blair did an insane amount of damage to the country and to our culture that no conservative before could ever imagined being possible. He also cultivated a third-way ideology which inspired many after him; colloquially known as 'Blairite politics' - Cameron kept Blair very close during his premiership and he has remained lurking in the cloisters of the executive ever since; which is why we haven't had any government close to a true conservative one for a very long time. Unfortunately, there are actors at play in the background (billionaires and corporations who have such inordinate power) and circumstances which have played out which have sealed our nations fate forever. It has come to the point where it doesn't matter which team you support, which ideology you believe in, or have inherited through your family or upbringing; our governments cannot save us from this and voting makes little difference, ironically it will be a collection of true conservative or libertarian billionaires who have enough influence and power to right the ship, but the question is, at what cost?
It amazes me how measured, articulate and composed he is. I'm a bit too young to remember his time in office, but the contrast between him and today's politicians is night and day.
How can you compare a current politician to the antics of one who's 30 years retired? Let me tell you, when Campbell was up to his political shenanigans in his heyday, EVERYBODY thought he was a total, total c word. Major was marginally less hated.
Another good man. Happy to say that as a Labour voter. Why can we not have a group of people from across parties , come together , sit down and sort this country out
You can make that happen by not voting labour or conservative. If enough people vote for one of the others we will get a coalition, we will probably get proportional representation for the future and while they are sorting all that out, we can get into our communities and start the ball rolling locally.
My family came to this country under john major, and till this day my family they have the utmost respect for him, and so do I. Thank you for allowing us to contribute to British Society Sir John Major
Great interview of a thoroughly decent and intelligent man who is unbelievably nearly 80. Get him back... we need some grey-wisdom to replace the egotistical drama. John Major left school with three GCE's at 16. No university degree... no Eton education... and yet he could still debate Boris or Rishi into the dust. He has the heart, humility, honesty and a willingness to serve that is so lacking these days.
Don't be fooled by polite sounding people with mealy-mouths He was in politics for one reason, to further the interest of the rich Tories are a danger to the health and happiness of the poor and vulnerable communities Treating them as normal politicians is wrong
A national treasure??? This idiot took us into the ERM so obsessed was he with all things Euro, it caused chaos and hardship for thousands, the UK lost billions, wow what a genius. As a colleague he was traitorous leaving Thatcher wounded and bleeding while he had “tactical toothache” and this treason to the person who had championed and supported him, wow what a bloke. As a husband he was unfaithful, duplicitous and deceitful having an affair behind his wife’s back. It will be a cold day in hell before I take anything this lying, traitorous, philandering , half wit says wi
My hope is that Keir Starmer will be very much like Sir John with his strong values, integrity, and complete commitment to our country and lead us out of this awful mess. I also hope Starmer won’t be afraid to pull on the experience and take advice from others like Sir John.
Fair points on Major there, but after preaching "family values" in his back to basics campaign it turns out he was banging Edwina Currie the whole time, so his values aren't too strong then...
@@GRaven-fj9destill doesn’t make him wrong. Most of the problems in society today are down to breakdowns in the family unit. Radical feminism and the welfare state are to blame.
Integrity? Haha. Infidelity, war mongering, anti-democratic and nonsense economic policies. Then handed a knighthood like all the other failures who should have been flogged instead.
@@yourname7176 If you look back at how he was in office though, he was always like this. Obviously he couldn't be as candid about behind the scenes stuff, and to analyse every facet of decisions whose ramifications were still playing out isn't really practical or advisable while in office.
I have little or no time for Conservatives of any type. So to have two on the one show that I actually like and respect is somewhat strange for me. I know that John Major gets a lot of stick (not helped by the spitting image persona) but I like him. I remember when I first came across him. He was Chancellor and was delivering a budget and he impressed me. So much so I distinctly remember thinking to myself "this guy will be the next PM" and as it turned out he was. Nice to hear his views once more and having Rory asking him questions makes it all the better. Thanks.
Tories are smart and can do a good human imitation when need be but when the rubber hits the road they'll be the ones voting to enrich their chums and fleece the people.
This led me to buy his autobiography, having never had too much time for him before (image of being a fainter echo of the '80s, lack of original ideas, botches such as rail privatisation). It and the podcast were a revelation, I've completely re-evaluated the whole period. It all also makes me so sad - he's a proper politician in the sense of taking the job deadly seriously and also, I've now realised, rather my kind of politician in the sense that I agree with the broad thrust of his priorities. Oh for politicians of this calibre in the UK these days.
The days when we had grown up politicians in charge. I was never a fan of his policy’s but you never doubted he was honest and sincere in that he thought he was doing the right things for the right reasons.
Don't be fooled by polite sounding people with mealy-mouths He was in politics for one reason, to further the interest of the rich Tories are a danger to the health and happiness of the poor and vulnerable communities Treating them as normal politicians is wrong
I remember his time in office, and the way it all started to fall apart. I was glad when Blair won in 1997, but at no point was there any hatred towards either side. Politics was always a dirty game at times, but the last few years has taken it to new depths. How nice it is to see people with such differing views had a reasoned conversation, and not be there to point blame or point scoring.
Its amazing how a Prime Minister from 30 years ago can be so correct about the state of both parties today. Without blowing his own trumpet. Very humble and its a shame this sort of honesty about what the party in charge HAS to do has been absent frim the house for the last 50 years. The public can and need to understand the truth of any given situation.
It is not nostalgia - 20 years from today I don't think there would be an interview of BoJo where we would think we misunderstood him or what a decent politician he was. John Major has class.
i remember seeing you in Saudi talking to us, i was a mere 20 year old soldier. Now i am almost retiring at 54 years of age. how times have changed in the world....
My favourite PM and in a Labour Party member. Bloke is incredibly underrated, solved so many issues and managed to keep a very split governing party together. Better than most PM’s of the last 80 years
Listening to great speakers like John Major, Michael Helestine and Ken Clarke makes me wonder how the hell we ended up with Boris, Jacob and Nadine, not to mention Farage. Are the Russians really that clever?
No sir, but the vast majority of the general public are. Couple this with enough cash in corrupt pockets and you have this (what we have now) as the result. Populist Tory Politics.
The rise of Johnson can be blamed, almost wholly, on the mainstream media who turned him into a celebrity and kept him in the public eye. The others follow on from him.
Sadly it didn't take the Russians to do that. The Tory party willingly jettisoned the few remaining sensible representatives they had. Seeing John Major again reminds me that it is possible to have respect for someone whose political views vary from my own...
"There is no suggestion of Russian influence in the British media or politics." ~ Baron Evgeny Lebedev. ..off Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and of *Siberia in the Russian Federation*. Also owner of the Evening Standard.
