John Major Quotes

A collection of quotes by John Major.

John Major is a British politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997. He was born on March 29, 1943, in Carshalton, Surrey, England. Major attended Rutlish Grammar School before working as a banker for a short time.

In 1979, he was elected to the House of Commons as a member of the Conservative Party, representing Huntingdonshire. Major quickly rose through the ranks of the party and held several ministerial positions including Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Foreign Secretary. He became the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1989 and succeeded Margaret Thatcher as the Prime Minister in November 1990.

Major's time as Prime Minister was marked by significant challenges, including economic recessions and political turbulence within his own party. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Maastricht Treaty, which established the European Union. He also initiated peace talks in Northern Ireland, leading to the signing of the Downing Street Declaration in 1993.

After leaving office in 1997, Major remained involved in public life, focusing on various charitable and business activities. He was knighted in 2005 and continues to speak on political matters, making occasional appearances in the media. Today, John Major is widely respected for his contributions to British politics and his efforts in building a more inclusive society.

I want to see us build a country that is at ease with itself

I want to see us build a country that is at ease with itself, a country that is confident and a country that is able and willing to build a better quality of life for all its citizens.

John Major

Life Quality Buildup Countrylife

The first requirement of politics is not intellect or stamin

The first requirement of politics is not intellect or stamina but patience. Politics is a very long run game and the tortoise will usually beat the hare.

John Major

Politics

I am walking over hot coals suspended over a deep pit at the

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.

John Major

Trouble Troubles

A consensus politician is someone who does something that he

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

John Major

Agreement

The politician who never made a mistake never made a decisio

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

John Major

Politics

If you look at things that really affect people's lives - sp

If you look at things that really affect people's lives - sport, the arts, charities - they were always at the back of the queue for government money - health, social security, defence, pensions were all way ahead. And each of those areas - sports, the arts, the lottery - got relatively petty cash from the government.

John Major

Health

If we want to deliver opportunity for all, we need an econom

If we want to deliver opportunity for all, we need an economy that delivers jobs for the future.

John Major

Future

I think we can get respect for Parliament back providing gov

I think we can get respect for Parliament back providing governments and oppositions are frank.

John Major

Respect

It is time to return to core values, time to get back to bas

It is time to return to core values, time to get back to basics , to self-discipline and respect for the law, to consideration for the others, to accepting responsibility for yourself and your family - and not shuffling it off on other people and the state.

John Major

Family

Society needs to condemn a little more and understand a litt

Society needs to condemn a little more and understand a little less.

John Major

Society

Of course there are regrets. I shall regret always that I fo

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.

John Major

Politics

The sight of allegedly sophisticated politicians parroting c

The sight of allegedly sophisticated politicians parroting complete tripe trivialises and demeans government and it has to be stopped. It's played a significant part in public disillusionment with politics and has led to the absurd situation where more people vote for 'Strictly Come Dancing' than voted in the general election.

John Major

Politics

Well, I think there's a distinction between sexing-up the in

Well, I think there's a distinction between sexing-up the intelligence and sexing-up the presentation of the intelligence.

John Major

Intelligence

Whatever efforts for peace President Gorbachev had in mind,

Whatever efforts for peace President Gorbachev had in mind, they were pretty substantially undercut very swiftly by Saddam Hussein.

John Major

Peace