This was a question I was musing on earlier on the Fabian Next Left blog, as the reshuffle news was breaking.

That Ed Miliband remains in charge of the manifesto is good news.

And that raises the attractive prospect of Labour's 'fairness' mission for more equal life chances (on which Ed M spoke powerfully in his opening day speech in Manchester) being used to give the manifesto a much more coherent 'red and green' argument for a modern social democracy than has been true at the last three elections. (That was an argument that The Elder Miliband had begun to develop during his own stint as Environment Secretary, and on which his brother might now build).

It will not be easy. But, done properly, that could even yet begin to reconnect the party to the progressive campaigning energy and movements often now often found outside formal party politics.