HARDTalk with Sir John Major

John Major is a hypocrite over the prorogation of Parliament.

Why, POGS? His move was allowable under the constitution. Overriding our sovereign parliament appears not to be.

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Prorogation deprives Parliament of any ability to fulfil its deliberative and legislative function, and crucially to hold the government to account for its exercise of prerogative powers through committees, inquiries and ultimately through motions of no confidence. If ministerial advice were to trump these considerations, then it would in the words of Barber (speaking on royal assent) ‘(…) operat[e] against democratic values rather than upholding them. Rather than supporting parliamentary government, it would undermine it.’ Crucially, this view would likely be shared even by those who in the context of royal assent argue for a stronger role of ministerial advice. This is because their arguments are premised on Parliament’s ability to hold government accountable for tendering advice to withhold royal assent. With prorogation this crucial safeguard is not available: a Parliament in recess cannot move a motion of no confidence. As Anne Twomey concludes in her excellent book The Veiled Sceptre at least where a government has or is poised to lose the confidence of the House of Commons it is ‘(…) not entitled to remain in office and continue governing simply because it can exercise procedural powers to avoid proof of the loss of confidence in it.’ It would be hoped that this much at least is common ground regardless of one’s views on ministerial advice.

Parliament is a deliberative body and coming to a majority decision through compromise and debate are core to its constitutional and institutional roles. If preventing a debate and vote on bills amounted to constitutionally permissible grounds for prorogation, then Parliament’s role and relative strength in the constitutional framework would be greatly diminished in favour of an overpowering executive. The government could and certainly would veto legislation whenever it pleases and in time use the threat of prorogation to whip backbench and opposition MPs into submission. The better view is therefore that the Monarch should reject ministerial advice on prorogation under exceptional circumstances such as these and thus uphold the primacy of Parliament in the British constitution.

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ukconstitutionallaw.org/2019/04/03/stefan-theil-unconstitutional-prorogation/

John Major, who has absolutely nothing to lose, is telling the truth, talking sense, spelling out the facts in a way which the likes of Johnson, Hunt and Corbyn dare not do. We should listen to him.

So are you!!

You are talking rubbish

Absolutely agree Jabberwok & Pogs. The words pot and kettle spring to mind !

Repeat from another thread.

John Major is a hypocrite over the prorogation of Parliament.

Agree with your post Jabberwok ??

John Major was perfectly happy to prorogue parliament in 1997 to delay the highly embarrassing report into the cash for questions scandal! The word hypocrisy comes to mind! Lucky no one sued him!

Yes, he was articulate and spoke in whole sentences - and even paragraphs. He answered questions directly and forthrightly. He remained consistently a Conservative, that old compassionate Conservatism, so long gone. I have never voted Conservative, but in the past one respected opposition politicians, even when one did not agree with them.

His gravitas and sheer intelligence, shone through compared with the make-weights in every party now.

Just watched this. Probably the most honest interview I've seen in a very long time. I just wish that all politicians of whatever party would put "country before party" but sadly I think they're a very rare animal.

TBH I can’t really make up my mind whether JM has improved with age, or by comparing him to the current lot, anyone would be able to shine.

The difference in this man and the clown who proposes to be the next PM. There's no comparison ! It's now a complete madhouse with the lunatics taking over the asylum.

John Major has gone up so much in my estimation. His speech used to be so stilted and nuanced, but since he’s shown his anger and passion over Brexit he has I proved immensely.

The gloves are off.

He has just been in the Today prig with Mishal Hussein. Full of admiration for him. Why was he so unappreciated when he was in office?
Is it the media’s apparently insatiable desire to not listen to what people say, but shoot them down at every opportunity?

I have just found time to watch it. Bravo, Sir John!

To me it is very significant that Major spent seven years as PM actually dealing with the EU and knows just what he is talking about. Whereas Johnson's only previous involvement with the EU was as a reporter. During which time he made up stories about the EU; presumably for a bit of amusement.

Sir John didn't actually say that Johnson is talking off the top of his head (or out of another, lower, portion of his anatomy) but you could feel those unsaid words floating in the ether

I wonder how many tory MPs will take courage from his rallying call; "Country before Party"?

I heard it on the World Service the other night and was very impressed and agreed with everything he said.

He was certainly very animated, articulate and barely drew breath - usually too guarded and over-enunciating.

Oh! I didn't realise HARDTalk was TV! I heard it on the radio.
I come from a different political persuasion but it was the country before party that I appreciated.
...So few people seem to think like that in politics I fear.

It really is worth a watch. Very, very worrying though. An emotional and outstanding argument. I 100% agree.

Always country before party.

Dinahmo Not sure John Major was toeing the party line. On the contrary he was so far over it that SS asked him whether he was considering resigning from the Conservative party.

Lucky, 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

There were lots of groups that could be described as some people including groups with conflicting agendas. I think providing what he was doing had broad support and was to the country's advantage that was sufficient

GillT57 - I think successive PMs have been bobbing back and forth to Brussels for years trying to tweak the deal so that it better suited the UK - mostly without success, which is why we are now in this very unsatisfactory situation.

Did Major not sign up to the Maastrict treaty against fierce opposition? The concerns and factions as regards the EU have been about for a very long time. Sadly we let it all drift until this unhelpful backlash in the unwise referendum gained momentum and led us to where we are now.

The UK, as an island nation, has always had problems with the EU to some degree and in various different ways; and it is very sad that there seemed to be no way to address this in a statesmanlike way before we reached this dreadful impasse and confrontation.

Don’t get too serious gg54 you’ve invested £50k in the opposition don’t forget. You would want to lose that!!

Goodness Gabriella G54, are you having a re-think?

I've just watched the discussion between Stephen Sackur and Sir John Major on HardTalk.
Sir John talks a lot of sense and was clearly emotional about the ruination of Great Britain by leaving the EU, the alienation of not only the 27 other countries but the several new trade deals negotiated by the EU which have recently been concluded.
There was much more and it gives serious food for thought.

Luckygirl 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 do you really think that many people, members of the public were all that concerned about the EU when Major was PM? As far as I can see, most people did not start getting exercised about it until a few years before Cameron succumbed to pressure from the extreme right in his party and let loose the bats of hell with the referendum. Undoubtedly, there were some who were interested or involved in EU politics, but in general, apart from nonsensical stories from the tabloids (remember the bendy bananas, originator, one B Johnson?) most of us didn't care.

I can only think that retirement from politics (or to the back benches) brings out the best in them. I've often listened to retired politicians and thought how reasonable they sounded but thought they were appalling when they were in power. I suppose it' s the wish to keep their party in power for as long as possible that they toe the party line.