Fowlers Modern English Usage (Oxford), and he affirms that "majority" in this sense MUST have a plural verb.  11:18, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Then, consider that matter settled (guess I'll have to re-check AUE FAQ ;-)). FYI, it's the opposite in SCr  the grammatical subject agrees with the verb rather than logical one. 
 15:07, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)