Candid Caller

WHAT state do you think Britain is in? And if you were Prime Minister, what is the first thing you would do for the country? The Candid Caller rang John Major for some answers.

John Major of Lincoln: 'Britain's a bit mixed up right now. It's not entirely my namesake's fault, the whole world seems to be in a state of uncertainty. If I were Prime Minister, I'd call an enormous meeting of everyone who thinks they've got anything to say and at least appear to be listening to everyone's point of view. The first thing I wouldn't do is call an election. I've got my namesake's autograph framed on my office wall, but I don't envy him at the moment.'

John Major of Doncaster: 'Britain isn't in a very good state. If I were Prime Minister, the first thing I'd do is have a look at interest rates and the employment situation - I'm unemployed myself.'

John Major of Belfast: 'Britain is in a poorly state but it's quite capable of getting out of it. There's got to be a realignment of finance with lower interest rates to start business moving again. Being called John Major has been funny in one respect and annoying in others. I've received cheeky telephone calls at all hours of the night blaming me for things like Maastricht.'

John Major of Liverpool: 'Britain's sinking very quick, it's headed down the Swannee because the Tory policies have now got going. If I were the PM the very first thing I'd do is drop interest rates by a good 2 per cent and start opening hospitals instead of closing them all. I take a lot of stick being called John Major]'

John Major of Canon Pyon, Hereford: 'Britain's state could be considerably better. I wouldn't want to be Prime Minister tomorrow, or indeed any other day, but I think the Government's priority has to be to take the lead in improving everyone's confidence. If they don't do anything soon we'll just continue to drift. When John Major won the election, having the same name as him was quite enjoyable, but today it's the complete opposite. I can tell that he's clearly not the most popular man in Britain.'