Democracy has its limits. The mass don't always make the right decision for themselves.
The state of the economy of any country is not entirely attributable to politics or civil service.
Why some people are rich and why some people are poor - this question is extremely complex and no one can bring up an answer that is absolutely correct.
But, most of us, out of our own instinct, can tell that whatever the fortune or misfortune befallen upon us has much to do with ourselves, not others.
Major is right when he says they were the most successful party in Europe - that because we have the most undemocratic, most crooked electoral system in the Western world - a system that allows a party with just over 40% of the vote absolute power for 18 years. Vote for AV on 5 May 2011, Vote Yes to consign FPTP to teh dustbin of history.
@istanbul0525 please get your facts straight before you tell me to think. The Lib Dems don't want AV, they have always supported STV, Clegg called it 'a miserable compromise'. They are supporting it because it's the next best thing. Lib Dems are not the only party that support it. The following parties support it: Plaid Cymru, Green Party, UK Independence Party, SNP, SDLP, Labour Yes, Conservatives for Electoral Reform, Christian People's Alliance and Alliance Party. Get your facts straight.
@shahideurope The Lib Dems are doomed and an AV vote will give them life and I want them gone forever, and I believe the current system is as good as there is. What is wrong with first past the post.
@istanbul0525 i don't give a damn about Lib Dems, this is nothing to do with them! it's about the voting system! what's wrong with the current system? simple. if there are 100 voters in a constituency and candidate A get 33 votes, candidate B get 33 votes and candidate C gets 34 votes, then C wins even though 66% of the voters did not support him and he only got 1 vote more than the next best candidate. Candidate C got nowhere near 50% but wins anyway. That is a totally unfair system.
@shahideurope It is even more unfair when you win on second votes, which is ridiculous. In the AV system they'd win on the second vote. I believe first past the post is the most fair way because whoever gets the most votes should win, no matter the percentage.
@istanbul0525 no it's unfair to win when the majority of people don't want you, THAT's unfair. If the system is so bad why do the Tories use it to elect their leader? If FPTP was used for tory leadership then David Davis would have won. Anyway you're a bloody tory so why am I wasting my time? of course you're going to vote FPTP, if I was a tory I would vote the same way. We don't need your support, all we need is for Labour and Lib Dems to vote yes and we have our majority - so there!!!
@shahideurope I wouldn't count on most Labour people voting for AV - it will mean that Labour never Governs on ther own again, and they won't want that. I predict FPTP will win.
@shahideurope EXCUSE ME but I am NOT a Tory. I have always voted Labour in general elections and local elections and was a member, when I was younger. That does not mean that I think Labour are right all the time, because I don't and in some votes, I do not vote for the labour candidate. I do think the AV vote will mean that the Lib Dems will forever more be in power, some way shape or form and I do not want that. If there is one party I hate more than the tories it is the Lib Dems.
@shahideurope The Lib Dems want the AV vote because they will always be in power. Conservative and Labour voters will always have the Lib Dem as their second vote, because there is no way in hell tory voters will have the labour candidate as 2nd and vice versa. So they will choose the Lib Dem as their second choice. I mean unless you want BNP, Green party running the country, so Lib Dems love the AV system. I favour the proportional vote as the best outcome as neither AV or FPTP are perfect
@shahideurope I am no tory. I am not affiliated to any one party. Why do I have to be affiliated by any party? I liked Labour when i was young, and yes in the Blair years I was Pro Labour. Since Brown and Ed Miliband less so. It is my opinion that the AV system will ruin this country for ever and the Lib Dems, who control my constituency have continually lied and not listen to the people. So I will vote anything which is anti-lib dem. I am not a tory. I hate tories. But think want you want.
@istanbul0525 I don't believe you, I think you are a tory pretending to be a disillusioned left winger in order to trick progressive voters into keeping SVS (Shit Voting System). You are using clever arguments like the fact that you are disappointed with Lib Dems, in reality you support Mrs Thatcher and hard right neo-Liberal economics. It is totally irrational for a progressive to support SVS (Shit Voting System).
@shahideurope trust me I am not that intelligent but thanks anyway!!!!!! I honestly see no benefits to AV. I'd much prefer the proportional representation which is the best system.
@istanbul0525 you already have a form of proportional representation, each electorate has to have a certain amount of voters contained therein (if its too large they create another electorate, if its too small they abolish it and have surrounding constituencies redrawn to take in that area), Preferential Voting as we call it here, forces the major and minor parties to preference other candidates basically is forces the winning candidate to have an absolute majority of the votes.
his party were sleazy, so how the hell is major meant to take the lead of that ratpack. i suppose we should not judge him on what went wrong during that time, cos he was a good personality. a man of the people, who knew the public. tory prime ministers dont get the rub of the green, though they try their hardest to help.oh and i used to believe the theory that they only care for the rich. not any more, thats absolute bollocks. thatcher didnt mean to snatch milk. it just couldnt be subsidised.
This election is what makes Britain so politically scary because you cannot rely on the old term "fellow" Brits to keep Britain on track when its doing well. GDP, inflation and unemployment were all in good figures and moving towards better but they still lost and those are the only things that should ever matter.
Some say the main reason they lost was sleaze and personally I couldn't care less about sleaze when economic figures are good. Beats 1/2 million dead Iraqis to our historical name.
I think people liked Major but just hated the Tory cabinet culture. They looked tired, out of touch and Blairs Labour looked fresh and energetic. For a while it did seem the country was lifted.
The most annoying thing about this video is the yuppie tosser in the background. The phone rings... 'Tory telecom reforms!' 'It's those reforms again, John, it's those reforms'
HOW IS THAT FUNNY? IT ISN'T FUNNY YOU T1T!! Just some random sh1t to try and put the spotlight on himself. I bet that lad's an MP or top adviser now.
@SeventiesMania It was probably Dave the cunt. I remember these yuppie tossers in the background and thats why i still hate the Tories 13 years on. All of this pride and honour bullshit he is talking here sounds even more stupid now his beloved Tories have prostituted themselves with the Liberals.
watching this guy talk or indeed do anything is like watching paint dry , what kind of person would call this corrupt bullshitter a decent bloke ?? lets not forget the children like tim parry murdered by the ira scum on our own country , this wanker told parliment it would turn his stomach to talk to the ira while doing just that , good riddance .
yipee bye bye major you useless tosser. what a waste of space this bullshitter was , the british people have long memories. who can forget this corrupt turd telling parliment it would turn his stomach to talk to the ira while he was secretly talking to the ira . and who can forget the 'classless society' what crap. piss off major you shit.
