[john major] much maligned, sound mind

Tim Montgomerie says: Sir John Major yesterday delivered a blunt warning to Conservative right-wingers: back David Cameron and his return to the centre ground of British politics, or face a fourth general election defeat. I’m not going to be popular for saying this but I always thought Major was much maligned and ran quite a good ship. Wikipedia further says of him: Major took his campaign onto the streets, famously delivering many addresses from an upturned soapbox, as in his Lambeth days. This "common touch" approach stood in contrast to the Labour Party's more slick campaign and it chimed with the electorate. Another one of this ilk was Harry S Truman, in the US, though a different character of course. Spitting Image did for John Major in the end and I, for one, felt that was a pity. He also fought intense disloyalty. In his own words, concerning the critics: I could name eight people – half of those eight are barmy. How many apples short of a picnic? [1993]