This reminded me of what we use to be as a Country, but more importantly what we CAN be. I was a child growing up when he was Prime Minister and it instilled in me a sense of decency and fairness. He put the Country first and made decisions for it even if they weren’t in his political interest. Think about that for a moment Alistair and yes I did vote for Blair in ‘97.
So good listening to John Major, great interview, great insight on ERM debacle and Black Wednesday. Love his proposals on Lord's reform, wonderful to hear the case for appointed second chamber spelt out responsibly.
I truly was unsurs whether I would finish this as an Irish Unionist. However his arguments and defences of his dealings with Europe and the British economy were really enlightening and interesting to the point I found myself supporting what he said.
I remember a documentary where he described his leadership being founded on appointing the best people, trusting them, and delegating to them the relevant tasks. A great PM - if we look at what is dished up as potential leadership now the Tory party should be ashamed.
The Right Honourable Sir John Roy Major MP KG CH PC - a great Prime Minister. He should come back as another One Nation Conservative Prime Minister. His legacy includes lifting the ban on LGBT diplomats serving, the Northern Ireland Peace Process, saving Kurds, Bosnia, the National Lottery, the Treaty of Maastricht, the Disability Living Allowance, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, saving child benefit, investing in the NHS through PFI, the Jobseekers' Allowance, etc, etc.
Not sure PFI is much to be proud of, and there are other measures that are marks against him. The Criminal Justice Act 1994 was a disgrace (with a truly Orwellian name), indeed his continued support of Michael Howard's disastrous tenure as Home Secretary are definite black marks. It's easy to think that the likes of Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab are a modern pheonomena, but Major promoted the likes of Anne Widdecombe who was every bit the raving lunatic at the time that she is more obviously recgonised as today. Major's government also helped normalise the idea that you can artificially create markets where none exist and that somehow those markets will naturally solve all problems. I'm old enough to remember how terrible British Rail was, but I'd struggle to point to any post-privitisation improvements. But yes, he has achievements to his name, and more than history seems to recall. Probably a rare example of a Prime Minister whose record looks better with hindsight than it did at the time.
He's 4 months younger than Joe Biden... I think he should stay where he is doing what he does now. He was PM 26 years ago. PFI was terrible btw and is the cause of a lot of the NHS's problems now, Blair took it further so this isn't just down to Major.
@@corleth2868 That's a fair point; as is so often the case with terrible ideas in British politics, neither of the only two parties that can win anything have their hands clean on the matter (see also the invasion of Iraq and Brexit...)
You forgot to mention your hero rigged the 1992 general election. That's right, Major and Neil Kinnock both rigged the 1992 election in favour of Major. Kinnock (Lab) was so in front, that it was predicted the Tories (Major) would never win this election, that is until both were called away behind closed door. Later when the both emerged, with Major smiling, it came over the tannoy that the Tories had won the election, even before the final count was out. The local media were outraged about them rigging the election that they said this was a black day for British politics. Later on, Kinnock was rewarded for keeping his mouth shut on what happened behind closed doors, he was given a highly paid job (more than as PM) in the eu parliament. They are ALL corrupt, and that is a fact.
I was 3 when Major was voted out of office so I can’t claim to have any real opinion on what he was like as Prime Minister. But he’s always struck me as a thoroughly decent, serious, thoughtful, conscientious man. You might say he and Keir Starmer are made in the same image, despite their differing politics
You are wrong, his cabinet suffered sleaze incident after sleaze and actually set us on the course of MPs taking bribes, lying and second jobs that we have today. He sold off everything the public owned and decimated the armed forces, don’t believe a word he says
Indeed, You might say... But you'd be horrendously wrong! Starmer is a liar and dictat, a wannabe fascist with no respect for democracy. A man very much in the vein of Johnson, but without the clownish charisma. He'll say whatever needs to be said to get the support he needs today, then drop it and vilify you tomorrow, all whilst telling you to your face that he's done neither.
A principled man, who understood what having very little meant. Unfortunately, I think that the Conservative Party is very different today, there are simply too few politicians like him anymore.
I didn't appreciate him at the time because that period was tough for me. But he did the right thing and I recovered. This recession is different, we are coming from austerity not boom and bust. The solutions of the 90s are not applicable but that's exactly what Sunak and BoE are attempting. I'm not sure if I'll recover so easily this time.
His comments about the disengagement of people more towards the political centre, leaving only those with more extreme views, makes me happy that Australia has compulsory voting. It means that the parties cannot ignore the middle and just focus on their base. It makes our politics less extreme. (Though we still have a few nut jobs scattered in there)
I enjoyed this so much. Sadly politicians nowadays are trivial and self serving. JM comes over as a good man with our interests at heart - despite the politics of the day
No he’s not! The I’m in and I know best principal is flawed as we have seen with the Oaf. Look at the House of Horrors now in all it’s feudal,corrupted, bloated glory.
@@geraldbutler5484but he did suggest changing how you select who goes in, which would have been more interesting and potentially address the number of duds stuffing it. He's right about how it's purpose doesn't benefit from being populated by politicians
@@chrisdickens4268 what’s with all this selecting? People fought, including the suffragettes, for electing. We need more ‘ordinary’ people in parliament not private school ponces and their lackeys. We need many more scientists, engineers and educators in positions of influence not Lawyers or journalists. How to achieve this is the hard part.
@@geraldbutler5484 well elections are a method of selecting, though I don't think directly elected lords is a good idea. Look at the commons, it's not filled with engineers and scientists, and the best you can do for teachers is Jonathan Gullis, so why would the system that promotes these people in parliamentary elections be either better or more appropriate people appointment to a role which requires some experience
Load of guff. "They revise laws". No. They blocked an equal age of consent for homosexuals 3 fucking times and the Parliament Act had to be used to force it through because they were ultimately a bunch of unrepresentative, homophobic old duffers. The sort of people in the Lords don't look anything like ordinary people and when they vote to block or revise legislation it's frequently because they wish to protect their own prejudices or financial interests without the irritation of being accountable to the electorate. The whole lot of them can get in the sea. If it's that necessary to have a second chamber without electing people then appoint them via a jury duty process. Frankly I feel we could simply do without it and let the MPs answer for their mistakes at the ballot box.
So glad John Major said what he said about the House of Lords! I've been saying this stuff for years: - The Lords are good for understanding the real effects of law, not just being career politicians - Appointments for the PM based on time served. But also, - Lords should have a time limit in office, say 15-20 years. So they can't just bung 19 year olds in there for life. - Absolutely no hereditary peers The UK is one of the few countries I could ever see a House of Lords work in, it just needs a bit of tweaking.
