HARDTalk with Sir John Major

easybeeI am not arguing about their actions. Being intelligent doesn't preclude making mistakes. There was nothing of bitterness in either of the Stephen Sackur or Andrew Marr interviews. John Major was elected leader of the Conservative party and was Prime Minister for some years. As with most retiring Prime Ministers he stood down as an MP at the next election. What has he got to be bitter about?

Intelligence is being able to think deeply about a subject and then form coherent reasoned conclusions, which can be defended rationally. Whether you agree with them or not is irrelevant

Currently I find that even when I agree with a politician's views the level of their thinking on the subject is so thin and their arguments so lacking in intellectual depth that they are an embarrassment to themselves and to all who share their views.

I disagree with many of the views of both John Major, Michael Heseltine and Ken Clarke, but they are far more deeply thoughtful and capable of defending their views than any of the current lot of shysters in both 'main' parties.

I am racking my brains to try and remember what Major did when he was in office to address the concerns that some people in the UK had about our deal with the EU. If he did nothing, then he is complicit in this mess we find ourselves in.

John Major signed the Maastricht Treaty. Heseltine is a bitter old man because he still thinks he should have been Prime Minister, and Major was selected instead of him. No great intellectual depth in either of them.
I respect Ken Clarke although I do not agree with his views.

Grany yes, yes, yes!

I have now watched the HARDtalk interview. It is magnificient.Listening to John Major's intelligent and thoughtful responses to all the questions, saying honestly when he would not answer questions, no ignoring and talking over the interviewer.

It is interesting that the 'grandees' of the Tory party such as Heseltine, Major, Clarke are anti-Brexit and are articulate in explaining why.

The reason is that these are men who are not just clever, they are intelligent and thoughtful and have an intellectual depth that the current range of Conservative politicians (Cameron, May, Johnson, Gove, et al) simply do not have.
I would point out that Major is definitely in that camp and he neither went to a private school nor university.

Jonathan Ashworth the shadow health secretary is very committed to a health service for the public by the public free at the point of need and fully funded and social care as well. And so is Jeremy Corbyn.

Read Labour's manifesto
The many of Labours polices to transform Britain.

Corbyn wouldn't nationalise the NHS if he was ever in power-----probably the rail and energy companies but not the NHS.

EllanVannin

This is what Major actually said though.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=GSC2dvU75CE

I thought it was brilliant!

You are joking Add comment | Report | Private message EllanVannin

The Tories are this moment dismantling our NHS from M Thatcher onwards including Tory lite Blair with PFIs

Labour brought in the NHS 71 years ago and the Tories voted it down 22 times. They didn't want an NHS then and don't want it now.

Only Labour will Renationalise our NHS and properly fund it that's a promise.

Tories said no top down reorganisation of the NHS in 2010 and that's just what they did in 2012 with the health and social care act.

Yes Ellenvannin I agree with your comment regarding Major being a gentleman. I shall try and watch the programme, but I do wonder what he must be thinking about the antics of several of his party? Not just the two contenders, but people like Rees-Mogg and such who just casually dismiss the Good Friday Agreement and others like Peter Bone with his nasty anti-German remarks in the house last week ( thankfully, he was put in his place by another back bencher who called him out on his remarks), I wonder what he thinks of Cameron who opened this box of tricks and then walked off whistling? It is interesting that the 'grandees' of the Tory party such as Heseltine, Major, Clarke are anti-Brexit and are articulate in explaining why.

Grany, what he meant was that it's safer in the hands of the Conservatives than it would be in Labour's hands.

And I remember he said the NHS would be as safe in the Tories hands as a gerbil would be with a python

Yes, great HardTalk.
And underrated re the NI agreement too.

To my mind John Major was too much of a gentleman to be a leader least of all to head the rabble in Westminster.

I watched his talk on Brexit and he's 100% correct and the way I thought about it too----in fact I'd given it much thought in 2016 when I'd voted remain.