WHEN Sir John Major gave his stark warning about the SNP threat today, he also sparked memories of the last outright Conservative election victory.

That was way back in 1992, of course, when – as a Tory prime minister behind in the polls and facing defeat – he ripped up the campaign rulebook and took an old soap box around the country.

Gone were strictly-controlled visits to factories and hospitals. In their place, genuinely-thrilling combat with real voters who were invited to throw him difficult questions from the crowd.

At the weekend, David Cameron hinted at something similar, when he told the BBC: “I will be, in the next few days, taking to the streets…..”

Well, it hasn’t happened yet. The prime minister spent today with an invited audience in West Yorkshire, before visiting offices and firms.

But there are many Conservatives who believe this safety-first strategy is tanking and that Mr Cameron must embrace politics in the raw, to show voters he is still hungry for office.

Strikingly, when Sir John was asked if a soap box was needed, there was a chorus of “yeahs” from Tory activists (although the former prime minister ducked the issue).

Will Mr Cameron change course? The risk was laid bare when a stray heckler got close today and shouted "The NHS is dying. Not talking about that, are you?”

Meanwhile, some good news, amid dire warnings about the huge numbers dropping off the electoral rolls and fears of another low turnout.

Almost half a million people registered to vote yesterday – including 137,000 under-24s – after publicity about last night’s deadline to do so.

There is long tradition of voting in school halls, but also a growing backlash because parents are suddenly required to sort out childcare on election day, it seems.

Growing numbers of head teachers are asking to be spared the duty, often because of the “disruption caused to parents and pupils”.

However, if your child’s school is due to close, there may be no way out - under election law, schools can be forced to act as polling stations.

Quote of the Day: Ex-Conservative Cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, bemoaning Mr Cameron’s lack of a common touch, said: “Men like Churchill, Atlee, Bevan, were real men with real depths of experience.”

Gaffe of the Day: Nigel Farage, on the lack of non-white faces in the UKIP manifesto, decided to keep digging, insisting: “There was one fully black person. There was another one of our leading spokesman who is half black…..”