I don't see why PMs are well placed to make appointments, it just seems like a rule invented to satisfy rewarding people who've helped you in some way, in other words corrupt. Could they not all be selected by an independent board or a board made up of several MPs, with justifications given based on what qualities they would bring to the House, justifications which could then be examined and debated by the rest of the board? That is surely a better way than relying on an outgoing PM to pick people from various walks of life who might have valuable experience to bring to decision making. Given the proviso of useful experience, absolutely no young 'bits of skirt' would be getting in.
@@danyoutube7491 I think I agree with the thrust of what you're saying, the PM isn't themselves especially capable of choosing Lords. But I think an 'independent body' might be just as rife with corruption, backroom dealing and all that nonsense. And it is even further removed from a democratic process as who would choose this body? No I think the PM being given that option is the least worst option. At least so far. Chosen by a representive of a democratic vote, with number allocated based on time served. At least that's my thoughts.
So good to hear politicians speaking without the toxicity so present so often. Really heartwarming to be frank and hope our present politicians take learning from the past and put the countries interest first as John Major did during his tenure.
I'm probably never going to vote Tory having seen every Tory government in my lifetime directly hurt myself and my family. The thing with John Major as opposed to the current crop of Tories however is that while I disagree with him on a great many things, I do believe that he was doing what he genuinely thought would help, based on his best understanding of the available information, and so while I disagree with him, I can respect him. The same cannot be said for the post-2010 Tories.
I have big trust issues and dislike for politicians but for me John Major when growing up in my early teens was easily the best and most genuine Prime minister we ever had, very articulate and not a snob as per his upbringing.
The change has been the media and politicians. 30 years ago, nobody said that one politician had "annihilated" another when all that happened was a slightly one sided debate
To listen to a former Prime Minister with the calibre of John Major starkly underlined the disaster ( for that is what is meant) of the day when Johnson entered Downing Street. It will be years until we repair the damage.
Really impressive interview and Major inverts so much of the public perception of him from his time in office. Not sure I agree with him on the Lords being appointed rather than elected. But then I'm Australian. Australia's Senate, or upper house, is elected and while it does create some perverse outcomes in who ends up there, there is no doubt that the the majority of Senators who come from the major parties (Liberals, Nationals, Labor and Greens) are on the whole very capable people. I'm not sure why he thinks that being an upper house member couldn't attract top calibre people. Having a whole chamber of appointees seems somewhat anachronistic.
It is a shame, but it's also a very deliberate choice that they made. Whenever ideology and loyalty to a specific person are used as the primary criteria for high office, governance suffers.
I would never vote Tory, but a conservative MP near me appears to be of the "decent" sort. He'll never get a senior minister role, let alone a shot at PM, but he has as much integrity as most Labour or Lib-Dems. Unfortunately, the lunatics are running the asylum.
One of my biggest takeaway is that Norma Major inadvertently altered the course of world history by swooping into John Major's life on a particular day. If she had not met her future husband, he would not have picked a certain date for general election, and there probably would not be Tony Blair, and so on and so on... Really crazy to think about how much of history hinges on random contingencies.
Very true, history is full of such crazy coincidences. Also reminds me of a story from the Battle of Tsushima in 1905 - a shell fragment took off two of a young Japanese officer's fingers, if it had taken three fingers he would have been medically discharged from the navy after the battle. That officer's name was Isoroku Yamamoto, the man who planned the Pearl Harbor attack.
How interesting that so many of the comments below relate to his decency. He is not self-effacing in that tiresome English way. He is convincingly firm in his convictions but measured in his presentation.A good man.
We used to have the idea of 'One Nation' which would overcome any tribalism: simply ask of any politician spouting a hard-line policy, 'How is this One Nation?". One Nation, PR, let the old parties die.
I always had and still have- much respect for John Major, a most likeable Tory, a good egg. Compare him to the likes of Johnson/Truss and you wonder what went wrong so badly with the Conservatives.
Was and is a fair judge of character to enable cross bench and cross party unity. A good man at the right time who forged politics, morality and reason to try and unify the middle.
John Major does have a skill to tell people fuck off without saying fuck off. He would put it nicely maintain clarity in his messeage. I am amazed by his communication skills.
I am in full agreement with Major regarding the HoL, it should not ever be an elected house, at best, a technocratic one, with representatives of all major organisations, self selected and arguably self funded. There they, the "lords" of of their fields as it were, could advise government directly and openly. An elected house is a meaningless exercise.
Largely agreed, though the patronage by the PM's office seriously needs to be addressed. That degree of nepotism is nauseating and does little to help the Lord's reputation. Nomination and consensual appointment based on skill, sector experience etc. is the right way to go.
I suspect the other issue with an elected Lords is that you'd probably end up with a very similar result to the Commons unless you did it via PR, and if there's no difference between the makeup of the two houses, then what realistically is the point in having two, especially given there are far fewer independently minded MPs who are elected at the moment.
@@deadtotheworld22 Indeed that is a criticism that I make. Even with PR, you'd still more or less get the same result, except during close elections. And as you note could render having two houses, pointless. It would also be terribly expensive, for a shockingly weak house. (unless you decide to rob power from the Commons to justify it, which is a terrible idea). Lords, as is, are not subject to pandering to an electorate too. Lords, rightfully should not have to fear an electorate. Thats what the Commons are for. In the role that they play, this is a good thing.
@@MorningtonCrescent THe way I'd reform it would have a representative from the CBI, Unions, specialists in fields such as Geological Society, Royal college of Nurses, Universities UK and/or the Russel group. Imo it also poetic, and practical. They are really the modern equivalent to lords in practice. Representing the masters of Sciences, arts, Industries etc.. But would exist in a role to advise and help the elected Government. but reinforces that they are subject to the elected Commons.
@@tisFrancesfault agreed, as a range of positive proposals; my main irk is the appointment on personal whim of the PM of the day. That plus the disgrace of clerics in the Lord's, simply by virtue of believing in fairy tales, a situation only shared with that other bastion of democracy - sarcasm alert - namely Iran.
I was very thankful that John Major was Prime Minister during that Iraq invasion. He took it very seriously with none of the self-aggrandizing which Mrs Thatcher might have performed.
A great interview….thank you. Labour didn’t manufacture an amazing victory over Mr Major’s government as Rory alludes too. The Torys were mired in sleaze and even though Mr Major was personally popular his MPs were not. Attila the Hun could have been elected
I'm old enough to remember the major government. Sleaze , the railway privatisation, criminal justice act, back to basics etc etc. It's easy to look back for a golden age of political life.