Time for John Major to come back into politics. Since David Cameron has failed to win the election outright, lets have a rerun with John Major as Tory leader on the basis of a national unity coalition with Major as PM.
The most underated PM. Having lived under Thatcher It is an honour to see a person of humanity, humour and honesty saying it as it is.- No bollocks, no spam, but a hell of a leader.
blair stormed into office using promises of a vision which he later totally destroyed, whilst gordon managed to totally squander the economic growth which major had quietly set up. look at what new labour has done to us... words words words, lies lies lies, and now the country is crippled.
@floofynut the economy was on very solid ground when the tories left office
i'm not really old enough to speak authoritatively about past tory governments, but i've spent most of my life with this current government and i've lived through the shitty education system and i've been a victim of the ridiculous taxes which are then simply handed out to people who can't be arsed to work, and i've seen the economy go to pot.
it's this i'm going to base my vote on and it's entirely labour's fault.
Vote Liberal Democrat for REAL, tangible change. After 18 years of the Conservatives followed by 13 of Labour, does Britain not deserve an alternative?
The Lib Dems will offer this - come on, let's move away from the tired old 2-party system.
Major was far from your typical Tory. He did not go to University and came from Brixton of all places. He was a faliure as PM because Mrs Thatcher constantly undermined him and he had to deal with a fractious parliamentary party. I was glad to see the back of Major in 1997 because I hoped Blair/Brown would change the country for the better. They didn't and I don't know who to vote for this year...
@aeronuk1 Britain is not a democracy! It is a plutocracy (look it up!). Brown sold our Gold for a pittance to appease the markets. He allowed a massive housing bubble to build up by refusing to fund new council houses. He pumped billions in to save corrupt bankers who caused the mess in the first place. The Tories are no better they made Britain a plutocracy in the first place!
@densaner77 You are right of course, real change is highly unlikely to come from elections. The elite corporations/banks have a stranglehold on the country.
@98smithg Yes he was a failure! He was weak and spineless and a failed leader and PM. He may have won in '92 but he led his party to a terrible defeat in '97. The Tories worst performance since 1906!
@coveneyr mate, the chips are up after this. im not a fan of the tories, but i do like their honesty. david cameron and osbourne propose some cruel methods of recovery, but at least they make them sound reasonable and they justify why they need to carry them out.
@weatherallc05 Yes I think you are right there - Sir John said in 2010 that the part who is most honest about the scale and depth of the problems and is most explicit about the measures required to correct the public finances will be the long term gainer - meanwhile Labour continue to live in fantasy land where you can spend more than you earn in perpetuity with no effect. Best wishes to you.
@coveneyr the same goes for uni fees. the government would love to pay it for us, but they cant subsisdise. therefore someones gotta pay it. students dont seem to understand that whilst they have been going freely without having to pick up the bill, some poor bugger has to cough up aload to keep them in education. the conservatives obviously did the maths before this, and so students cant complain about having to pay 7 grand plus when other people were doing it for them. Just take the pain guys
That was because Black Wednesday had destroyed trust that the public had in the Conservative Party for economic competence.. In January 1992 Major said the Tories had no plans to raise the scope of VAT, then they did. Then there was sleaze, cash for questions, a divided party over Europe and stronger Labour Party under Smith then Blair... that was why they were slaughtered in 1997...
surprising he lost that election when the economy was strong and unemployment was low - yet he won the previous election when there was a recession and high unemployment!
Major himself seemed a decent bloke, but he was leading a party that was fighting itself by 1997, and had run out of steam and ideas. Major said in 1997 that "I love my party and I love my country, but I don't love my parliamentary party"... enough said.....
Added to that, no minimum wage, no winter fuel allowance, no free TV-licenses for the over-75's, no free bus passes for those aged over 60. New Labour have made many mistakes when in power, but just think before you vote Tory in 2010....
Yeah mate, but it turns out we couldn't afford any of it could we? If A-Level students are being told now that 79-97 was a golden era I can assure you the opposite was being taught to them in 97 itself when I was doing A Levels. If you talk to someone older still they'll tell you some stories about the 70's Labour government that are pretty dreadful.
The good old days are always yesterday. However, for me, the happiest days of your life are the happiest days of YOUR life. The best era for the working-class in the 20th Century was between 1950 and 1970. However, I don't there ever has been any 100% Golden era.
Noone who actually lived through the Major years will view it as some "golden era". This man was possible the worst and most useless Prime MInister in this country's history. As for it being a "golden era"; 3.5 million unemployed 10 % inflation 17% interest rates Record home repossessions Record business failures Devalution of the pound one day after saying he would never devalue the pound. The "Back to Basics" fiasco Putting VAT on domestic fuel. I could go on. Some "golden era".
It is either Tory politicians or commentators in our right-wing media, or A-level or undergraduate politics students, not old enough to remember it, who say it was a "Golden era".... I remember the above things very well, including "Cash for Questions".. though if I will be fair, the top three were remnants of the recession which started at the end of the Thatcher years... but yes, don't let vested interests and people not old enough to remember tell you otherwise...
I doubt very much that Gordon Brown will win the next election in May 2010.
BUT If you are expecting David Cameron to "Wave his magic wand" and everything to be as good as what it was in the "Major years" then you are going to be very pissed off.
We will NEVER see an era like the Major Years again.. It will be look back on in 40-50 Years as the best era ever to have lived in the UK... MARK MY WORDS!!!!
SEXY??? Are you kidding me... just look at him. He's a typical slimey, oily tory boy cretin like Cameron and Osbourne!!! Everything that makes the Tory party so vile. He looks like a slimey toad. Yuck.
See, they've had the bad luck of being in the lead for about 2 years, they have literally peaked out their support, anyone who would ever vote tory, is going to vote tory, and they STILL only have an 88 seat lead. With a mere 1% swing thats 50, 2% it becomes 30, and with 3% its a hung parliament. Considering the "Shy labour" vote, and the panic that core members will have when they realise the tories are winning, i expect a hung parliament.
