It is a very long way to go before the next election, though I get the feeling that, even though we as a party are so divided on the subject of the Iraq War, we all hope that it is less of an issue at the next election than it was at the last.

Nevertheless, Military Families Against the War looks like it is seeking to keep this issue on the agenda - and the longer we stay in Iraq, the more young soldiers will be killed in action, fuelling their campaign.

On the positive side, we will have a new team to present to the public after elections for Leader and Deputy Leader and the inevitable subsequent reshuffle. We might also be able to pull together a manifesto that credibly offers the public a "next step" in the building of a better Britain.

While it's easy to blame Tony Blair for leaving us an electoral mountain to climb - or to blame MFAW for allowing their children to join the armed forces, as Labour members and supporters, we are left having to handle a poll in the face of a tired and cynical public.

I believe the next General Election Manifesto will be, for us, one of the most important written. Management speak about public service reform or bluster about crime and anti-social behaviour aren't going to cut it this time. We need to stand on a record of our achievements, accept our failures with humility and present a programme that offers some vision, some sense of a leap forward in the quality of life of the British public.

If we can give the voters a hint of a taste on their tongues of a better Britain, and if we have the confidence in ourselves that we can deliver it, then we can overcome the hurdles ahead take the fight to the Tories at the next election.

And if we can beat them next time, maybe we will finally have consigned Toryism to the dustbin of history...

...but what exactly should be in this visionary manifesto fo a better Britain?