A rare political animal is John and as such he was never really understood, until perhaps now. You can say what you like about the man given whatever views you may have of him or his politics, but one things for certain. He cared deeply about what he did and still does and has a sense of perspective while doing it, that others cant fathom nor match in terms of outright intelligence. If ever there was a thoughtful and through politician, John was it. Personality, or people perceiving he had none, was what ended him as PM. But I've often found looking back at history, those in politics that don't feel the need to shout about there personality, tend to be the ones that get the most done mostly as they have better things to be getting on with, like the actual job.
Long long ago I used to vote Tory, but now that I've grown up I just put that time of my life down to being constantly pissed as a student - but OMG I almost forgot what proper Tories were all about - and this vid reminded me! In saying that, I'll never vote Tory again, BUT I wish we had people of this caliber in government these days....
The thing I see in today's politics is all these politicians want to be media stars instead of doing the right thing for the people who voted them into office, I live in Australia and I have observed the politics in America and in the UK and I see a trend that is very disturbing, politics was not meant to be a popularity contest and this is what it's become because of the social media outlets end big money media outlets in competition to get the viewers in , now they have turned politics into a popularity competition and at the end of the day it's the people that are losing because of it .
Really interesting comment with regards to Major saying that they were looking to get out of the ERM before the crisis. If that was the case, and as far as I can remember that was not in the public domain, some banal line of "in Europe but not in Europe" I think was the government's strap line. Then who was having this conversation, was it simply Major and badger Lamont, or were advisers included. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that this information got out, and then eventually into the hands of speculators. The speculators build a group to short Sterling, the Irish horse owners, Soros and others, and away they go. They have everything on their side, the trading range that Sterling has to stay, deep pockets of capital from multiple sources, and the knowledge the government wants out. Major confirms the Germans did not help them out but did so with the French, perhaps pointing to the fact that the Bundesbank knew/suspected what the British government wanted to do.
It's alright Alastair laughing, but wasn't Major the only Conservative PM of the post war to run a surplus budget? And thanks to that, Blair was also able to do that, adding both their names to Attlee and Wilson.
"It was a political disaster." For me this is the defining sentence of this clip. Hearing a politician reflecting on his peformance as a former PM and, not only that, admitting his failures in such an earnest and blunt way. This is what an honest leader does and says, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with his views. Unfortunately, it seems this is a generation of political leaders which is fading away very quickly. Fantastic interview!
"This is what an honest leader does and says" this is only said in hindsight some 30 years after the fact. No politician ever admits their mistakes at the time.
Don't be fooled by polite sounding people with mealy-mouths
He was in politics for one reason, to further the interests of the rich
Tories are a danger to the health and happiness of the poor and vulnerable communities
Treating them as normal politicians is wrong
I think you forget all these people all are born into this role the same way aristocrats of the past centuries were born into powerful positions also easy to say I fucked up after the fact
Having listened to Ron Paul for over a decade it is difficult to stomach the perspectives these guys offer. I don't know if they are ignorant or compliant but neither of them were ever in any position to assist the average person.
Or you know there leader happens to be a billionaire totally out of touch with the rest of us...
I've never been a Tory but John Major is the only Tory PM in my lifetime who wasn't appalling.
He was treated very badly and unfairly by the media during his premiership.
He was still one of them which ever way you cut it. A nice Tory still has to control the monsters behind him!
@@geraldbutler5484That shows that is about dogma not facts
Yes he was! - I think his spitting image puppet was the only one that was totally grey. He was lambasted for not being charismatic, or an ‘interesting’ personality.
Fast forward to Boris Johnson and Trump, who are the reverse of this: Populist personalities with zero interest, skill, or knowledge of actually governing.
The problem with conservative governments is their connection to privilege and wealth, which are subjects that the British public have a particular problem with. It would be wise for there to be a clear separation between wealth and privilege, as plenty of wealth today is earned. Additionally, the conservative dogma isn't exclusive to privilege or wealth, anyone can espouse it. Truth is that both Thatcher and Major were from working class stock and were both self made successful people which is what made them fairly level headed. The difference between Thatcher and Major was gender - Thatcher had a huge chip on her shoulder due to being a self-made female on a silver-spoon-mans stage; she was also surrounded by incompetence (due to said silver spoon), this made her stubborn and determined. Major is a very different animal and more relatable, but he struggled with the mantle of being conservative after Thatcher. Another truth is that Blair did an insane amount of damage to the country and to our culture that no conservative before could ever imagined being possible. He also cultivated a third-way ideology which inspired many after him; colloquially known as 'Blairite politics' - Cameron kept Blair very close during his premiership and he has remained lurking in the cloisters of the executive ever since; which is why we haven't had any government close to a true conservative one for a very long time. Unfortunately, there are actors at play in the background (billionaires and corporations who have such inordinate power) and circumstances which have played out which have sealed our nations fate forever. It has come to the point where it doesn't matter which team you support, which ideology you believe in, or have inherited through your family or upbringing; our governments cannot save us from this and voting makes little difference, ironically it will be a collection of true conservative or libertarian billionaires who have enough influence and power to right the ship, but the question is, at what cost?
Don't forget his own party too
It amazes me how measured, articulate and composed he is. I'm a bit too young to remember his time in office, but the contrast between him and today's politicians is night and day.
How can you compare a current politician to the antics of one who's 30 years retired? Let me tell you, when Campbell was up to his political shenanigans in his heyday, EVERYBODY thought he was a total, total c word. Major was marginally less hated.
Him and his wretched goddess paved the way for the mental disorder that is modern conservatism.
I think the difference is simply that they're not playing the game any more, they're free to do their best to explain the complicated truth
@@philroo1 That makes all the difference, yes. So refreshing to see candour, or at least what passes for it. Having a book to plug probably helps!
@@0w784g the reason politics has become so tribal is the host of the show.
Our most underrated Prime Minister and a thoroughly decent man.
And still as sharp as a tack. Love him.
He was unfaithful to his wife, so not that decent a man.
I do like him , but he was banging the back out of Edwina Curry!
Another good man. Happy to say that as a Labour voter.
Why can we not have a group of people from across parties , come together , sit down and sort this country out
You can make that happen by not voting labour or conservative. If enough people vote for one of the others we will get a coalition, we will probably get proportional representation for the future and while they are sorting all that out, we can get into our communities and start the ball rolling locally.
There is to much money to be made when it falls apart
Sir John Major was and still is a good man. A decent human being.
My family came to this country under john major, and till this day my family they have the utmost respect for him, and so do I. Thank you for allowing us to contribute to British Society Sir John Major
Brilliant interview. Major was always underrated as PM. He is strikingly sharp here these decades later.
Great interview of a thoroughly decent and intelligent man who is unbelievably nearly 80. Get him back... we need some grey-wisdom to replace the egotistical drama. John Major left school with three GCE's at 16. No university degree... no Eton education... and yet he could still debate Boris or Rishi into the dust. He has the heart, humility, honesty and a willingness to serve that is so lacking these days.
Agreed! And that's from someone who loathes the Tories
@@Belfreyitemaybe you just loathe the self serving dimwits they have now.
He also has no memory of what criminally useless PM he was. Ask his wife or girlfriend. Google it child.
Don't be fooled by polite sounding people with mealy-mouths
He was in politics for one reason, to further the interest of the rich
Tories are a danger to the health and happiness of the poor and vulnerable communities
Treating them as normal politicians is wrong
crazy that he's younger than current-President Biden
This interview actually shows that regardless of politics John Major was a good man.
John Major is a national treasure and he reminds the UK how far they have fallen...
He back-scuttled Edwina Currie over his office desk and made a fortune in the arms trade as Chairman of The Carlyle Group Europe.
National treasure? He and Neil Kinnock rigged the 1992 election so the Tories (Major) would become the PM so they could keep us in the eu.
@@vivo-audioand he never murdered 1 million Iraqis.
@@vivo-audioyeah but given half a chance I’d have back scuttled Edwina Currie back then.
A national treasure??? This idiot took us into the ERM so obsessed was he with all things Euro, it caused chaos and hardship for thousands, the UK lost billions, wow what a genius.
As a colleague he was traitorous leaving Thatcher wounded and bleeding while he had “tactical toothache” and this treason to the person who had championed and supported him, wow what a bloke.
As a husband he was unfaithful, duplicitous and deceitful having an affair behind his wife’s back.
It will be a cold day in hell before I take anything this lying, traitorous, philandering , half wit says wi
My hope is that Keir Starmer will be very much like Sir John with his strong values, integrity, and complete commitment to our country and lead us out of this awful mess. I also hope Starmer won’t be afraid to pull on the experience and take advice from others like Sir John.
and hopefully Keir Starmer will, one day, find a policy or two which he has a keen interest in both pursuing and maintaining.
Fair points on Major there, but after preaching "family values" in his back to basics campaign it turns out he was banging Edwina Currie the whole time, so his values aren't too strong then...
@@GRaven-fj9de Everyone is allowed to make mistakes.
@@GRaven-fj9destill doesn’t make him wrong. Most of the problems in society today are down to breakdowns in the family unit. Radical feminism and the welfare state are to blame.
Integrity? Haha. Infidelity, war mongering, anti-democratic and nonsense economic policies. Then handed a knighthood like all the other failures who should have been flogged instead.
Actually makes me want to cry when see how far the standards have dropped.
it's easier for him to talk about it now he's retired but i get your point
@@yourname7176 If you look back at how he was in office though, he was always like this. Obviously he couldn't be as candid about behind the scenes stuff, and to analyse every facet of decisions whose ramifications were still playing out isn't really practical or advisable while in office.
I have little or no time for Conservatives of any type. So to have two on the one show that I actually like and respect is somewhat strange for me. I know that John Major gets a lot of stick (not helped by the spitting image persona) but I like him. I remember when I first came across him. He was Chancellor and was delivering a budget and he impressed me. So much so I distinctly remember thinking to myself "this guy will be the next PM" and as it turned out he was. Nice to hear his views once more and having Rory asking him questions makes it all the better. Thanks.
Maybe there is a lesson here about your own prejudices?
Tories are smart and can do a good human imitation when need be but when the rubber hits the road they'll be the ones voting to enrich their chums and fleece the people.
@@danw5760 No I still think the majority of Tories are a waste of oxygen.
How nice to be reminded of how principled politicians used to be
Apart from the fact he was in charge of the biggest cut to the armed forces budget in modern history you mean?
@@sircravenuk I don’t see how this has anything to do with being principled or not.
It wasn’t like he did it in secret, it was part of the platform he campaigned on for the election he won.
Don't be fooled this man is the biggest fake in political british political history!
@@gordonfinne1437 His cabinet was involved in multiple big scandals........
This led me to buy his autobiography, having never had too much time for him before (image of being a fainter echo of the '80s, lack of original ideas, botches such as rail privatisation). It and the podcast were a revelation, I've completely re-evaluated the whole period. It all also makes me so sad - he's a proper politician in the sense of taking the job deadly seriously and also, I've now realised, rather my kind of politician in the sense that I agree with the broad thrust of his priorities. Oh for politicians of this calibre in the UK these days.
The days when we had grown up politicians in charge. I was never a fan of his policy’s but you never doubted he was honest and sincere in that he thought he was doing the right things for the right reasons.
Don't be fooled by polite sounding people with mealy-mouths
He was in politics for one reason, to further the interest of the rich
Tories are a danger to the health and happiness of the poor and vulnerable communities
Treating them as normal politicians is wrong
@@toi_technowas it really necessary for you to copy paste the exact same, mindless comment throughout the entire comment listing?
So refreshing: such a quiet, civilized, thoughtful, honest man.
I remember his time in office, and the way it all started to fall apart. I was glad when Blair won in 1997, but at no point was there any hatred towards either side. Politics was always a dirty game at times, but the last few years has taken it to new depths. How nice it is to see people with such differing views had a reasoned conversation, and not be there to point blame or point scoring.
Thanks for a great interview. l really do appreciate this man, his intelligence, logic & frankness.
Thank you for doing this series. So much richer than regular TV and great to hear politicians expand on their thoughts, memories and values.
Its amazing how a Prime Minister from 30 years ago can be so correct about the state of both parties today.
Without blowing his own trumpet.
Very humble and its a shame this sort of honesty about what the party in charge HAS to do has been absent frim the house for the last 50 years.
The public can and need to understand the truth of any given situation.
Hindsight is always 20:20.
Look at his record, and then tell me how much sympathy you have for him
0:58
1:05 1:05
1:12
Peas
Would love to see more of these extended video versions. Great watch!
it's a clip from a podcast isn it?
looking forward to catching the whole thing..
@@davidevans3227 It's from their Leading podcast
Love this. Could listen to them all for hours. Respectful discussion. How very quaint! Please upload the full episode.
It is not nostalgia - 20 years from today I don't think there would be an interview of BoJo where we would think we misunderstood him or what a decent politician he was. John Major has class.
i remember seeing you in Saudi talking to us, i was a mere 20 year old soldier. Now i am almost retiring at 54 years of age. how times have changed in the world....