The Tories were never going to win in 1997 because of the electoral cycle and the infighting over Europe. Also, the Labour Party elected a complete snakelike chameleon as leader who bullied and smeared his way into No10 using Alistair Campbell. But unlike Brown, who is deliberately destroying everything he can too make it as difficult as possible for Cameron, and too make him unpopular. Major and Clarke left an extremely strong economy and a very healthy country. Labour have destroyed it
I actually meant Lamont. Clarke was a fat hypocrite who always criticised Gordon Brown for refusing to acknowledge his fantastic inheritance, when Clarke did the same. It was Lamont who took the tough decisions on tax and spend that led to a budget surplus in 1999. It was Lamont who introduced the inflation targetting framework that deliver the best record for 50 years. It was Lamont who established the monthly meetings between the Treasury and Bank of England and the Inflation Report.
... and it was also Lamont who said that (unemployment) "is a price worth paying" for economic recovery (tell that to the individuals and communities whom the scourge of unemployment blights and sometimes damages irreparably forever). And Lamont also said, when asked about the homeless in London (as well as all the other major cities of the U.K.) "Oh, yes the homeless - they're the people I have to step over on the way back from a night at the opera...
Lamont was always against ERM, and he was made to endure it for political rather than economic reasons. Thatcher was right, the ERM was always doomed to fail for Britain. Norman Lamont was the best Chancellor of 20th century Britain, followed by Geoffrey Howe, who was equally tough in sorting out socialist induced problems. Brown certainly did squander his inheritance and he will get a fat pension and a grace and favour home for it, whilst we have to have our taxes hiked to pay for it.
Wow, now I KNOW you're insane. I know you're an arch-Thatcherite et al, but I would find it extremely difficult to find many who said Lamont was the best...the CBI snub, the first of its kind for decades, the quote about unemployment being acceptable etc, I think you're backing the wrong bloke there.
Is this the same Norman Lamont who said mass unemployment was a price well worth paying to get inflation down? It might have been for him but I can assure you it wasn't if you were one of the mass unemployed!
Economically speaking in Keynesian, he was right, because high unemployment can keep demand low, and if there is an excess of supply, inflation will fall.
But I subscribe to the Austrian view and reject all forms of Keynesianism
WHAT?! Labour has invested in Britain equalling in the longest period of growth ever! Today, in a worldwide recession there are more people employed in Britain than in 1997 when we came to power. Every major political party in the world agreed to act together to fight this recession, led by Labour, only one was against, the tories!
I am amazed that after what the dreadful Labour Party has done to this country that there is a single person who still supports them.
John Major was arguably the finest Prime Minister this country has seen in peace time. What I wouldn't give to have him back in power. Compare him to that unelected one-eyed Scottish idiot and his serpent side-kick.
Roll on May 2010 and lets look forward to the joyous day when this fine party is back in power.
But what you have to realise is that this recession is GLOBAL and not just in the UK.
John Major was a fine man, David Cameron is not worthy to lick John Majors shoes.. He is so fake. I dont think he is the man for the Job. I see in your comment you cant wait until May 2010. You do realise it will take a VERY long time for the economy to be as strong as what it was when John left us in 1997. It WILL NOT happen overnight..You do realise this????
Go look at the immagration stats from 1997, and now go look at them from 2010, and the HUGE increase in immagrants coming into this country, not working, not paying tax, causing crime, and generally adding nothing but COST to the general british tax payer.
Labour has failed. They led us into an illegal war, and let down all the people who voted for them in 97.
@Kozzy06 And the vast majority of them come from the EU, which the Tories want us to stay in, and while we are in the EU we cant stop those immigrants from arriving, so what makes you think that's labour's fault?
The tories plan for immigration just wont work, I mean putting a cap on the amount of immigrants we have? What will that do to various industries? What if man u for example want to sign a player but they cant because we're at the cap?
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How is it that the gap between the rich and poor is higher now than it ever was under Mrs Thatcher according to the Gini index? How is it that under Mrs Thatcher the poor had more disposable income than ever whereas under Labour it is decreased for the last 6 years? Under the Tories, the pie gets bigger and everyone gets richer. Under Labour, socialism means the pie stops growing so more people get less of the pie.
and the stikes so helped the miners how??? where does all the coal come from now China!!! all because in this country we are obssed with having everything and having it cheap so no wonder we have lost all our jobs and industry all beacuse people want to strike all the time
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No sir fuck you. Not that I would mind. But you aren't fit to even think about kissing that Lady's shoes. So go fuck yourself then fuck off to the socialist paradise of North Korea if you are against Mrs T and capitalism.
I totally agree Maggie Thatcher is an old boot she destroyed manufacturing in this country we are more relient on foreign cole and an oil thanks to the old boot!
She all but destroyed Scotland thats why the tories are finished in Scotland.
He was a good man, it's just a shame by the end he was surrounded by bastards. He made mistakes yes, but at least you felt he just might be telling you the truth, at least as he saw it... I'm not sure you could say that about those that followed him.
God LOOK at those toss pot Tory boys surrounding him! The reason why it was essential he LOST!!! The reason we have chav rule - the selfish grandchildren of Thatcher! Shame on you Torys!
He wasn' a particularly good PM, I remember him well, he made a lot of mistakes. The worst thing is though is that Blair and especially Brown have been far worse! Nobody could have predicted that in 1997!
Come on Major was a total FAILURE surrounded by a hypocritical party. Blair was in much longer, and although that is no excuse, had more time to make more mistakes ha ha! But you're right about Brown - total loser!
his classes are dam iconic, just like wilsons pipe!
TheJaaysog 3 months ago 2
Comment removed
jazzycrew 4 months ago
Democracy has its limits. The mass don't always make the right decision for themselves.
The state of the economy of any country is not entirely attributable to politics or civil service.
Why some people are rich and why some people are poor - this question is extremely complex and no one can bring up an answer that is absolutely correct.
