this dreadful phrase:"hard-working families"

is beginning to drive me mad

it's designed to suck up to people

peter c, devizes, wessex

Labour is policy heavy and a long way from being fit for Government.

anne, bournemouth,

Policy light is a bit better than policy heavy and taxing the public to high heaven to impliment half these useless ideals they have....

N Morgan, Stockport, UK

I usually agree with everything Milburn says put a directly elected NHS is a stupid idea. When sick you call for a doctor not an election, Plato warned of the limits of democracy, when it comes to health leave it to the experts.

Danny, Lancaster, Great Britain

Rrrright, so why not call a snap election?

John P T, Reigate,

Labour will fail because it was ruled for over a decade by a greddy, corrupt, morally bankrupt, mass murderer, war criminal 'Tory Son' who never believed in Labour and Human Rights of the individuals and this is the real face of Labour people have started to believe is. Care for the ordinary people.

A Mahajan, London, Wngland

Common Sense (CS) Policing, CS Health & Safety, CS Taxation, CS Education, CS GP Appointments, CS Speed Cameras, CS with less government – how many more Tory policies does Alan Milburn need to know before they issue their election manifesto?

Brian Christley, Abergele, UK

Alan Milburn believes the Conservatives are 'policy light' does he?

Not really!

It is just something a desperate politician says. It would be like the Captain of the Titanic shouting: "Move those deckchairs faster, damn you!" as the ship slipped beneath the icy waters.

Martin, Telford, UK

They just don't get it, do they! We are heartily SICK of Brown and his taxes. Our money is spent on crackpot schemes - poured down one black hole after another - and when they need more money for another hairbrained initiative, up go taxes. Brown, in cuckooland, is fiddling while Britain burns.

Charles Lamont, Worcester,

We've had governments with "policies" for years now, and look where it's got us. Give me a government that once elected just shuts up, banks their salaries, and leaves the rest of us alone to get on with our lives. The last thing this country needs is yet more policies. We have all the laws we need.

Charlie, London,

Policy light? Well, I'd rather have someone open to new ideas and approaches, without a lot of preset policies in place, than a tired party whose policies are heavy on foolery, waste, cultural decadence, and an anything-goes approach to national identity. Labour is no longer the party of Britain.

J Cline, London,

You say the Tories are 'Policy Light' .... are you surprised?

Every time they propose a policy or initiative, Brown steals it

Alex, Buenos Aires,

Alan Milburn would say that would'nt she. Better to have no policies whatsoever than policies which have been the cause of destruction of this nation and its long suffering, ignored indigenous people. Unfortunately there are even more turbulent times ahead of us. Thank you Ms Milburn and Labour

Dr Johnson, LONDON, COUNTRY OF THE BLIND

Wel you went away once Mr Milburn, could we encourage to do so again.
Labour have failed in a monumental way.From the greatest foreign policy disaster since Suez ,a tax addicted Prime Minister who has proved an even greater failure than his deluded predecessor and incompetence on an industrial scale

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

labour are heading for thier biggest defeat at the 2010 election no matter how many u turns they make and changing leaders won,t make any difference.once they started persicuting a third of the adult population by bringing in a smoking ban then they were on the road to certain defeat.

brian rice, halifax, england

I am not surprised that the Tories are 'Policy Light'.

Every time they propose a policy Brown comes along and tries to implement it.

Sid Jacques, Durham,

Margaret Thatchers campaign slogan in the 1979 election was " Labour isn't working ". Very apt for today.
Alan Milburn lists all these things that need to be done and yet he and his party have had more than 11 years to bring some of these policies in and have not done so. Bring on the Tories

D Down, Okehampton, UK

Milburn is wrong. There are lots of Tory policies - in fact they are so good that usually when they are announced Labour adopts them shortly thereafter! (Inheritance Tax, Non Doms, the Points system for immigration). Labour is intellectually bankrupt and has a lousy leader. Bring on David Cameron.

Bruce Finch, Portsmouth,

that list of policy initiatives sounds like a Tory manifesto!

All of them were vigorously opposed by Labour for years.

If that's what he believes he should join the Tories - he won't get any support from his own side with that shopping list

Willi Dawe, Durham, England

"What has changed is that Cameron wants to take that ground for the Tories. We should have the courage to take it ourselves. "

So you want to steal the ideas of the Tories? Try to be a little more subtle about it.

Labour may be finished, but would the question is would Tories be any better?

James, Leeds, UK

As a low earner - goodbye Alan ! Rock on, the Tories !

