Purnell, just the latest

He has not just pinched the Tories' policy, apparently, but James Purnell is getting tough!

Those on benefit who could work, must work, or benefit will be withheld.

It differs from the Tory policy in being merely older policies, with stick but no real insight. How are people, who have followed their workless parents and even grandparents, supposed to seek jobs or improve themselves? David Green of Civitas suspects that they will quickly learn to go through the motions and re-jig their CVs. In the main they are unqualified, totally unacquainted with the working situation and not used to having colleagues.

If they find work, and it is hard, how long will they survive?

The Tory policy did at least offer the prospect of mentoring, - personal contact to help and encourage possible applicants from their starting position. It will be hard and time consuming, but they need more than a simple stick with which to beat them.

There is a problem, which everybody admits, and it's good to see Nulabour at last throwing away cherished beliefs and confronting the problem. My major doubt is about a lack of ideas to deal with long and deep-seated problems. The policy needs to be part of a long-term solution which includes also the effectiveness fo schooling to make sure that another generation does not find itself on the scrapheap.

Nor is the present time a good one to be pushing them to look for work, when hundreds of thousands of newly unemployed will also be looking for work, any work, to keep their home and family together, and when there will be virtually no jobs available for unskilled people. (They will not be up to being "Equality Officers" or "Policy Processing Officers", or thousands of other non-jobs which used to be advertised weekly in the Guardian.

So is the announcement now merely window dressing, likely the equally ineffective VAT reduction or the minuscule loan guarantee fund, with an election in prospect. Or is James Purnell being groomed to be the next leader?