But, most of us, out of our own instinct, can tell that whatever the fortune or misfortune befallen upon us has much to do with ourselves, not others.
tnakai1971jp 7 months ago
He was a nice bloke... shame his party was full of hideous, slimey pigs!!!
mellowNdark 7 months ago 4
Major is right when he says they were the most successful party in Europe - that because we have the most undemocratic, most crooked electoral system in the Western world - a system that allows a party with just over 40% of the vote absolute power for 18 years. Vote for AV on 5 May 2011, Vote Yes to consign FPTP to teh dustbin of history.
shahideurope 10 months ago
@shahideurope If it means more Lib Dems, then hell no.
istanbul0525 10 months ago
@istanbul0525 it doesn't mean more lib dems, they'll be more lib dems if people vote for them, just don't vote for them.
shahideurope 10 months ago
@shahideurope Lib Dems are the ONLY party that want the alternate vote. Now please think why. Goodbye.
istanbul0525 10 months ago
@istanbul0525 please get your facts straight before you tell me to think. The Lib Dems don't want AV, they have always supported STV, Clegg called it 'a miserable compromise'. They are supporting it because it's the next best thing. Lib Dems are not the only party that support it. The following parties support it: Plaid Cymru, Green Party, UK Independence Party, SNP, SDLP, Labour Yes, Conservatives for Electoral Reform, Christian People's Alliance and Alliance Party. Get your facts straight.
shahideurope 10 months ago
@shahideurope The Lib Dems are doomed and an AV vote will give them life and I want them gone forever, and I believe the current system is as good as there is. What is wrong with first past the post.
istanbul0525 10 months ago
@istanbul0525 i don't give a damn about Lib Dems, this is nothing to do with them! it's about the voting system! what's wrong with the current system? simple. if there are 100 voters in a constituency and candidate A get 33 votes, candidate B get 33 votes and candidate C gets 34 votes, then C wins even though 66% of the voters did not support him and he only got 1 vote more than the next best candidate. Candidate C got nowhere near 50% but wins anyway. That is a totally unfair system.
shahideurope 10 months ago
@shahideurope It is even more unfair when you win on second votes, which is ridiculous. In the AV system they'd win on the second vote. I believe first past the post is the most fair way because whoever gets the most votes should win, no matter the percentage.
istanbul0525 10 months ago
@istanbul0525 no it's unfair to win when the majority of people don't want you, THAT's unfair. If the system is so bad why do the Tories use it to elect their leader? If FPTP was used for tory leadership then David Davis would have won. Anyway you're a bloody tory so why am I wasting my time? of course you're going to vote FPTP, if I was a tory I would vote the same way. We don't need your support, all we need is for Labour and Lib Dems to vote yes and we have our majority - so there!!!
shahideurope 10 months ago
@shahideurope I wouldn't count on most Labour people voting for AV - it will mean that Labour never Governs on ther own again, and they won't want that. I predict FPTP will win.
aeronuk1 10 months ago
@shahideurope EXCUSE ME but I am NOT a Tory. I have always voted Labour in general elections and local elections and was a member, when I was younger. That does not mean that I think Labour are right all the time, because I don't and in some votes, I do not vote for the labour candidate. I do think the AV vote will mean that the Lib Dems will forever more be in power, some way shape or form and I do not want that. If there is one party I hate more than the tories it is the Lib Dems.
istanbul0525 10 months ago
@shahideurope The Lib Dems want the AV vote because they will always be in power. Conservative and Labour voters will always have the Lib Dem as their second vote, because there is no way in hell tory voters will have the labour candidate as 2nd and vice versa. So they will choose the Lib Dem as their second choice. I mean unless you want BNP, Green party running the country, so Lib Dems love the AV system. I favour the proportional vote as the best outcome as neither AV or FPTP are perfect
istanbul0525 10 months ago
@istanbul0525 you're a tory and I understand why you want keep SVS (Shit Voting System) in place.
shahideurope 10 months ago
@shahideurope I am no tory. I am not affiliated to any one party. Why do I have to be affiliated by any party? I liked Labour when i was young, and yes in the Blair years I was Pro Labour. Since Brown and Ed Miliband less so. It is my opinion that the AV system will ruin this country for ever and the Lib Dems, who control my constituency have continually lied and not listen to the people. So I will vote anything which is anti-lib dem. I am not a tory. I hate tories. But think want you want.
istanbul0525 10 months ago
@istanbul0525 I don't believe you, I think you are a tory pretending to be a disillusioned left winger in order to trick progressive voters into keeping SVS (Shit Voting System). You are using clever arguments like the fact that you are disappointed with Lib Dems, in reality you support Mrs Thatcher and hard right neo-Liberal economics. It is totally irrational for a progressive to support SVS (Shit Voting System).
shahideurope 10 months ago
@shahideurope trust me I am not that intelligent but thanks anyway!!!!!! I honestly see no benefits to AV. I'd much prefer the proportional representation which is the best system.
istanbul0525 10 months ago
@istanbul0525 you are a tory, nobody, nobody in the world who really supported PR would vote in favour of SVS (Shit Voting System) on May 5.
shahideurope 10 months ago
@istanbul0525 you already have a form of proportional representation, each electorate has to have a certain amount of voters contained therein (if its too large they create another electorate, if its too small they abolish it and have surrounding constituencies redrawn to take in that area), Preferential Voting as we call it here, forces the major and minor parties to preference other candidates basically is forces the winning candidate to have an absolute majority of the votes.
irishgodfatherchris 10 months ago
his party were sleazy, so how the hell is major meant to take the lead of that ratpack. i suppose we should not judge him on what went wrong during that time, cos he was a good personality. a man of the people, who knew the public. tory prime ministers dont get the rub of the green, though they try their hardest to help.oh and i used to believe the theory that they only care for the rich. not any more, thats absolute bollocks. thatcher didnt mean to snatch milk. it just couldnt be subsidised.
weatherallc05 11 months ago
where's your peas lol
lordnazgul100 11 months ago
"Its those reforms John"
"Go on John!"
Get out his fucking arse you horrible tory faggot!
ANDYSAFC85 11 months ago
This election is what makes Britain so politically scary because you cannot rely on the old term "fellow" Brits to keep Britain on track when its doing well. GDP, inflation and unemployment were all in good figures and moving towards better but they still lost and those are the only things that should ever matter.
