Amazingly sharp at age 80 what a legend.

I’m a railwayman and Sir John Major I have the utmost respect for you. I’m 58 and I’ve had a wonderful life. I left school with no qualifications but have been fortunate to be in employment all my life. I’m just very grateful. I have a lovely family. Thank you Sir.

John has aged really well. A very thoughtful man, glad to see such serious interviews

Major is very impressive in his grasp and eloquence.

I have great respect for John Major.

He really hasn't changed his views much. This is the same man that tried to tie us into what we now know for sure would have been a catastrophic monetary union. Then burned down our goal reserves in an afternoon in a futile attempt to prop up the pound. He makes myriad spurious assertions and should have been challenged more. Since the UK left the EU, the EU share of world gdp has gone from 29.x% of world gdp, to below 14.85%. The speed of that decline has outpaced even the worst predictions put forward in 2016 on its way to what has been called the critical point of collapse. 10%. Yet, despite that, UK trade with the EU is up!. Inward investment is up. European countries which are our peers are in full blown recession with the most unstable banking situation in the developed world and the currency itself is systemically unsustainable. I could go on and on. All this despite 14 years of utterly incompetent government. If the argument is yes but we could have done more. I would heartily agree. Perhaps he could discuss that with the present generation of incompetents. I would be all for access to the common market itself. But not if it comes with political ties. As for rejoining the EU in a generation. It is questionable if it will exist in anything like it's present form. There was much I agree with and it is nice to hear a politician that sounds a bit more serious. But as likable as he is, I am so glad he will not also be coming back. Cameron is already more than I could bear.

how much better well spoken he is compared to the absolute losers on the frontbenches now...

It's a shame they didn't include the speech Major gave before he sat down with Andrew Neil at the QEII centre because the interview references it.

What an intelligent man , is him that should be primer minister , what a brain! I like very much to hear him talk , because he is so, rigth , he knows what he is talking about , with all accuracy.

neil looks like he's gonna pop any moment.

It’s funny how these things work. I did not like John Major or Neil Kinnock. Now I think they are brilliant elders statesmen who I respect.

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but I think John Major was a remainer.

I can only wish to be this sharp and cogent at 80 years old.

Unusually Andrew Neil gave Mr Major a very easy ride.

The only man to run away from the circus to join an accountants

When hope fades, routine persists

This must surely have been the nicest time any politician has ever had being interviewed by Andrew Neil.

Sad to hear the myth that the aircraft carriers don't nt have planes repeated. One of them is literally operating them as we speak.

Remember when these two guys were on telly?

he gave a speech at my school. Major is the only PM of my lifetime I half respected

I am amazed this happened - as Andrew Neil has been very critical of John Major's premiership during the 1990s. It should also be noted that Major is one of the reasons that Brexit happened - what with his policy of the UK being in the ERM. It says a lot about our current political situation when we have two failures(Neil and Major) doing this venture.

Looks the same , voice is not that of an eighty year old - how does he do it?

What exactly is Major going to re-negotiate differently than before when it comes to re-entering the Single Market? Not the 4 pillars, especially freedom of movement. What else is it there, agriculture policy? Like Norway, etc. It's all POLITICALLY fairly minor...it could work if the majority supports this, but let's not pretend its not going to be anything major at the present time.

Its alot different here than it is in los angeles

I've always thought that any sane country's defence and foreign policy should be armed to the teeth yet always willing to build bridges.

I have great respect for this veteran politician Mr John Major. He speaks common sense, which many of the Oxbridge-trained students who enter into mainstream politics with PPE Tripos, can learn from, in the real world.

Rare to hear a serious Conservative politician. Good to see.

My apology to Major he was right all along about Brexit and as Brexiter I am utterly gutted by half baked Brexit!

Easy to talk about cross-party cooperation, while Major himself back in the day was very much anti-Labour😅Yes, that's what's needed, but there's a reason its so seemingly hard to do

Diingat selalu ya Islam.

Oh my, does this man not realise that many of us remember his part in opening British borders. Perhaps the money that has cost could have been spent on social care, education, and the armed forces. If we are doing anything well it is in spite of people like you not because of your time in government.

