Stop Listening and Start Talking

So Gordon Brown is to come to the West Midlands in a bid to prove he understands what ordinary people are going through. As well as a meeting of the Cabinet, there will be events where Ministers "listen and learn from the experiences of people in this country," to quote Downing Street.

I kind of wish him luck. Am I the only one who feels he doesn't deserve to be stabbed in the back by his colleagues? It's only 18 months ago that they were claiming he was the best thing since sliced bread.

But I'm not sure this listening and feel our pain business will be enough. What's been most surprising about the Brown premiership is the relative paucity of big ideas.

There have been some constitutional reforms, but mainly technical stuff which doesn't mean much to most people - downgrading the Royal Perogative (taking some power out of the hands of the Prime Minister and giving it to Parliament), abolishing regional assemblies and that sort of thing.

It's reported that some former Cabinet Ministers are planning to publish their own policy proposals, presumably in an effort to promote a more Blairite agenda. This will be seen as another effort to destabilise Mr Brown and perhaps it is, but I think the Prime Minister should consider saying thank you, and stealing their best ideas.