Some say the main reason they lost was sleaze and personally I couldn't care less about sleaze when economic figures are good. Beats 1/2 million dead Iraqis to our historical name.
silversynth 1 year ago
i truly love and respect his gentlemanly approach to a temporary setback
thugian86 1 year ago 2
I despise the Tories but this was one I liked and respected
Nighthawkx15 1 year ago 10
@Nighthawkx15 WHY?????
Upeter2 3 months ago
Brainwashed sheep. Prepare for the New World Order losers!!
GordonTheWanker 1 year ago
John Major, one of the few Tories I like.
ToaJoe 1 year ago 4
Look at all those tory boys behind. They've all got a face you could slap. Tossers!!
RawJobber 1 year ago 2
Major was a genuine Jim Hacker' his problem was everyone else.
mtheadedwally 1 year ago
I think people liked Major but just hated the Tory cabinet culture. They looked tired, out of touch and Blairs Labour looked fresh and energetic. For a while it did seem the country was lifted.
pimmagrimm 1 year ago
LMAO @
"sometimes the ball just rolls in the opposite direction"
PeteGeeza86 1 year ago
I think Major was and would remain a better PM than Neil Kinnock. So whatever his faults, he saved us from a Kinnock Premiership
brianclough 1 year ago
He really ws the UK's George H.W. Bush.
crackmonster99 1 year ago
good actor.
rudge0110 1 year ago
The most annoying thing about this video is the yuppie tosser in the background. The phone rings... 'Tory telecom reforms!' 'It's those reforms again, John, it's those reforms'
HOW IS THAT FUNNY? IT ISN'T FUNNY YOU T1T!! Just some random sh1t to try and put the spotlight on himself. I bet that lad's an MP or top adviser now.
SeventiesMania 1 year ago 17
@SeventiesMania I agree. He's a complete idiot.
GusF 1 year ago
@SeventiesMania It was probably Dave the cunt. I remember these yuppie tossers in the background and thats why i still hate the Tories 13 years on. All of this pride and honour bullshit he is talking here sounds even more stupid now his beloved Tories have prostituted themselves with the Liberals.
LollieSmith 1 year ago
@SeventiesMania LMAO thats exactly what I have just commented, horrible little arse-licker! I bet Major didnt even know him
ANDYSAFC85 11 months ago
@SeventiesMania And that hair cut!!! He looks like he has combed his hair in slime.
mellowNdark 11 months ago
@SeventiesMania woah, think you're over-reacting a tad!
AidanLunn 5 months ago
kiss my ass major , you are a star bullshitter. always were , always will be.
hammys123 1 year ago
watching this guy talk or indeed do anything is like watching paint dry , what kind of person would call this corrupt bullshitter a decent bloke ?? lets not forget the children like tim parry murdered by the ira scum on our own country , this wanker told parliment it would turn his stomach to talk to the ira while doing just that , good riddance .
hammys123 1 year ago
John Major - a man from an ordinary background that rose to be Prime Minister. A bit like Gordon Brown. Both men wanting to make the country better.
I hope that toff Cameron is out as soon as possible. His arrogance is unbelievable - he really thinks he is born to rule.
sltr1 1 year ago
John Major is one of the few Tories i have time for- decent bloke.
PeteGeeza86 1 year ago
yipee bye bye major you useless tosser. what a waste of space this bullshitter was , the british people have long memories. who can forget this corrupt turd telling parliment it would turn his stomach to talk to the ira while he was secretly talking to the ira . and who can forget the 'classless society' what crap. piss off major you shit.
hammys123 1 year ago
I would never vote Conservative but John Major was a decent guy!
northsouthempty 1 year ago 2
Time for John Major to come back into politics. Since David Cameron has failed to win the election outright, lets have a rerun with John Major as Tory leader on the basis of a national unity coalition with Major as PM.
mawkernewek 1 year ago
Wrong, he wasn't a failure. he was a success.
Thatcher "undermining" you isn't on what it is judged. Carries no weight.
CountMackula 1 year ago
i dont agree with what he or his party stands for but is a thoroughly decent and gracious man
stewbhoy1980 1 year ago
haha the guy behind him is a tool!
boltthedoors 1 year ago
nice guy. "honest john" - the last pm to have honesty and his name in the same sentence.
beatlegreg07 1 year ago
come on labour
themrduragss 1 year ago
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theevilfish 1 year ago
What a good man. An honest and touching speech that makes you proud to be British. I'm no Tory but I have great respect for John Major there.
ratsinblackjackets 1 year ago
Gordon will surprise you... C'mon Labour.
gimpymoo 1 year ago
don't worry john the tory wait is nearly over
MidlandNinja 1 year ago 2
The most underated PM. Having lived under Thatcher It is an honour to see a person of humanity, humour and honesty saying it as it is.- No bollocks, no spam, but a hell of a leader.
Nighthawkx15 1 year ago
Very good concession speech. It's extremely dignified. I wonder will Gordon Brown be able to leave as gracefully.
GusF 1 year ago 2
@GusF "Ock nooo I canae believe I lost. I bet it's that bigoted woman's fault." *grumbles and hits members of staff".
SPAG22 1 year ago
in hindsight it's a shame he lost
blair stormed into office using promises of a vision which he later totally destroyed, whilst gordon managed to totally squander the economic growth which major had quietly set up. look at what new labour has done to us... words words words, lies lies lies, and now the country is crippled.
gorgolyt 1 year ago
@gorgolyt and what for Mrs Thatcher and the destruction of the British Economy, as well as whole communities? :)
floofynut 1 year ago
@floofynut the economy was on very solid ground when the tories left office
i'm not really old enough to speak authoritatively about past tory governments, but i've spent most of my life with this current government and i've lived through the shitty education system and i've been a victim of the ridiculous taxes which are then simply handed out to people who can't be arsed to work, and i've seen the economy go to pot.
it's this i'm going to base my vote on and it's entirely labour's fault.
gorgolyt 1 year ago
@gorgolyt I just think it's extremely sad, how two Governments have managed to destroy an entire nation.
Through various measures introduced by both Labour and the Tories, the country is descending even further into corruption and mayhem.
