Can John Major's government succeed?: Winner turned loser? Within a year of John Major's unexpected victory, the very survival of his government has been called into question

IN ALL the debate and plain vitriol lavished on John Major's government since its re-election, little has been heard from those with first-hand experience of government and administration: ministers, civil servants, industrialists and management specialists.

We asked three people of eminence in their own fields - Lord Prior, Sir Leo Pliatzky and Edmund Goldberger - to consider in the light of their experience, whether this is, as some have said, the least competent government ever, to diagnose where the problems lie and to suggest how they might be remedied.

Regrettably, but perhaps understandably, none of the dozen or so commercial and academic management consultants approached felt able to contribute - though all laughed loudly and joyously when they heard the question. Several cited pressure of work as their reason for declining. Others offered a different explanation: they had government contracts and felt they could not risk going public.

Off the record, however, they were universally damning. One believed that 'the whole confounded government has lost its way. It is just drift, drift, drift'. 'The civil servants,' said another, 'are running rings around ministers. The Civil Service is retrenching. It is almost back to where it wants to be.' The consistency of their response suggests a prevailing view in these circles which deserves to be placed on record. Yes, it runs, this is undoubtedly the least competent government we have had; if not ever, then for a very long time. It has too little experience of the world outside politics and lacks clear policy objectives beyond the need to cope with the crisis of the moment.

In new year interviews with the BBC and Sir David Frost, the Prime Minister was confident that the economy is heading for recovery. The consultants' view seems to be that any recovery will owe more to luck than to judgement.