not a conservative voter by any means but John Major is a good man and i think history will be a lot kinder to his time as prime minister compared to others (Blair, Brown, Johnson and Truss)
I don't know about that...I'm pretty sure that historians will someday look back on Truss's two weeks or so and put her right up there with Disraeli, Gladstone, Churchill...all the heavy hitters.
Good to see John back in good spirits post-97 election. Must have been a relief to be free of his treacherous, back-stabbing party and having to deal with the odious Blair. Go John!
Maybe not inevitable but it would have required superhuman successes and superhuman unity on the Tories' side as well as Labour going back to their 1980/83 mode. Neither was likely.
@@syedadeelhussain2691 I didn't see him like that back in the day. I was still too much of a leftist then. Looking back you're right. In all its greyness, he represents something that was lost after 1997. Common Sense gave way to "Cool Britannia", limited government gave way to "nanny state".
Regardless of your politics, or which side of the Atlantic you live on, can imagine a similarly "grown up" conversation now with serious and challenging questions and honest and frank responses in this day and age?
I have a lot of respect for John Major. He is a fair, intelligent man. But I must point out his assumption that Saddam Hussein and Iraq had weapons of mass destruction is simply wrong. If you look at Iraq it is a pre-industrialized country. Its industry is primitive. What developed industry they have is build by companies from France and Germany. The Iraqis simply do not have the ability or expertise to make weapons of mass destruction. The Iraqi have tanks which are old Soviet Vietnam-era tanks. The Iraqi cannot make tanks or any other weapon. Everything is bought from Russia because America will not sell any weapons to them. The only countries that can make weapons of mass destruction are the industrialized countries of the world like the US and England. John Major is wrong on this issue. In regards to not adopting the Euro I understand his point. He is Prime Minister of England. He and the Tories have spend some effort to raise the English economy to a competitive level with France, but still considerably behind Germany. So he does not wish to risk England's success by sharing a currency with the Southern Europeans (Italy, Greece, & Spain) whose economies is not as efficient nor developed as England, France, or Germany. He wanted the Southern Europeans to be on par with England, France, and Germany (big 3) before integration. But honestly how long would it take to reach parity. In 2023, the Southern Europeans are still behind the big 3. Not to mention the newly independent Eastern European countries. The industries of these countries were not competitive plus they operated in a Communist Command Economy and had no idea how to operate in a free-market, capitalistic world. These former Eastern bloc countries made Italy, Greece, and Spain look advanced. The real problem was they were failing. Their people had no jobs. When people have no jobs they get disparate.They were at risk of returning to the old Communist dictatorships. So the EU (under French and German leadership) took the risk and helped these poor failing states, while England kept the English pound at a safe distance. John Major did the right thing for England. The EU with France and Germany did the right thing for Europe at their own risk. John Major did not do anything wrong. He is the Prime Minister of England and he protected England. So why did the EU states (led by Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, ...) risk their own economies to help Eastern Europe?
In the UK, once a prime Ministers leave Office, they are no longer Prime Minister or Mr or Mrs Prime minister. Most get hounded by the King or Queen, for example John Major is Sir John. If he had become a Lord he would of been Lord Major.
In 1997, the Tories were losing the middle class vote to the New Labour ideal of free market reforms with some concern for equality. Also, the Tories failed to keep up with the cultural changes that were happening with regards to racial/ethnic diversity, the LGBTQ community, etc.
@st r Tony Blair in a book backed the lowering of the age of consent (for male homosexuality) to 18. Still unequal, but a step in the proper direction for equal freedom. He also backed nondiscrimination policies and later civil partnerships. again, not perfect, but better then the Tory alternative (until recently).
The end of the Major era was the beginning of politics, and many other things in life, being dominated by marketing and presentation over substance. Epitomized by Blair, Campbell et al.
Was wrong about free trade as mitigator of conflicts as seen by Russia's invasion. I think the logic of smth preventing war reliably and maybe indefinitely is a wrong one.
Seems a bit silly to make such a comment with regard to an interview that took place in 1997 long before Brexit was up for a vote, but we have freedom of speech so fire away.
No but if the British PM thought Saddam was *manufacturing* WMDs in 1997, it is quite possible they thought he had retained them in 2001-03 In spite of the inspectors not finding them
I've never been a Tory voter, but always thought John Major was a decent man.
I agree with you. He has become wise with age.
He wasn't THAT decent, given he'd been porking Edwina Currie on the quiet... 😄
He is, that was why half the Tories wanted to get rid of him.
@@mattponikvar4944 I believe in his last few years in office he said something like "I have a majority of 20, 13 of whom are mad."
I'd say he was the only decent Tory Prime Minister since MacMillan
not a conservative voter by any means but John Major is a good man and i think history will be a lot kinder to his time as prime minister compared to others (Blair, Brown, Johnson and Truss)
I don't know about that...I'm pretty sure that historians will someday look back on Truss's two weeks or so and put her right up there with Disraeli, Gladstone, Churchill...all the heavy hitters.
Very funny, indeed. @@insertclevername4123
History will also be kind to Gordon Brown
ERM and Black Wednesday
@@insertclevername4123😂
Such an American production - I love it!!!
I don’t think the conservatives will ever have someone this erudite, decent and sincere in charge again. If they did it’s possible I’d vote for them
This dude said Iraq was building weapons of mass destruction IN THIS EXACT VIDEO.
@@George-be4vnwere they not misled by the intelligence agencies?
Shame no one thought that way in 1997
Good to see John back in good spirits post-97 election. Must have been a relief to be free of his treacherous, back-stabbing party and having to deal with the odious Blair. Go John!
Thanks for always supporting my music 🎶, And I hope you never stop being a fan, Happy New Year, Stay safe!