The nationalists are on the rise, as are communist-types and a variety of other extremists.
I simply believe it's now time, to either elect a totally different form of Government or emigrate from this place.
Most politicians are a waste of time and effort.x
floofynut 1 year ago
@floofynut Stop reading Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper and the other right wing tabloids . Things have improved a lot since 1997.
sltr1 1 year ago
@sltr1 I don't read that rubbish. I'm just aware that, people seem to live in cloud cuckoo land. That's simply my point.
floofynut 1 year ago
John Major stopped gays getting right-good man!
PeteGeeza86 1 year ago
How much would you love to chin those cunts behind him!
ANDYSAFC85 1 year ago 2
What will Cameron's concession speech be like?
darkastonvillafan 1 year ago
I'm not sure how you could describe anything John Major ever did as "emotional"
mrflibble101 1 year ago
Bring back John Major. All is forgotten.
shussey100 1 year ago
there is no way Gordon Brown will resign with this dignity...
LordBirkenhead 1 year ago 2
HE nearly destroyed the NHS,
623058 1 year ago 2
Check out all the Tory boys behind him! Bunch of middle-class prats!!
jazzdrum100 1 year ago
Vote Liberal Democrat for REAL, tangible change. After 18 years of the Conservatives followed by 13 of Labour, does Britain not deserve an alternative?
The Lib Dems will offer this - come on, let's move away from the tired old 2-party system.
Dendiol 1 year ago
I would have thought that Lamont was a Monetarist.... odd that he should state a Keynesian point of view, if that is what that was.
Kevinasp 1 year ago
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Kevinasp 1 year ago
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Kevinasp 1 year ago
Major was far from your typical Tory. He did not go to University and came from Brixton of all places. He was a faliure as PM because Mrs Thatcher constantly undermined him and he had to deal with a fractious parliamentary party. I was glad to see the back of Major in 1997 because I hoped Blair/Brown would change the country for the better. They didn't and I don't know who to vote for this year...
densaner77 1 year ago 10
@densaner77 So don't vote then! Representative Democracy is very damaging to the country anyway. I propose a military dictatership.
aeronuk1 1 year ago
@aeronuk1 Britain is not a democracy! It is a plutocracy (look it up!). Brown sold our Gold for a pittance to appease the markets. He allowed a massive housing bubble to build up by refusing to fund new council houses. He pumped billions in to save corrupt bankers who caused the mess in the first place. The Tories are no better they made Britain a plutocracy in the first place!
densaner77 1 year ago
@densaner77 You are right of course, real change is highly unlikely to come from elections. The elite corporations/banks have a stranglehold on the country.
aeronuk1 1 year ago
@aeronuk1 You bet your ass!
densaner77 1 year ago
@densaner77 he was not a falure at all, when he won the 92 election he was the most popular primeminister ever elected!
98smithg 1 year ago
@98smithg Yes he was a failure! He was weak and spineless and a failed leader and PM. He may have won in '92 but he led his party to a terrible defeat in '97. The Tories worst performance since 1906!
densaner77 1 year ago
@densaner77 Cameron!
SPAG22 1 year ago
@SPAG22 (_|_) (-.-) (_|_) :p
densaner77 1 year ago
@densaner77 For the Lib Dem traitor Nick Clegg or the the Crook Cameron?
shahideurope 10 months ago
@shahideurope. Neither. Don't blame me I voted Labour. Not that it did any good...
densaner77 10 months ago
now thts how u go down with honour and pride
weatherallc05 1 year ago 14
@weatherallc05 The character of a person is best judged when the chips are down - honour and pride in bucketfuls.
coveneyr 11 months ago
@coveneyr mate, the chips are up after this. im not a fan of the tories, but i do like their honesty. david cameron and osbourne propose some cruel methods of recovery, but at least they make them sound reasonable and they justify why they need to carry them out.
weatherallc05 11 months ago
@weatherallc05 Yes I think you are right there - Sir John said in 2010 that the part who is most honest about the scale and depth of the problems and is most explicit about the measures required to correct the public finances will be the long term gainer - meanwhile Labour continue to live in fantasy land where you can spend more than you earn in perpetuity with no effect. Best wishes to you.
coveneyr 11 months ago
@coveneyr the same goes for uni fees. the government would love to pay it for us, but they cant subsisdise. therefore someones gotta pay it. students dont seem to understand that whilst they have been going freely without having to pick up the bill, some poor bugger has to cough up aload to keep them in education. the conservatives obviously did the maths before this, and so students cant complain about having to pay 7 grand plus when other people were doing it for them. Just take the pain guys
weatherallc05 11 months ago
@weatherallc05 Yeah too true
coveneyr 11 months ago
@weatherallc05 .... yet a massive failure and loser!
mellowNdark 11 months ago
it was edwina currie calling him a star. yeah, a star adulterer as it happened....
ianupton 1 year ago
this 'handover' was always part of the plan. there was no change. there never will be. we are serfs. democracy is a lie. land is power.
ianupton 1 year ago
You can actually feel sorry for him there. I don't think he was a bad man, but i think the job was just to much for him.
GRAHAM5020 2 years ago 3
Its all a game fgs! look at brown, now the same thing is scheduled to happen to him! wake up people.
rodjames98 2 years ago
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Kevinasp 2 years ago
That was because Black Wednesday had destroyed trust that the public had in the Conservative Party for economic competence.. In January 1992 Major said the Tories had no plans to raise the scope of VAT, then they did. Then there was sleaze, cash for questions, a divided party over Europe and stronger Labour Party under Smith then Blair... that was why they were slaughtered in 1997...
Kevinasp 2 years ago
surprising he lost that election when the economy was strong and unemployment was low - yet he won the previous election when there was a recession and high unemployment!
MidlandNinja 2 years ago
He did one good thing, Northern Ireland...
Kevinasp 2 years ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
Major himself seemed a decent bloke, but he was leading a party that was fighting itself by 1997, and had run out of steam and ideas. Major said in 1997 that "I love my party and I love my country, but I don't love my parliamentary party"... enough said.....
Kevinasp 2 years ago
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Kevinasp 2 years ago
Added to that, no minimum wage, no winter fuel allowance, no free TV-licenses for the over-75's, no free bus passes for those aged over 60. New Labour have made many mistakes when in power, but just think before you vote Tory in 2010....
