Putting Labour values into practice
Labour must take this historic opportunity to bring about irreversible change for good in Britain, writes Tony Blair
Rt Hon Tony Blair MP, Prime Minister

Forward to a Labour future or back to the Tory past
Ian McCartney gives a flavour of the ‘doorstep’ manifesto that Labour will put to the people at the next general election
Rt Hon Ian McCartney MP

Breaking new ground
Matt Carter explains why Labour is better prepared now to meet the challenges ahead than at any time since the last general election
Matt Carter

Good old days, bad old days?
Greg Rosen looks back at the divisive Labour Party conference of 1979, which was dominated by bitter recrimination over the general election defeat that May
Greg Rosen

Precious time left for the project of promises
Peter Riddell looks back at Tony Blair’s speech to the 1994 Labour Party conference and assesses how far the vision he set out in Blackpool has become reality
Peter Riddell

Time to throw off the shackles
New Labour should stop trying to be all things to all people and take on powerful interests in order to get working people a better deal, writes Bryan Gould
Bryan Gould

Reshuffle leaves Brown brooding over handover
James Blitz assesses the likely impact that the recent cabinet reshuffle will have on conference week, and on the race to succeed Tony Blair in Downing Street
James Blitz

Curse of the chosen one
Michael White looks at how history has treated heirs apparent to the seats of power
Michael White

History’s comfort blanket for Blair?
Peter Kellner looks at the uncanny similarities between the state of the Conservatives in 1986 and Labour’s pre-election position today
Peter Kellner

Keeping awake in the chamber
As Prime Minister’s question time becomes a predictable affair, and Gordon Brown scowls his way through Treasury questions, it is yet again left to the wandering and wonderful wordplay of John Prescott to keep the sketchwriters entertained, writes Simon Hoggart
Simon Hoggart

Friends or foes?
Mark Seddon traces the complicated compact between Labour and the unions
Mark Seddon

Scars of the media war still raw
John Kampfner looks back on the year that has seen the simmering feud between Downing Street and the media develop into a very bloody conflict, and wonders what is the next stage in the relationship between the government and the fourth estate
John Kampfner

New boys made to bide their time
Greg Hurst explains why most of Labour’s 2001 intake of MPs are still waiting to join the government
Greg Hurst

No love lost for New Labour
Alan Jones takes a look at the main union leaders’ contrasting views on today’s Labour Party
Alan Jones

Happy to be housed half-way
Vernon Bogdanor analyses New Labour’s quiet constitutional revolution
Vernon Bogdanor

Investing with intelligence
Labour is steering the economy on a path of stability, a policy that contrasts sharply with the Tories’ extreme calls for cutbacks and the Liberal Democrats’ ill discipline, explains Paul Boateng
Paul Boateng

Labour levels up
William Keegan traces income inequality in the post-war era and assesses the impact that this Labour government has had on the gap between rich and poor
William Keegan

Cards could still fall against the Chancellor
James Daley on the fundamental economic issues that the government must soon address
James Daley

Capital investment
Michael Snyder on the conditions that need to be set by politicians to ensure that London remains the leading financial centre in the world
Michael Snyder

A universal solution
Frank Field traces the path to the current pension fiasco and outlines the route out of the crisis
Frank Field

A hard day's night
Christine Buckley explores why the British work longer hours than anyone else in Europe, and examines what is being done to rebalance Britons' lives
Christine Buckley

Partnership points the way to progress
Derek Simpson details the progress made by the trade unions in persuading the Labour Party to sign up to key parts of their agenda
Derek Simpson

A choice education
Charles Clarke explains New Labour’s ambitious plans for education, which will see teaching tailored to the aspirations and desires of every individual learner
Charles Clarke

Choice comes down to class
Liz Lightfoot analyses Labour’s schools policy, and wonders whether parents would actually prefer reliable local state schools rather than the ‘choice’ which the main political parties seem determined to give them
Liz Lightfoot

Top of the class?
Richard Garner assesses Charles Clarke’s term as Education Secretary
Richard Garner

Government faces university challenge
Labour’s commitment to open up higher education to all is laudable, but it must remove barriers to flexible studying and properly value the sector’s staff, writes Liz Allen
Liz Allen