Yes you did. The Tories have trashed the British military.

I see that John Major is stopping his right hand from shaking at about 2:50. I do hope he is not in early stage Parkinsons

I think it suits Britain being a soft superpower.. can influence in many ways and with less hassle. Smartest number 1 empire dwindle ever. I think the Americans and Chinese could learn from Britain... the Romans and other leading empire etc had a very bad decline. Yes there are some Brits who long for days Britain was number 1 but they lack foresight, it was also very costly.

These two used to hate each other

Unchallenged remoanerism and Trump derangement syndrome - really had hoped for more insight and thoughtful discussion

Extra spending on defence! No! Basically we are nearing 2.5% NATO contributions but the pro Europeans want to fund a European army by means of reintegrating UK in European institutions. If Russia was a threat we would face them in Ukraine before they stepped closer. Cameron has already ruled out boots on the ground. So where’s the need for increased defence spending.

Utter bs

😊👍🇬🇧

His problem was, he became prime minister too early because my name is policies in this day and age would be more mainstream news more better than the previous prime minister under Conservative government now his time pm was shit if he was in now uk would been strong am soldier and his time looking at the figures, he didn’t cur the Armed Forces massively like l current gov

27:36 Trump didn't give us a deal either and I'd wager, if he gets back in, he still won't. If we are going to get any kind of deal it will be strictly on The U.S' terms.

He’s one of the last epic political figures left. They go out like a tide every decade or so.

He misses the point on Brexit (despite making valid points), but 100% right about how the UK needs to spend significantly more on defence

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:24 *🌍 John Major, in 2013, highlighted the shift towards soft power, but recent global events like Ukraine, Middle East, and Taiwan challenge that narrative.* 01:33 *💔 Reduction in hard power post-Berlin Wall collapse was a mistake; the assumption that liberal democracy had triumphed was unwise.* 03:23 *🌐 More people live under autocracies than democracies; Western nations must proactively advocate for democracy to prevent further decline.* 05:14 *🛡️ John Major emphasizes the importance of increasing defense spending for global influence, especially considering outdated military equipment and manpower shortages.* 09:11 *😟 A sense of malaise in the UK due to stagnant living standards for the past 15 years, financial collapse aftermath, and questionable policy decisions.* 13:46 *🇬🇧 Despite being second in soft power rankings, the UK faces challenges like the impact of Brexit on trade, weak investment, and rising tax burdens.* 15:47 *🔄 Need for a long-term plan, beyond short political cycles, to address challenges like artificial intelligence, trade, and national health service reform.* 19:32 *📰 Major expresses concern about foreign autocracies owning prominent UK media brands, stating that beyond a certain level, it could be detrimental to British interests.* 21:32 *🌐 UK's soft power is linked to its close relationship with the United States. Concerns about potential isolationist policies by the U.S. could impact UK's soft power.* 22:57 *🛡️ A shift in U.S. isolationism might require the UK to increase military expenditure and engage diplomatically to prevent such a scenario.* 27:13 *💔 Brexit has reduced the UK's relevance and influence, particularly in trade negotiations, impacting its soft power globally.* 31:41 *🌍 Full rejoining of the EU seems unlikely, but rejoining the single market is considered a potential avenue to mitigate economic damage caused by Brexit.* 33:33 *🌏 Rejoining the single market might mean being a rule-taker, but negotiation possibilities exist based on the UK's economic significance.* 36:59 *🌐 Limited but subsidiary influence in the Middle East. Maintaining relationships is crucial, especially considering potential shifts in U.S. influence.* 38:37 *🇮🇷 While cautious optimism remains, continuing efforts to influence Iran, especially among its younger generation, are seen as important for the liberal West.* 40:58 *🗳️ John Major sees differences between the current political landscape and the situations in the 1992 and 1997 elections, emphasizing unique factors in each period.* 42:19 *📊 John Major highlights economic achievements during his term, including reducing interest rates, curbing inflation, achieving 3.5% growth, and halving unemployment.* 43:28 *💼 Major underscores the historical challenge of controlling inflation and how his government successfully managed to break the inflationary spiral, leaving a more stable economy.* 43:42 *📉 Despite economic successes, Major acknowledges the significant electoral loss in 1997, emphasizing the differences in circumstances compared to the present political landscape.* Made with HARPA AI

I was enjoying it until he started bad mouthing Brexit. The British People voted for it, who is he to ridicule them?

