John Major
FameRank: 8

"Sir John Major", is a Conservative Party (UK)/British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)/Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. He previously held the posts of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs/Foreign Secretary in the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher/Thatcher Government and was the Member of Parliament (UK)/Member of Parliament for Huntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)/Huntingdon from United Kingdom general election, 1979/1979 to United Kingdom general election, 2001/2001. Major was Margaret Thatcher's preferred choice as her successor.

Within weeks of becoming Prime Minister, Major presided over British participation in the Gulf War in March 1991 and negotiated the Maastricht Treaty in December 1991.

Despite the British economy being in recession, he went on to lead the Conservatives to a fourth consecutive election victory, winning the most votes in British electoral history with over 14 million in the United Kingdom general election, 1992/1992 general election albeit with a much reduced majority in the House of Commons. He remains to date the last Conservative Leader to win an outright majority at a general election.

If you enjoy these quotes, be sure to check out other famous politicians! More John Major on Wikipedia.

I inherited a sick economy and passed on a sound one. But one abiding regret for me is that, in between, I did not have the resources to put in place the educational and social changes about which I cared to much; I made only a beginning, and it was not enough.

This is David expressing a personal view that many people will agree with but it isn't party policy.

A moratorium around election time to end some of these shenanigans would be appropriate.

The new rules are not necessarily unfair.

I am walking over hot coals suspended over a deep pit at the bottom of which are a large number of vipers baring their fangs.

Of course there are regrets. I shall regret always that I found my own authentic voice in politics. I was too conservative, too conventional. Too safe, too often. Too defensive. Too reactive. Later, too often on the back foot.

The politician who never made a mistake never made a decision.

A consensus politician is someone who does something that he doesn't believe is right because it keeps people quiet when he does it.

An answer ready to go.