David, Swindon, UK

What is wrong with these people? Do they think we are all as deluded as they are?
Labour is'nt working, has never worked, and is on the verge of political extinction thank God; go and get a real job Mr Milburn, as a political force, you and your party are toast.

Michael Rigby, blackburn,

UK PLC is a business and shouldn't be managed by ex postmen, ship stewards, ex journalists and unemployable ex trade union leaders. If a ship steward applied to become a chief executive of a major company do you think he would be offered a job - I think not. Labour is not fit for office.

mike lincoln, wakefield,

"... Labour has yet to develop a coherent postBlair agenda."

There was a coherent pre-Blair agenda?

Things can only get better.

John Bowman, Sarlat, France

Tories are policy-lite until manifesto time, DOH!

That's how to avoid Lab ripping off policies and using access to Gov data to rubbish others.

"No policy" is better than Labour policy.

Lab know what's best for us, tories know that we know best.

Targets, tax & social meddling. Leave us alone!

AndyG, London, Surrey

Wow! it's like reading the "were going to save you, just trust in government" nonsense we are hearing from Obama and Hillary over here in the states. People are beginning to realize government intervention isn't always the answer. Go Tories LOL

9 times out of 10 poverty is caused by one's choices

Blake, San Antonio, TX, USA

Milburn spouting the same tripe in a sad attempt to keep his job in 2010. Labour have had 11 years and delivered nothing. They lie about statistics and fleece the taxpayers. They are unaccountable for their wastage and we have had enough. It's time to pull NuLabour from the trough of public money.

Edward, London,

Alan, I'm not listening.

You can't express empathy when 1.1M lose from the 10p tax mess. Empathy is immediately;
Chopping the price of pre-pay power
Compensating 10p losers
A maximum interest rate
etc etc
and other no cost policies that'll help the poorer.

Use your majority while u can!

Ted, Cheshire,

Unfortunately when a Prime Minister lies to the electorate on a number of occasions e.g. EU referendum, nobody has been affected by the loss of the 10p rate, the election decision had nothing to do with the polls, trust is lost . Nothing the government now says or does will make any difference.

roger, swindon,

Alan,

You, and the other New Labour MPs who voted for The Identity Cards Act 2006, clearly demonstrated your unsuitability for public office because you have either:

a) Not read the Act.
b) Not understood the Act.
c) Put your political career before the interest of the people of this country.

Brian Drury, London Colney, England

What you say would ensure a conservative victory. Lower house prices plus more built will help more. Tax new cars at 30% average and cut taxes with that for the poor. Cheap shots at the sick and disabled are the reason the public thinks you dont get it,
with gold plated pension and perks.

J Thomson, Brighton, England

Levy £5 billion windfall tax on phone companies.

Authorize phone companies to grossly overcharge for mobile phone calls to allow recovery of windfall tax.

The ultimate stealth tax with collection charges borne by the utility and their customers.

Well done New Labour, very well done!

Wullie, Luss, Scotland

What Alan Milburn says will ensure a Conservative victory. First Time buyers will be helped by falling prices + 3 times the number of homes built. Tax car purchace at 30% and give to the poor. Attacks on the sick and disabled is a cheap shot at the most vunreable in society. You just dont get it.

J Thomson, Brighton, England

This article confirms for me that labour is completley out of touch and they have truly lost the plot. Milburn, your arrogance is breathtaking and I look forward to seeing you out on your ear! It is because of your contemptible party and its atrocious policies that I emmigrated to Australia.

Mitch, Melbourne, Australia

What a pile of self-congratulation !.
Judgments have to be made on the recent massive failures which will have long term consequences.
McBroon goes on like a broken record and would embarrass himself in any corporate setting.
And Millie Bland is seen as a successor?
O what joy for the Tories !!

Padraig, Perth, Australia

in your dreams

terry sullivan, morden, england

Tories policy light? He's just stolen several!

perdix, Cheshire, UK

You've had ten years and still made a mess of it, and don't start blaming "credit crunch" etc... The Britain we had had industry, had a great economy which Gordon inherited, and a some semblance of law and order. What have you left us with after ten years? High Taxes and National Wreckage. Go!

Phil A, Headley, UK

"leadership is about steering a consistent course and being clear about both the direction of travel and the point of destination".

Really? How about the withdrawal of CGT taper relief after 10 years? This lost aspirational voters trust. Self inflicted buffeting and anything but consistent.

R Harris, Horsham, UK