John Major was not as bad as all that

I am about to offer a controversial opinion. That John Major really wasn't that much of a failure as Prime Minister. 

It cannot be said that he didn't achieve much. He pushed the Maastricht treaty through parliament, had gravitas and led Britain through a severe downturn and towards the 15 years of heavy growth that followed. He made significant progress in Northern Ireland and stood on his principles in many cases. 

Obviously the downside is that he lied to people in the 1992 election campaign (he knew he would have to raise taxes). He was incapable of making a decision and nearly led the Conservative party to its death. But he won the largest number of votes in modern times (in 1992) and was a brilliantly popular constituency MP. Of course these achievements pale when looked at in conjunction with the way his successor and predecessor radically changed Britain. But he was a nice man and gave everyone a much needed break from the mad, breakneck pace that was Thatcherism.