Last week, I was lucky enough to hear Douglas Alexander, an underrated Cabinet minister who has done great things for Scotland, offer the first intellectual critique of the Conservative facelift that I've heard from a Labour MP. The speech deserved a wider audience simply because it drew the dividing lines between this government and the Tories in stark terms, with a few funny lines thrown in. As we all know, 'Dave' wrote the Tory election manifesto only last year and has spent the past nine months since his leadership election tearing out the pages with unpopular policies on them. Having realised he'd a new notepad, Cameron and his cabal have been doodling aimlessly. No surprises that the ex-PR man's good on telly, but light on policy.

As I listened to Alexander and chatted with some party colleagues afterwards, I was reminded (especially at this difficult time) just how vital it is for a drained government to construct a narrative that appeals to the public and demonstrate that we are still the progressive party rather than the UK version of the Republicans with a decent mouthpiece. The perception seems to be that education's a mess (funny, given those rising results, our early years reforms, the widening of participation at universities and the rollout of a serious attempt to catch those who have fallen through the net), our leader's an American puppet (remember Sierra Leone and Kosovo?) and that we've forgotten about those who struggle to make ends meet (what about the minimum wage, the New Deals and our ambitions to end child poverty?).

Talking about a General Election in abstract terms when we are unsure of its date, who'll be leading the Party and the issues that will matter to an ever-changing electorate is great for the strategists, but no real help in the short term. Reconnecting with the voters we've lost in the meantime shouldn't simply be about crafting a new message or disassociating ourselves from the more unpalatable actions of the government, but talking to the next generation about our ambitions for change, which could go something like this:

*Lifting those who struggle just to get by out of poverty

*Truly creating equality of opportunity (for everyone who faces any form of discrimination from, for example, the ethnic minorities, to lesbians, bisexuals and homosexuals as well as single mums and dads)

*Building an education system that doesn't put barriers in the way of those eager to learn, but actually knocks them down (in schools, in the community, in higher and further education as well as for those who never had the opportunity to study as today's young learners do)

*Redefining Britain's role in the world for the 21st century (answers on the back of a postcard, because my head hurts!)

It's not easy or great fun unless you're a policy wonk, but for everyone passionate about the Labour Party the great debate should be reinvigorating. The pleasing thing is that senior figures within the Party are beginning to recognise that ten-point plans won't fix Britain and the Labour activists whose eyes widened back in '97 are preparing to produce a positive message for Labour on campuses come September.

- Daniel Crawford is chair of Exeter Labour Students for 2006-07.