I'm afraid I tend to bang this drum a little too often, however I feel that due to various influences (I tend to place much of the blame squarely on the shoulders of 'media'), 'issues' have been seperated from 'politics'.

For example, I would imagine every left-leaning citizen wants to see the end to child poverty, and many will join Oxfam etc to further that aim. However not many will join the one organisation that has lifted 700,000 children out of poverty - namely, the Labour Party.

Bear in mind I have no problem with people being a member of single-issue organisations - they are integral to our democracy. However, instead of feeling they have to break down the perceived 'citadels of authority' from the outside, people should be made aware that there is another way - just become a member of your preferred party! The most effective way to be heard and to have an impact is to have your say outside in a collective organisation, and inside a political party as well.

We need to reattach the idea of issues being the reason political parties exist. Everyone in the Labour Party knows the reasons they're in the Labour Party. We need to communicate that to a wider audience, and not let anyone tell us that being in a political party is somehow a 'dirty' or unworthy thing.

"The first is how to conduct a debate about ongoing NHS reform when the subject is very complicated and highly emotive."

It's emotive partly because Labour in opposition spent years shroud-waving whenever there was a chance of being nasty to the Tories; and for Labour people to ask for rational debate is rich when, as has often been pointed here and elsewhere, its own reaction to criticism or disagreement is hysteria, bullying, abuse, and personal attack (often centring on the alleged discreditable motives and/or beliefs of those disagreeing).

The first thing Labour needs to do is to learn to treat opponents with respect, listen to their arguments, and accept them if correct. But you will never do that. Intolerance is at the heart of socialism.

To rejuvenate our party we need it to be a campaigning organisation. Our priority must be to be effective representatives for working people - not to be the best at running the state in a capitalist society (of course the two are not necessarily counterposed but it would be a mistake to think that they are the same thing either).

As for engaging in a debate about health service reform with those who may be campaigning to save hospitals for the closure of which a good case could be made - well I don't think anyone who supports investing in a replacement for Trident will ever be able to do so.

When we clearly and consistently prioritise public services and regain the public trust which we have lost and are using, we may be trusted to have the debate.

The problem is that there are always reasons because of the movement of population why we would need to close and open or add to previous hospitals. The problem is that any closure can be represented to those ignorant of what is really going on as a public service cut even when it isn't. Partly that has arisen because of some of the government's mistake but on the other hand we are so ready to suspect even a government that has increased NHS spending by so much. http://gracchii.blogspot.com/

We have made a rod for our own backs.  We should never have fought an election on the slogan Schools and Hospitals.  They are the means, not the end.  And in each case rather imperfect means.  Hospitals are an expensive way of making sick people sicker.  We developed the idea when most people's homes were so primitive as to be dangerous.  We should be talking about health, and spending money preventing people from getting ill.  The biggest disgrace is the collapse of sexual health services.  If any other infectious disease were allowed to spread without any effective measures taken to stop it there would be an outcry.  But the people who need the clap clinics are unlikely to be organising any demonstrations.