Who has all the best ideas?

This week the Government has adopted two Conservative policies.

First, we had the proposal by the new minister that private companies be invited to do what the Government has failed to do, to reduce the number of people capable of work but languishing on incapacity benefit.

The companies would be paid, perhaps as much as £60,000, for each person successfully transferred to work. "Successfully" here means still in work after a stipulated time. It is a no-win no-fee system sometimes used by lawyers. Having berated Tories when they proposed it, but now desperate to show some success, any success, Tories should repent over the sinner who repents.

The sinner here, of course is G. Brown, who was at least partly responsible for the exile of Frank Field for thinking the unthinkable and suggesting reform, and dismissing any idea of reform of the welfare system until now he and we cannot afford it.

Second, we have the words of the Immigration minister that after investigating the Australian model on control of immigration, the Government was minded to introduce a points system to control the degree of non-EU immigration into the UK. Having described the policy when the Tories advocated it as "racist", it is good to know that wise people of New Labour have now reversed their judgement. They wouldn't admit this, of course.

Michael Howard and later David Cameron can take comfort and strength that the Government has now fallen into line, even if the system they are advocating is very inflexible in terms of a regular evaluation of skills needed.

So full marks to the Tories, who certainly seem to be winning the battle for ideas. Time will tell if New Labour really understands and is sympathetic to what they seem to be proposing. They have such a tendency to interfere and micro-manage that you wouldn't bet on the policies lasting long or being intelligently applied.