That's showbiz
Sir: Andrew Rawnsley's attempt to defend his programme Bye Bye Blues is disingenu- ous (Letters, 18 October). It is true that I would have preferred to proceed with the committee stage of the Maastricht Bill immediately after the Danish referendum. But the decision not to do so was not the result of indecisiveness by John Major, nor did I imply any such thing. The decision was taken after taking advice from a num- ber of senior ministers involved and there was a strong positive consensus for it at the time. I share the responsibility for that decision even though, with hindsight, it may not have been the right one.
The lesson in all this is that people like me should not give extensive interviews to journalists masquerading as historians, I shall not do so again. The programme is more revealing about the instant, superficial and showbiz nature of much modern politi- cal journalism than it is about John Major's government or his prime ministership.
Tristan Garel-Jones 12 Catherine Place, London SW1
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