My favourite PM and in a Labour Party member. Bloke is incredibly underrated, solved so many issues and managed to keep a very split governing party together. Better than most PM’s of the last 80 years
Bizarre comment. Explain.
Simply the most overlooked British leader I can remember. Underrated. Understated.
But good.
John Major speaks really well.
Wow, Sir John. what an intellect, what a geezer
Listening to great speakers like John Major, Michael Helestine and Ken Clarke makes me wonder how the hell we ended up with Boris, Jacob and Nadine, not to mention Farage. Are the Russians really that clever?
No sir, but the vast majority of the general public are. Couple this with enough cash in corrupt pockets and you have this (what we have now) as the result. Populist Tory Politics.
The rise of Johnson can be blamed, almost wholly, on the mainstream media who turned him into a celebrity and kept him in the public eye. The others follow on from him.
No, the great British public are that stupid ...
Sadly it didn't take the Russians to do that. The Tory party willingly jettisoned the few remaining sensible representatives they had. Seeing John Major again reminds me that it is possible to have respect for someone whose political views vary from my own...
"There is no suggestion of Russian influence in the British media or politics." ~ Baron Evgeny Lebedev.
..off Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and of *Siberia in the Russian Federation*.
Also owner of the Evening Standard.
This reminded me of what we use to be as a Country, but more importantly what we CAN be. I was a child growing up when he was Prime Minister and it instilled in me a sense of decency and fairness. He put the Country first and made decisions for it even if they weren’t in his political interest. Think about that for a moment Alistair and yes I did vote for Blair in ‘97.
My god, we need conversations like these three share - thank you to all!
So good listening to John Major, great interview, great insight on ERM debacle and Black Wednesday. Love his proposals on Lord's reform, wonderful to hear the case for appointed second chamber spelt out responsibly.
I totally agree with him about the Lords. It should be appointed, it should also have a Super Majority capability to over turn the Commons.
Excellent. Always good to hear an intelligent conversation, so rare with todays politicians.
Compare and contrast John Major vs Liz Truss. :( It's enough to make you weep.
I truly was unsurs whether I would finish this as an Irish Unionist. However his arguments and defences of his dealings with Europe and the British economy were really enlightening and interesting to the point I found myself supporting what he said.
A great guy. Always liked him.
I remember a documentary where he described his leadership being founded on appointing the best people, trusting them, and delegating to them the relevant tasks. A great PM - if we look at what is dished up as potential leadership now the Tory party should be ashamed.
Sir JOHN , you made BRITAIN great ! we Europeans love you so much , you will always be welcome here in the continent !
The Right Honourable Sir John Roy Major MP KG CH PC - a great Prime Minister. He should come back as another One Nation Conservative Prime Minister. His legacy includes lifting the ban on LGBT diplomats serving, the Northern Ireland Peace Process, saving Kurds, Bosnia, the National Lottery, the Treaty of Maastricht, the Disability Living Allowance, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, saving child benefit, investing in the NHS through PFI, the Jobseekers' Allowance, etc, etc.
Not sure PFI is much to be proud of, and there are other measures that are marks against him. The Criminal Justice Act 1994 was a disgrace (with a truly Orwellian name), indeed his continued support of Michael Howard's disastrous tenure as Home Secretary are definite black marks. It's easy to think that the likes of Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab are a modern pheonomena, but Major promoted the likes of Anne Widdecombe who was every bit the raving lunatic at the time that she is more obviously recgonised as today. Major's government also helped normalise the idea that you can artificially create markets where none exist and that somehow those markets will naturally solve all problems. I'm old enough to remember how terrible British Rail was, but I'd struggle to point to any post-privitisation improvements.
But yes, he has achievements to his name, and more than history seems to recall. Probably a rare example of a Prime Minister whose record looks better with hindsight than it did at the time.
He's 4 months younger than Joe Biden... I think he should stay where he is doing what he does now. He was PM 26 years ago.
PFI was terrible btw and is the cause of a lot of the NHS's problems now, Blair took it further so this isn't just down to Major.
@@corleth2868 That's a fair point; as is so often the case with terrible ideas in British politics, neither of the only two parties that can win anything have their hands clean on the matter (see also the invasion of Iraq and Brexit...)
You forgot to mention your hero rigged the 1992 general election. That's right, Major and Neil Kinnock both rigged the 1992 election in favour of Major. Kinnock (Lab) was so in front, that it was predicted the Tories (Major) would never win this election, that is until both were called away behind closed door. Later when the both emerged, with Major smiling, it came over the tannoy that the Tories had won the election, even before the final count was out. The local media were outraged about them rigging the election that they said this was a black day for British politics. Later on, Kinnock was rewarded for keeping his mouth shut on what happened behind closed doors, he was given a highly paid job (more than as PM) in the eu parliament. They are ALL corrupt, and that is a fact.
@@corleth2868 glad someone pointed this our. PFI was ultimately a terrible decision long term but yes Blair also equally to blame.
Why oh why don't we have ANYONE of this calibre anymore?
Philanderers, war mongers, anti-democrats and driven by self-interest? Major isn’t actually that different to Boris.
I was 3 when Major was voted out of office so I can’t claim to have any real opinion on what he was like as Prime Minister. But he’s always struck me as a thoroughly decent, serious, thoughtful, conscientious man. You might say he and Keir Starmer are made in the same image, despite their differing politics
You are wrong, his cabinet suffered sleaze incident after sleaze and actually set us on the course of MPs taking bribes, lying and second jobs that we have today. He sold off everything the public owned and decimated the armed forces, don’t believe a word he says
Indeed, You might say... But you'd be horrendously wrong! Starmer is a liar and dictat, a wannabe fascist with no respect for democracy. A man very much in the vein of Johnson, but without the clownish charisma. He'll say whatever needs to be said to get the support he needs today, then drop it and vilify you tomorrow, all whilst telling you to your face that he's done neither.
Hmm not sure about keir, just seems to want to pander to the mob, the mob are dumb!
Rory is in love 😍
😂😂
A principled man, who understood what having very little meant. Unfortunately, I think that the Conservative Party is very different today, there are simply too few politicians like him anymore.
I didn't appreciate him at the time because that period was tough for me. But he did the right thing and I recovered.
This recession is different, we are coming from austerity not boom and bust. The solutions of the 90s are not applicable but that's exactly what Sunak and BoE are attempting. I'm not sure if I'll recover so easily this time.
