 As well as his party's dismal showings in the opinion polls, Major's own personal ratings in opinion polls were similarly low.He was now being reviled on an almost daily basis by newspapers whose support the Conservatives had once appeared to have taken for granted.Critics from all corners were also criticising his 'consensus' approach to politics, which contrasted sharply to the confrontational approach of Margaret Thatcher – while others were keen to point out that Major's conciliatory approach to the job was something that many observers had been hoping for when Thatcher left office in 1990.