Kevinasp 2 years ago
Yeah mate, but it turns out we couldn't afford any of it could we? If A-Level students are being told now that 79-97 was a golden era I can assure you the opposite was being taught to them in 97 itself when I was doing A Levels. If you talk to someone older still they'll tell you some stories about the 70's Labour government that are pretty dreadful.
zebra55 1 year ago
The good old days are always yesterday. However, for me, the happiest days of your life are the happiest days of YOUR life. The best era for the working-class in the 20th Century was between 1950 and 1970. However, I don't there ever has been any 100% Golden era.
Kevinasp 1 year ago
The man is so decent compared to that one-eyed pirate Brown and that smug moron Cameron!
ldoe8762 2 years ago
he should have stayed in power
si4106 2 years ago 3
jonnyf1970 2 years ago
It is either Tory politicians or commentators in our right-wing media, or A-level or undergraduate politics students, not old enough to remember it, who say it was a "Golden era".... I remember the above things very well, including "Cash for Questions".. though if I will be fair, the top three were remnants of the recession which started at the end of the Thatcher years... but yes, don't let vested interests and people not old enough to remember tell you otherwise...
Kevinasp 2 years ago
How can you respect this man when he was sh***ging Edwina Currie behind his poor wife's back. Back to Basics, my arse!
AnonInEng 2 years ago
Labour will lose the next election thank god!!
drwho5001 2 years ago
Look at those toss pot Tory boys in the background!!! One of them now is called Davis Cameron!
mellowNdark 2 years ago 3
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God help us if Gordon Brown is still in power next year. I am going to leave the country or hang myself or both!
AndrewJM70 2 years ago
As I said to you before and I will say it again..
I doubt very much that Gordon Brown will win the next election in May 2010.
BUT If you are expecting David Cameron to "Wave his magic wand" and everything to be as good as what it was in the "Major years" then you are going to be very pissed off.
We will NEVER see an era like the Major Years again.. It will be look back on in 40-50 Years as the best era ever to have lived in the UK... MARK MY WORDS!!!!
papermarioa 2 years ago 2
Both sounds perfect.... see ya
mellowNdark 2 years ago
who was the sexy black haired guy in the background who shouts "good old john" at 8.39?
anyone know what hes up to nowadays?
HGtibby 2 years ago
some tory boy moran making daft comments
juices233 2 years ago 2
SEXY??? Are you kidding me... just look at him. He's a typical slimey, oily tory boy cretin like Cameron and Osbourne!!! Everything that makes the Tory party so vile. He looks like a slimey toad. Yuck.
mellowNdark 2 years ago
@HGtibby Yuo have TERRIBLE taste in men!
mellowNdark 1 year ago
Fantastic politician and in my opinion one of our best Prime Ministers!
scaifeoyd 2 years ago 3
Looks like in 2010 the conservatives will come back.
fakweet 2 years ago 2
true
merrymonarch 2 years ago
Lets hope not, it will be a very dark day if that happens.
polobuzzin 2 years ago
Well, yes and no.
See, they've had the bad luck of being in the lead for about 2 years, they have literally peaked out their support, anyone who would ever vote tory, is going to vote tory, and they STILL only have an 88 seat lead. With a mere 1% swing thats 50, 2% it becomes 30, and with 3% its a hung parliament. Considering the "Shy labour" vote, and the panic that core members will have when they realise the tories are winning, i expect a hung parliament.
sketchydc 2 years ago
What a decent man.
dmitrysedgwick 2 years ago
The Tories were never going to win in 1997 because of the electoral cycle and the infighting over Europe. Also, the Labour Party elected a complete snakelike chameleon as leader who bullied and smeared his way into No10 using Alistair Campbell. But unlike Brown, who is deliberately destroying everything he can too make it as difficult as possible for Cameron, and too make him unpopular. Major and Clarke left an extremely strong economy and a very healthy country. Labour have destroyed it
Mickmars90 2 years ago 3
'Major and Clarke left an extremely strong economy and a very healthy country. Labour have destroyed it '
The fact that its taken labour 12 years to destroy it only pays tribute to how strong it was!
Erech01 2 years ago 9
I actually meant Lamont. Clarke was a fat hypocrite who always criticised Gordon Brown for refusing to acknowledge his fantastic inheritance, when Clarke did the same. It was Lamont who took the tough decisions on tax and spend that led to a budget surplus in 1999. It was Lamont who introduced the inflation targetting framework that deliver the best record for 50 years. It was Lamont who established the monthly meetings between the Treasury and Bank of England and the Inflation Report.
Mickmars90 2 years ago
... and it was also Lamont who said that (unemployment) "is a price worth paying" for economic recovery (tell that to the individuals and communities whom the scourge of unemployment blights and sometimes damages irreparably forever). And Lamont also said, when asked about the homeless in London (as well as all the other major cities of the U.K.) "Oh, yes the homeless - they're the people I have to step over on the way back from a night at the opera...
KendoSaggyknackers 2 years ago 3
Lamont was always against ERM, and he was made to endure it for political rather than economic reasons. Thatcher was right, the ERM was always doomed to fail for Britain. Norman Lamont was the best Chancellor of 20th century Britain, followed by Geoffrey Howe, who was equally tough in sorting out socialist induced problems. Brown certainly did squander his inheritance and he will get a fat pension and a grace and favour home for it, whilst we have to have our taxes hiked to pay for it.
Mickmars90 2 years ago
Wow, now I KNOW you're insane. I know you're an arch-Thatcherite et al, but I would find it extremely difficult to find many who said Lamont was the best...the CBI snub, the first of its kind for decades, the quote about unemployment being acceptable etc, I think you're backing the wrong bloke there.
Frailea 2 years ago
Is this the same Norman Lamont who said mass unemployment was a price well worth paying to get inflation down? It might have been for him but I can assure you it wasn't if you were one of the mass unemployed!
Kevinasp 1 year ago
Economically speaking in Keynesian, he was right, because high unemployment can keep demand low, and if there is an excess of supply, inflation will fall.