What a good PM - a gent and a pleasure to listen
I was never a John Major fan but it would be nice if we could return to a world where politicians are statesmen rather than charlatans
His comments about the disengagement of people more towards the political centre, leaving only those with more extreme views, makes me happy that Australia has compulsory voting. It means that the parties cannot ignore the middle and just focus on their base. It makes our politics less extreme. (Though we still have a few nut jobs scattered in there)
Bloody hell I miss the days when politicians of all colours actually sounded like politicians. Serious discussions about serious issues.
Very true.
I enjoyed this so much. Sadly politicians nowadays are trivial and self serving. JM comes over as a good man with our interests at heart - despite the politics of the day
Major is spot on regarding the Lords
No he’s not! The I’m in and I know best principal is flawed as we have seen with the Oaf. Look at the House of Horrors now in all it’s feudal,corrupted, bloated glory.
@@geraldbutler5484but he did suggest changing how you select who goes in, which would have been more interesting and potentially address the number of duds stuffing it. He's right about how it's purpose doesn't benefit from being populated by politicians
@@chrisdickens4268 what’s with all this selecting? People fought, including the suffragettes, for electing. We need more ‘ordinary’ people in parliament not private school ponces and their lackeys. We need many more scientists, engineers and educators in positions of influence not Lawyers or journalists. How to achieve this is the hard part.
@@geraldbutler5484 well elections are a method of selecting, though I don't think directly elected lords is a good idea. Look at the commons, it's not filled with engineers and scientists, and the best you can do for teachers is Jonathan Gullis, so why would the system that promotes these people in parliamentary elections be either better or more appropriate people appointment to a role which requires some experience
Load of guff. "They revise laws".
No. They blocked an equal age of consent for homosexuals 3 fucking times and the Parliament Act had to be used to force it through because they were ultimately a bunch of unrepresentative, homophobic old duffers.
The sort of people in the Lords don't look anything like ordinary people and when they vote to block or revise legislation it's frequently because they wish to protect their own prejudices or financial interests without the irritation of being accountable to the electorate.
The whole lot of them can get in the sea.
If it's that necessary to have a second chamber without electing people then appoint them via a jury duty process. Frankly I feel we could simply do without it and let the MPs answer for their mistakes at the ballot box.
His childhood memories compared Rees-Mogg's Nanny stories highlight what the party has lost.
So glad John Major said what he said about the House of Lords! I've been saying this stuff for years:
- The Lords are good for understanding the real effects of law, not just being career politicians
- Appointments for the PM based on time served.
But also,
- Lords should have a time limit in office, say 15-20 years. So they can't just bung 19 year olds in there for life.
- Absolutely no hereditary peers
The UK is one of the few countries I could ever see a House of Lords work in, it just needs a bit of tweaking.
I don't see why PMs are well placed to make appointments, it just seems like a rule invented to satisfy rewarding people who've helped you in some way, in other words corrupt. Could they not all be selected by an independent board or a board made up of several MPs, with justifications given based on what qualities they would bring to the House, justifications which could then be examined and debated by the rest of the board? That is surely a better way than relying on an outgoing PM to pick people from various walks of life who might have valuable experience to bring to decision making. Given the proviso of useful experience, absolutely no young 'bits of skirt' would be getting in.
@@danyoutube7491 I think I agree with the thrust of what you're saying, the PM isn't themselves especially capable of choosing Lords.
But I think an 'independent body' might be just as rife with corruption, backroom dealing and all that nonsense. And it is even further removed from a democratic process as who would choose this body?
No I think the PM being given that option is the least worst option. At least so far. Chosen by a representive of a democratic vote, with number allocated based on time served.
At least that's my thoughts.
Major seems like a very decent, thoughtful man. We need more of them in government - on all sides....
So good to hear politicians speaking without the toxicity so present so often. Really heartwarming to be frank and hope our present politicians take learning from the past and put the countries interest first as John Major did during his tenure.
brilliant and hugely insightful. thanks so much for all the content. keep it coming
Liz Truss wouldn't even understand what this conversation is about.
I just discovered this channel … excellent
Listen. He makes more sense than the idiocy currently.
I'm probably never going to vote Tory having seen every Tory government in my lifetime directly hurt myself and my family.
The thing with John Major as opposed to the current crop of Tories however is that while I disagree with him on a great many things, I do believe that he was doing what he genuinely thought would help, based on his best understanding of the available information, and so while I disagree with him, I can respect him.
The same cannot be said for the post-2010 Tories.
I have big trust issues and dislike for politicians but for me John Major when growing up in my early teens was easily the best and most genuine Prime minister we ever had, very articulate and not a snob as per his upbringing.
Having a video is wonderful!
The change has been the media and politicians. 30 years ago, nobody said that one politician had "annihilated" another when all that happened was a slightly one sided debate
I thoroughly agree.
To listen to a former Prime Minister with the calibre of John Major starkly underlined the disaster ( for that is what is meant) of the day when Johnson entered Downing Street. It will be years until we repair the damage.
Really impressive interview and Major inverts so much of the public perception of him from his time in office. Not sure I agree with him on the Lords being appointed rather than elected. But then I'm Australian. Australia's Senate, or upper house, is elected and while it does create some perverse outcomes in who ends up there, there is no doubt that the the majority of Senators who come from the major parties (Liberals, Nationals, Labor and Greens) are on the whole very capable people. I'm not sure why he thinks that being an upper house member couldn't attract top calibre people. Having a whole chamber of appointees seems somewhat anachronistic.
For the Tories, it's a shame they don't have the likes of John Major in government now. Not that I think Tories are able to govern with integrity.
It is a shame, but it's also a very deliberate choice that they made. Whenever ideology and loyalty to a specific person are used as the primary criteria for high office, governance suffers.
I would never vote Tory, but a conservative MP near me appears to be of the "decent" sort. He'll never get a senior minister role, let alone a shot at PM, but he has as much integrity as most Labour or Lib-Dems. Unfortunately, the lunatics are running the asylum.
One of my biggest takeaway is that Norma Major inadvertently altered the course of world history by swooping into John Major's life on a particular day.
If she had not met her future husband, he would not have picked a certain date for general election, and there probably would not be Tony Blair, and so on and so on...
Really crazy to think about how much of history hinges on random contingencies.
That single admission of trying to integrate national issues down to a deeply personal level tells me that John Major was the real-deal.
Very true, history is full of such crazy coincidences. Also reminds me of a story from the Battle of Tsushima in 1905 - a shell fragment took off two of a young Japanese officer's fingers, if it had taken three fingers he would have been medically discharged from the navy after the battle.
That officer's name was Isoroku Yamamoto, the man who planned the Pearl Harbor attack.
I'm reminded of how pleased I was that John Major was in charge at the time these financial cockups then anyone else!
Such a pity that was so short. I could have listened for hours.
