New Labour is increasingly being accused of announcing 'headline grabbing initiatives' as an alternative to taking the time to work out proper policies, and even more important, to make existing policies and legislation work.

As a consequence much legislation is inadequate for the task it is supposed to fulfill. A current example is the Climate Change Bill, which no less than three parliamentary committees have judged to be inadequate.

Another example of failure to lead, is the current policy on illegal drugs. We are losing the war on this. The Swiss, for example, have turned their situation round by prescribing heroin to all those who have become dependent on it, with the result that taking heroin is no longer 'cool' so fewer people become addicted. People can more easily be weaned off heroin directly in this way than via methadone. The profits of the drug lords have been massively reduced. Would it work here? At least the government could study the scheme carefully, which they do not appear to have done. The gut reaction of many voters might be that the Swiss approach is wrong. But has anyone tried to educate them?