The current legislative programme is very worthwhile on the whole, but bores the media silly. Particularly in agency working and family friendly policies important progress is being made, maybe less so in criminal justice, but after eleven years this is all far more about firming up proven successes than setting a fresh course for the country. And although most people may well be content with steady as we go, the media most certainly will not be. Highly ambitious individuals’ careers depend on attracting viewers and readers. Tidying up lose ends does not do that.

Long term issues of public service reform, constitutional reform, narrowing salary differentials and global institutional reform remain to be addressed, but need a slightly longer term approach than a relentless media grid allows the party centre to engage with. In many ways these are issues that are more about a direction of travel and responding to events than susceptible to micro-management.

But two issues do open themselves to direct engagement with voters: credit market regulation and national transport infrastructure. Both have an important EU angle.

The economic conditions are now right to join the Euro. Labour policy has always been that this was politically desirable, and the Conservatives presumably take the opposite view (the Euro could be Cameron’s ‘clause 4’ but that seems a remote possibility). Let us have that debate, and put the question to a referendum to give many the say they clearly desire on Britain’s relationship with Europe. We can make the case for ordinary people and small businesses to have the access to stable low Euro interest rates, that large corporations and wealthy individuals already have, and let voters have their say. And give the media the circus they obviously crave; based on policy not personalities.

Alongside this let us ask the EU to agree to shift funds from the CAP to regional development, and specifically to help build a Eurostar high speed rail network to better connect Britain’s regions, both together and to the European mainland. Specifically, routes to the northeast, northwest and southwest of England should be decided. This offers a real opportunity to help regenerate towns and cities away from London, and to relieve the pressure on housing in and around London. Let now be the time to invest real political attention and capital in deciding the route details, to remove the need for extended planning processes and so to start preparing construction before the next election. Send out a public call for proposals for routes and let Gordon get into the details, where he clearly thrives, under sustained press scrutiny.  If the Crewe by-election has highlighted one thing it is that while there are many opportunities for low-paid work, the kind of regeneration that offers well-paying jobs is thin on the ground in many parts of the country. One issue could be the introduction of road charging to help fund rail construction, to both cut carbon emissions and reduce road traffic. And with direct trains from say Doncaster to Düsseldorf, among many other possibilities, it will make more obvious sense for the UK to join the Schengen visa area.

The last thing we should be doing is planning to loose the next election, but if that was the choice of the voters we would be clear what our legacy was, and set a high standard the Tories would need to match to retain the confidence of voters. But a clear focus for the media for the next couple of years would give the government space to focus on what works rather than what comes over well on the media, and give the party time to debate a real manifesto for change for the next election.