John speaks sense in broad terms but does peddle myths about our trade with the EU which has been declining every year since 1999. It's a declining market and he needs to accept that.

A welcome relief to listen to an intelligent thoughtful conservative.

The British are front and centre in this current proxy war with Russia. This whole thing would've ended two years ago... if the UK hadn't of pushed for it to continue. Everyone else is in catch-up mode, to the UK's unequivocal military support of the Ukrainian nationalists. Their military have 'fallen in love' with the thousands of Ukrainian nationalists troops they're training in the UK. The UK has a professional army, to them it's a job and now they've mixing with soldiers with pure hate in their hearts. This really turns them on. They can't get enough of it. Since at least the 2018 Salisbury poisonings, the UK has been 'unofficially' in a state of ( cold ) war with Russia. They believe Russia is a paper tiger that the Russian president enjoys his riches too much to ever retaliate. They can push him as far as they want, there is no boundary.... and the entire planet prays they're right.

I didn't know John Major was still a thing.

Yeah me being taxed at 40% to guve it away in foreign aid whilst importing yet more, great idea john

The stuff about Brexit was nonsense. Britain was rarely the leader of the EU or its "premier spokesman". France and Germany have always had privileged access to those roles. The ultimate direction of ever closer union in the EU would have left Britain with no distinctive voice of its own at all. What voice has Yorkshire in the world? If Yorkshire became independent of the UK, it would at least have a small voice (God help us), equivalent to the Irish Republic, say. Maybe we're poorer because of Brexit, but there's little evidence of it and Covid has been far, far more important in damaging our economy, so why bother mentioning Brexit?

2 crying mono party remainers, cant wait

Good for his age, but still same old John Major. The first of a continually depressing PM's. Andrew Neil looks in terrible shape.

It’s a shame Major didn’t display any wisdom when he was PM. He was less than an impressive figure. He obviously hasn’t got over Brexit, either. He wanted us to have the Euro of course, so that shouldn’t be a surprise.

🧇🧇🧇waffle waffle waffle.

There's a word missing from the title, he's SIR John Major. Please correct it?

John Major is very posh. Posh people are the best people.

B4 I began to watch this, I read the title and thought: I bet Major will somehow, at some point bang on about Brexit. He reminds me of Heseltine. whenever, he's asked about why the sky is blue or what will be for lunch, he'll always manage to blame brexit as to why his lunch is late. I'm sorry Major/Heseltine, your rantings about brexit simply aren't bourne out by the data. Further, if you're in an unhappy marriage that you don't like, you don't stay in it for economic reasons. And that's based on their understanding, not the facts. Is Germany in the EU? How's its economy doing?

Dipping his wick in the curry pot. Dirty bounder. ❤

An irrelevant voice.

At 80 he sounds more on the ball than most people in politics, kind of sad. Over the sea both Biden (81) & Trump (77) are not as cogent, I wish we had less glitz in politics and more sensible talking.

Majors whole career since leaving office is working as a lobbist for the EU and making millions. Might have tainted his view..

Oh no john, not English nationalism, how out of touch are you

Major's fairly good at remembering his lines

This guy was the worse PM this country has ever had ... He has no credibility, best ignored

I see John Major has been using his retirement years to hone his greyness into even more boring and bland shades of grey, to the extent that he is now almost both invisible and inaudible. Even his boring tie has more charisma than its wearer; indeed the only interesting thing about John Major is how he is able to be so lifeless and dull and not be an inanimate object.

Investing in military is investing in people and capability, a much better investment then how much % of Government expenditure that is waisted on rainbow roads, pink police vans, girl pop groups in Sudan etc etc not to mention all manner of NGOs and quangos and charities that don't do jot.