Delivering quality and choice for all
John Reid outlines Labour’s plans to effect further progress in our already improving health service
John Reid

The critical costs of choice
The government should be providing disadvantaged people with high quality local services, not exposing them to market forces, argues Frank Dobson
Frank Dobson

Will Tory clothes fit?
Labour’s lifting of Tory ideas on choice in the health service is another example of political rather than clinical priorities driving policy, explains Nigel Hawkes
Nigel Hawkes

Getting serious about smoking
The wide-ranging health and economic benefits of banning smoking in public places are undisputed, so the government must carefully lay the preparations for a full-scale ban, argues Howard Stoate
Howard Stoate

Consumption crisis
The message on healthy eating is dying of financial starvation, writes David Taylor
David Taylor

Empowering the patient
How will more choice improve health services for patients? Margaret Mythen investigates
Margaret Mythen

New ideas on the runway
Tony McNulty shows how the government is working hard to find an acceptable middle ground between the ever-growing aviation industry and the need to restrict environmental damage
Tony McNulty

The train not set to take the strain
Punctuality rather than increased capacity may be the priority for our railways, but this strategy does nothing to ease the pressure on our congested roads, writes Ben Webster
Ben Webster

The sense in sharing
Car use and crowded roads are growing problems that must be tackled, writes Peter Pike
Peter Pike

Focusing on the facts
Horrific tales of human suffering too often get lost behind the asylum headlines but, as Des Browne explains, the government is working hard to separate the genuine claims from the bogus
Des Browne

Robbed of respect
Tony Thompson on why drug-related crime and gun culture mean that today’s police are ill-equipped to tackle the modern criminal
Tony Thompson

Restorative justice works
Frances Crook argues that prison places should be reserved for dangerous criminals, and punishment for other offenders should be based on restorative principles
Frances Crook

Enlightening the electorate’s experience
Peter Hain argues that people are still interested in politics, so it is up to the House of Commons to shed light on the shadowy and secretive corridors of Westminster
Peter Hain

In-built Tory barrier blocks progress
Baroness Amos looks forward to developing a modern, reformed upper chamber which effectively complements the House of Commons
Baroness Amos

A Commons complaint
Perhaps it would be wiser to decide what we want the House of Lords to do before we work out how it is reformed, writes Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath OBE

Building the new creative cool
While the efforts of Cool Britannia to codify culture were doomed to fail, government and lottery funded bodies and projects have helped put our creative industries into a healthier state than ever, writes Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell

Concentration of minds
Owen Gibson analyses the impact of the Hutton report on the relationship between the Labour government and the BBC
Owen Gibson

Constructing communities
Housing policy is about more than just bricks and mortar, writes Keith Hill
Keith Hill

A new chapter of change
Jack McConnell explains how Labour is working to build a self-confident Scotland based on social justice, enterprise and ambition
Jack McConnell

Good idea – in practice
Rhodri Morgan reflects on a year of political and personal Welsh sorrow, but looks ahead to the struggle for further Labour-led advances in Wales
Rhodri Morgan

The gathering storm
Robbie Dinwoodie on the effect north of the border of Jack McConnell’s conversion to Blairism
Robbie Dinwoodie

Fact not fairytale must frame future
Denis MacShane welcomes the coming debate on Europe and is determined to build the case for engagement from first principles
Denis MacShane

Cutting edge not cutting back
Geoff Hoon says the British government is investing in the latest technological systems, structures and equipment to ensure that our armed forces are prepared for modern warfare
Geoff Hoon

Out of the shadows
Hilary Benn catalogues the measures that must be taken to ease the suffering and stigma of those infected by HIV/Aids and to help prevent the spread of the disease
Hilary Benn

Selling the whole European package
George Foulkes says the coming referendum on the EU constitution gives pro-Europeans the chance to win the argument in favour of full UK engagement with our continental partners
George Foulkes

Time to stop the juggernaut
Ian Davidson says the proposed constitution reflects the worst of the EU’s current failings – obsession with controlling inflation, Commission power over member states, and the unfairness of the Common Agricultural Policy
Ian Davidson