I think the point that resonates the most with me is the one that the people who actually fought in the war wanted the European project to work.
The last line cracked me up.
How interesting that so many of the comments below relate to his decency. He is not self-effacing in that tiresome English way. He is convincingly firm in his convictions but measured in his presentation.A good man.
We used to have the idea of 'One Nation' which would overcome any tribalism: simply ask of any politician spouting a hard-line policy, 'How is this One Nation?". One Nation, PR, let the old parties die.
Thanks for posting.
Alastair Campbell talking about war when he started a war based on lies. The man has no guilt.
I don't like Alistair Campbell and I despise Tony Blair, but I cannot help but respect both men for their capabilities.
I always had and still have- much respect for John Major, a most likeable Tory, a good egg. Compare him to the likes of Johnson/Truss and you wonder what went wrong so badly with the Conservatives.
Was and is a fair judge of character to enable cross bench and cross party unity. A good man at the right time who forged politics, morality and reason to try and unify the middle.
What Major is talking about at 17:32 is called Curvilinear Disparity in political theory.
Utterly superb.
It's genuinly so comforting when an old wise man has a nicely starched shirt.
He speaks pure sense. A good prime minister, looking back.
i mean he’s better the last ones have been still not that great though
John Major does have a skill to tell people fuck off without saying fuck off.
He would put it nicely maintain clarity in his messeage. I am amazed by his communication skills.
I am in full agreement with Major regarding the HoL, it should not ever be an elected house, at best, a technocratic one, with representatives of all major organisations, self selected and arguably self funded. There they, the "lords" of of their fields as it were, could advise government directly and openly.
An elected house is a meaningless exercise.
Largely agreed, though the patronage by the PM's office seriously needs to be addressed. That degree of nepotism is nauseating and does little to help the Lord's reputation. Nomination and consensual appointment based on skill, sector experience etc. is the right way to go.
I suspect the other issue with an elected Lords is that you'd probably end up with a very similar result to the Commons unless you did it via PR, and if there's no difference between the makeup of the two houses, then what realistically is the point in having two, especially given there are far fewer independently minded MPs who are elected at the moment.
@@deadtotheworld22 Indeed that is a criticism that I make. Even with PR, you'd still more or less get the same result, except during close elections. And as you note could render having two houses, pointless.
It would also be terribly expensive, for a shockingly weak house. (unless you decide to rob power from the Commons to justify it, which is a terrible idea).
Lords, as is, are not subject to pandering to an electorate too. Lords, rightfully should not have to fear an electorate. Thats what the Commons are for. In the role that they play, this is a good thing.
@@MorningtonCrescent THe way I'd reform it would have a representative from the CBI, Unions, specialists in fields such as Geological Society, Royal college of Nurses, Universities UK and/or the Russel group.
Imo it also poetic, and practical. They are really the modern equivalent to lords in practice. Representing the masters of Sciences, arts, Industries etc.. But would exist in a role to advise and help the elected Government. but reinforces that they are subject to the elected Commons.
@@tisFrancesfault agreed, as a range of positive proposals; my main irk is the appointment on personal whim of the PM of the day. That plus the disgrace of clerics in the Lord's, simply by virtue of believing in fairy tales, a situation only shared with that other bastion of democracy - sarcasm alert - namely Iran.
PM John Major is a sharp guy. 🇬🇧
Could you please have Sir John back on for a two hour special. Thanks
Never voted Conservative but, God, our politics would be so much healthier if it had someone like Major at the helm of the right these days.
I was very thankful that John Major was Prime Minister during that Iraq invasion. He took it very seriously with none of the self-aggrandizing which Mrs Thatcher might have performed.
A great interview….thank you. Labour didn’t manufacture an amazing victory over Mr Major’s government as Rory alludes too. The Torys were mired in sleaze and even though Mr Major was personally popular his MPs were not. Attila the Hun could have been elected
I'm old enough to remember the major government. Sleaze , the railway privatisation, criminal justice act, back to basics etc etc. It's easy to look back for a golden age of political life.
Agree
Well done, he also decimated our armed forces, this is gaslighting in the extreme
@@sircravenuk What benefit do you think our country would have enjoyed by expanding our army rather than reducing it, as Major did?
A rare political animal is John and as such he was never really understood, until perhaps now. You can say what you like about the man given whatever views you may have of him or his politics, but one things for certain. He cared deeply about what he did and still does and has a sense of perspective while doing it, that others cant fathom nor match in terms of outright intelligence. If ever there was a thoughtful and through politician, John was it.
Personality, or people perceiving he had none, was what ended him as PM. But I've often found looking back at history, those in politics that don't feel the need to shout about there personality, tend to be the ones that get the most done mostly as they have better things to be getting on with, like the actual job.
How short our memories are that we think now is worse
Long long ago I used to vote Tory, but now that I've grown up I just put that time of my life down to being constantly pissed as a student - but OMG I almost forgot what proper Tories were all about - and this vid reminded me! In saying that, I'll never vote Tory again, BUT I wish we had people of this caliber in government these days....
The thing I see in today's politics is all these politicians want to be media stars instead of doing the right thing for the people who voted them into office, I live in Australia and I have observed the politics in America and in the UK and I see a trend that is very disturbing, politics was not meant to be a popularity contest and this is what it's become because of the social media outlets end big money media outlets in competition to get the viewers in , now they have turned politics into a popularity competition and at the end of the day it's the people that are losing because of it .
'Clearly an oversight' 🤣
👏👏👏
Really interesting comment with regards to Major saying that they were looking to get out of the ERM before the crisis. If that was the case, and as far as I can remember that was not in the public domain, some banal line of "in Europe but not in Europe" I think was the government's strap line. Then who was having this conversation, was it simply Major and badger Lamont, or were advisers included. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that this information got out, and then eventually into the hands of speculators. The speculators build a group to short Sterling, the Irish horse owners, Soros and others, and away they go. They have everything on their side, the trading range that Sterling has to stay, deep pockets of capital from multiple sources, and the knowledge the government wants out. Major confirms the Germans did not help them out but did so with the French, perhaps pointing to the fact that the Bundesbank knew/suspected what the British government wanted to do.
So interesing, thanks for sharing
This was brilliant.
Politics will of course become extremely tribal in a multicultural democracy, it's a feature of such a system not a bug
It's alright Alastair laughing, but wasn't Major the only Conservative PM of the post war to run a surplus budget? And thanks to that, Blair was also able to do that, adding both their names to Attlee and Wilson.
Thatcher achieved the budget surplus in the late '80s and Major inherited it
@@jaredtowers9864 Yep, because of North Sea Oil and her asset stripping!!