But I subscribe to the Austrian view and reject all forms of Keynesianism
Mickmars90 1 year ago
Yet think of all the jobs destroyed by inflation.
gregorioallegri 1 year ago
WHAT?! Labour has invested in Britain equalling in the longest period of growth ever! Today, in a worldwide recession there are more people employed in Britain than in 1997 when we came to power. Every major political party in the world agreed to act together to fight this recession, led by Labour, only one was against, the tories!
polobuzzin 2 years ago
@Erech01 I disagree.
I think it pays tribute to just how bad the Socialists are.
13 years to bring a country to its knees economically, socially, morally.
HOPEFULLY (fingers crossed) they will get the the reward they deserve, becoming the third party.
skeletorphd 1 year ago
@Erech01 its an global resscion so we would of been still badly affected if john major was still primeminster.
lukespencer91 1 year ago
John Major was a decent man,but his party certainly wasn't.
Take another look Andrew.
Cameron is a fake PR man.
PeteGeeza86 2 years ago 4
I am amazed that after what the dreadful Labour Party has done to this country that there is a single person who still supports them.
John Major was arguably the finest Prime Minister this country has seen in peace time. What I wouldn't give to have him back in power. Compare him to that unelected one-eyed Scottish idiot and his serpent side-kick.
Roll on May 2010 and lets look forward to the joyous day when this fine party is back in power.
AndrewJM70 2 years ago
Idiot.
Frailea 2 years ago
Same to you moron
AndrewJM70 2 years ago
Dir'y Tory!
Frailea 2 years ago
I agree it will be "All change" in May 2010 .
But what you have to realise is that this recession is GLOBAL and not just in the UK.
John Major was a fine man, David Cameron is not worthy to lick John Majors shoes.. He is so fake. I dont think he is the man for the Job. I see in your comment you cant wait until May 2010. You do realise it will take a VERY long time for the economy to be as strong as what it was when John left us in 1997. It WILL NOT happen overnight..You do realise this????
papermarioa 2 years ago 2
@AndrewJM70 I'd love to hear these dreadful things that labour has done to the country.
david181993 1 year ago
@david181993
Here's one,
Go look at the immagration stats from 1997, and now go look at them from 2010, and the HUGE increase in immagrants coming into this country, not working, not paying tax, causing crime, and generally adding nothing but COST to the general british tax payer.
Labour has failed. They led us into an illegal war, and let down all the people who voted for them in 97.
Kozzy06 1 year ago
@Kozzy06 And the vast majority of them come from the EU, which the Tories want us to stay in, and while we are in the EU we cant stop those immigrants from arriving, so what makes you think that's labour's fault?
The tories plan for immigration just wont work, I mean putting a cap on the amount of immigrants we have? What will that do to various industries? What if man u for example want to sign a player but they cant because we're at the cap?
david181993 1 year ago
A nicely said speech.
h792 2 years ago
that knob-end talking about telecoms is soooo annoying!
wanna punch him
olliedee12 2 years ago 5
future of britain with the conservatives
the rich will get rich the poor will be poorer
lowestoftbus 2 years ago 4
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How is it that the gap between the rich and poor is higher now than it ever was under Mrs Thatcher according to the Gini index? How is it that under Mrs Thatcher the poor had more disposable income than ever whereas under Labour it is decreased for the last 6 years? Under the Tories, the pie gets bigger and everyone gets richer. Under Labour, socialism means the pie stops growing so more people get less of the pie.
Mickmars90 2 years ago
Balls!
Frailea 2 years ago
major was a bad leader. to b fair it was largly out of his controll. he was a decent man.... too decent i think.
thatcheritescot 2 years ago 3
6:58 Tory to Major's left crying! Nice!
goatmanjohn 2 years ago
Prefer Major than that MASS MURDERER of a Blair. Full of spin, lies deceit the crooked tooth scumbag
BRUTUALTRUTH 2 years ago 2
Conceded like a true gentleman.
Hodnux 2 years ago 5
And don't the door hit you on your arse on the way out either!
ToManyPhones 2 years ago
Brown's this time next year won't be as gentlemen like he'll just run and hide.
rogerswift1983 2 years ago
this one was for the miners. fuck u thatcher!
CRAIGMASON1971 2 years ago
and the stikes so helped the miners how??? where does all the coal come from now China!!! all because in this country we are obssed with having everything and having it cheap so no wonder we have lost all our jobs and industry all beacuse people want to strike all the time
snoozingphil 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
No sir fuck you. Not that I would mind. But you aren't fit to even think about kissing that Lady's shoes. So go fuck yourself then fuck off to the socialist paradise of North Korea if you are against Mrs T and capitalism.
Mickmars90 2 years ago
I totally agree Maggie Thatcher is an old boot she destroyed manufacturing in this country we are more relient on foreign cole and an oil thanks to the old boot!
She all but destroyed Scotland thats why the tories are finished in Scotland.
Good riddence to the old bag.
tich302001 2 years ago 2
He was a good man, it's just a shame by the end he was surrounded by bastards. He made mistakes yes, but at least you felt he just might be telling you the truth, at least as he saw it... I'm not sure you could say that about those that followed him.
zebra55 2 years ago 13
God LOOK at those toss pot Tory boys surrounding him! The reason why it was essential he LOST!!! The reason we have chav rule - the selfish grandchildren of Thatcher! Shame on you Torys!
mellowNdark 2 years ago
He wasn' a particularly good PM, I remember him well, he made a lot of mistakes. The worst thing is though is that Blair and especially Brown have been far worse! Nobody could have predicted that in 1997!
mattrwsmith 2 years ago
Come on Major was a total FAILURE surrounded by a hypocritical party. Blair was in much longer, and although that is no excuse, had more time to make more mistakes ha ha! But you're right about Brown - total loser!
mellowNdark 2 years ago
He is certainly a more modest,polite and decent person than that lump of dog dirt Maggie T.
PeteGeeza86 2 years ago 2
major was a decent man.... but in no way was he fit to b pm.... though at least he won an election.... is more than brown will b able to say
thatcheritescot 2 years ago 4
Mr Major - you are such a fine human being - I'm truly proud of what you achieved and in my opinion you are the finest PM this country has ever had.
I would give my right arm to have you