@@charliemajor2156 One does not mocketh John
@@sdrawkcabUK Yes, How long have you been a fan? and have you ever received an autograph from me before ?
@@charliemajor2156 Impersonating John... blasphemous conduct
@@sdrawkcabUK Okay
An outstanding Prime Minister. Highly intelligent, grounded and empathetic statesman. One of the greatest UK Prime Ministers. A true patriot.
Not a Brit or a Tory, but if I were either or both I suspect I would look back on him with a great deal of affection.
People had enough of Tory Rule in the UK by 1997!
This defeat was inevitable.
Maybe not inevitable but it would have required superhuman successes and superhuman unity on the Tories' side as well as Labour going back to their 1980/83 mode. Neither was likely.
@@str.77 I have always admired Major as a human being. He talks about common sense nowadays.
@@syedadeelhussain2691 I didn't see him like that back in the day. I was still too much of a leftist then. Looking back you're right. In all its greyness, he represents something that was lost after 1997. Common Sense gave way to "Cool Britannia", limited government gave way to "nanny state".
Regardless of your politics, or which side of the Atlantic you live on, can imagine a similarly "grown up" conversation now with serious and challenging questions and honest and frank responses in this day and age?
I have a lot of respect for John Major. He is a fair, intelligent man. But I must point out his assumption that Saddam Hussein and Iraq had weapons of mass destruction is simply wrong. If you look at Iraq it is a pre-industrialized country. Its industry is primitive. What developed industry they have is build by companies from France and Germany. The Iraqis simply do not have the ability or expertise to make weapons of mass destruction. The Iraqi have tanks which are old Soviet Vietnam-era tanks. The Iraqi cannot make tanks or any other weapon. Everything is bought from Russia because America will not sell any weapons to them. The only countries that can make weapons of mass destruction are the industrialized countries of the world like the US and England. John Major is wrong on this issue. In regards to not adopting the Euro I understand his point. He is Prime Minister of England. He and the Tories have spend some effort to raise the English economy to a competitive level with France, but still considerably behind Germany. So he does not wish to risk England's success by sharing a currency with the Southern Europeans (Italy, Greece, & Spain) whose economies is not as efficient nor developed as England, France, or Germany. He wanted the Southern Europeans to be on par with England, France, and Germany (big 3) before integration. But honestly how long would it take to reach parity. In 2023, the Southern Europeans are still behind the big 3. Not to mention the newly independent Eastern European countries. The industries of these countries were not competitive plus they operated in a Communist Command Economy and had no idea how to operate in a free-market, capitalistic world. These former Eastern bloc countries made Italy, Greece, and Spain look advanced. The real problem was they were failing. Their people had no jobs. When people have no jobs they get disparate.They were at risk of returning to the old Communist dictatorships. So the EU (under French and German leadership) took the risk and helped these poor failing states, while England kept the English pound at a safe distance. John Major did the right thing for England. The EU with France and Germany did the right thing for Europe at their own risk. John Major did not do anything wrong. He is the Prime Minister of England and he protected England. So why did the EU states (led by Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, ...) risk their own economies to help Eastern Europe?
He was a good Prime minister
He was and is a good man. He was quite ineffective as Prime Minister though.
THE PEA,S ARE GOOD TONIGHT DEAR!
The intro is giving comedy show vibes
In the UK, once a prime Ministers leave Office, they are no longer Prime Minister or Mr or Mrs Prime minister. Most get hounded by the King or Queen, for example John Major is Sir John. If he had become a Lord he would of been Lord Major.
Hounded? I think you might have meant 'knighted'.
Though it would be hilarious if they were hounded by the King...
Not a huge fan of how much the interviewer interrupted Major since it wasn’t like he was going of into rambles but otherwise I really liked this.
In 1997, the Tories were losing the middle class vote to the New Labour ideal of free market reforms with some concern for equality. Also, the Tories failed to keep up with the cultural changes that were happening with regards to racial/ethnic diversity, the LGBTQ community, etc.
There was no LGBTQ community in 1997 and the Tories didn't lose for such issues.
@@str.77 actually gay rights was an issue back then.
@@str.77 yes they did.
@@edwardtjbrown1979 If at all a rather small issue. At least you have changed your terminology and dispensed with the anachronistic BTQ.
@st r Tony Blair in a book backed the lowering of the age of consent (for male homosexuality) to 18. Still unequal, but a step in the proper direction for equal freedom. He also backed nondiscrimination policies and later civil partnerships. again, not perfect, but better then the Tory alternative (until recently).
The end of the Major era was the beginning of politics, and many other things in life, being dominated by marketing and presentation over substance. Epitomized by Blair, Campbell et al.
12.42 interesting
Unfortunately, the financial crisis borne out his prediction.
He was a very ordinary politician who took defeat and victory as equal spoils. I knew Labour could beat him and I knew they would do so.
Was wrong about free trade as mitigator of conflicts as seen by Russia's invasion. I think the logic of smth preventing war reliably and maybe indefinitely is a wrong one.
WMD....
Nice man BUT a tory
Sorry John but we 17.4 million 'bastards' have had the last laugh after all. Now shove off yesterday's grey man!
Doesn’t say much about you that post
Muppet.
Seems a bit silly to make such a comment with regard to an interview that took place in 1997 long before Brexit was up for a vote, but we have freedom of speech so fire away.
GO HOME TO NORMA AND HAVE YOUR PEA,S
Where have you been since 2019. As he said I told you so.
2:54 So there were WMDs after all
The Iraq war was justified
He had chemical and biological weapons which he had used before the first Gulf War. He didn't have those weapons in the 2003 invasion.
No but if the British PM thought Saddam was *manufacturing* WMDs in 1997, it is quite possible they thought he had retained them in 2001-03
In spite of the inspectors not finding them
@@laxeystu8096yeah that was the whole justification…