Rehabilitation and rebuilding
Ann Clwyd reports on the transition from dictatorship to democracy in Iraq
Ann Clwyd

The cost of going it alone
Anne Penketh considers the long term diplomatic consequences of the US and UK-led actions in Iraq
Anne Penketh

Reconnecting with American values
Congressional correspondent Bruce Carey gives his view of the US Democratic Party’s development and puts in historical context the challenges facing its current presidential candidate
Bruce Carey

Euro hot seat awaits
The Prime Minister is set for a second crack at the EU presidency, but with a number of pressing issues awaiting him, not least a referendum back home, Robin Oakley predicts testing times ahead
Robin Oakley

Rejoining the fray
After Iraq and controversy over the constitutional treaty, British MEPs must work hard to restore the UK’s tarnished reputation in Brussels, writes Gary Titley
Gary Titley

The trouble with long-distance relationships
Victor Bulmer-Thomas says the future of the UK-US relationship hinges on the success, or otherwise, of the EU’s common foreign and security policy
Victor Bulmer-Thomas OBE

World waking up to climate danger
Margaret Beckett explains how the UK is tackling climate change on the domestic and international levels
Margaret Beckett

The nuclear option
Can renewables deliver the necessary cuts in carbon emissions, or must we give the nuclear industry another chance? John Vidal on the debate that currently divides environmentalists
John Vidal

Government on horns of animal dilemma
Labour has got itself in knots by promoting animal welfare and pandering to major pharmaceutical firms, and as the protests against experimentation become increasingly violent it is time for the government to legislate, writes Gareth Walsh
Gareth Walsh

Tax timidity condemns third term
Austin Mitchell reflects on 12 months which saw the continuing retreat from core Labour values
Austin Mitchell

Foundations shaken by hospital and fees plans
Gisela Stuart looks back over a parliamentary year dominated by the passing of controversial legislation that threatened Labour’s seemingly invincible Commons majority
Gisela Stuart

After the party
Do dwindling party membership figures sound the death-knell for political parties as we know them? Paul Miller investigates
Paul Miller

Still Labour’s trump cards
Tony Blair said the success of his second term would be measured by the government’s ability to deliver improvements in public services. Sunder Katwala considers the judgement that voters are likely to reach
Sunder Katwala

A curious commons career
Donald Anderson reviews ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Science, Politics and Trust: A Parliamentary Life’, by Jeremy Bray
 Donald Anderson

Unrepresentative and unresolved
In comparison to other professions, politics has been painfully slow in increasing a gender balance in the workplace, and while Labour is working hard to improve this situation the failure of the other parties to do so will leave Westminster unrepresentative, writes Meg Munn
Meg Munn

A vision for the voters
Labour must use this party conference to clearly articulate bold policies for what could be a pivotal third term for the party and the country, says Stephen McCabe
Stephen McCabe

Rethinking life values
The government must protect the unborn child and introduce comprehensive support for women facing pregnancy crises, writes Jim Dobbin
Jim Dobbin

Remembering the risk to women
Baroness Gould of Potternewton argues that a clear and well-informed debate, where all the facts are truthfully presented, must take place before any decisions on changes to laws on women’s rights to abortions are altered
Baroness Gould of Potternewton

The end of ‘ancient’ Labour
Chris Moncrieff looks at the contribution to Parliament made by Tam Dalyell, who retires from the House of Commons at the next general election
Chris Moncrieff

Brighton does it better
David Lepper updates conference-goers on what has changed in Brighton and Hove since Labour last visited in 2001
David Lepper

The trouble with trusting polls
Paul Whiteley argues that the accuracy of opinion polls will only increase with greater public awareness of politics
Paul Whiteley

The numbers don’t add up
Barry Sheerman calls for a thorough investigation into the integrity of the polling industry and a more stringent set of regulatory standards. Overleaf, Bob Worcester of MORI addresses the issues raised
Barry Sheerman

Polling publicity takes its toll
Responding to Barry Sheerman’s call for an investigation into the polling industry, Bob Worcester says serious pollsters have nothing to hide
Robert Worcester

Strong self-regulation to keep the stats straight
Barry Sheerman replies to Bob Worcester’s article on the scrutiny of the polling industry
Barry Sheerman