The starting gun is fired

Posted by Theo Blackwell at Tue, 30/06/2009 - 5:05pm in

Mandate blog was on hand to witness Gordon Brown launch what was first dubbed in Whitehall his 'National Plan' for 2009/10 - now called Building Britain's Future.

Starting his nationwide tour, in a quickfire speech Brown cited a letter from a UK pensioner who had written to him praising improvements for various members of their family through the NHS, the introduction of the Minimum Wage, university expansion, more apprenticeships, Surestart and pension credits. 

These, he argued, were government achievements worth defending - attempting to portray these and other government achievements in a positive light, as against a negative message of Conservative cuts to government expenditure.    

Instead of central government targets, Brown wants entrenched 'entitlements' - essentially the codification of key performance means - and hoping that public service users will see these now as individual rights (presumably worth defending at the next election) which can be pursued against local health authorities or councils.

In a widely tipped nod to White Van Man, Brown announced a house building programme for affordable homes - a new total of 110,000 over two years - from funds diverted from planned capital expenditure in the Home Office and the Department of Transport.  A 'Local homes for local people' policy was mooted to level a perceived unfair playing field in council house allocations.

Not unfairly others have called it a manifesto, and the unofficial launch of the election campaign.

Tagged with: