By their works the people will know New Labour and the value of paying their taxes. Yes, he said, a previously bad local primary has soared up the league table with a lot of extra help. Yes, people on benefits are a bit better off, there are more jobs, the new deal works. But no, they don't thank politicians and they don't even think things are getting better. They believe what they read in the Sun more than what they see around them.
Reality is less powerful than print.
Few heard the news that all pensioners were in for a whacking great rise. The corrosive effect of a press that simply does not relay the most basic factual news is frightening. A press courted then lost leaves too much to be relayed through an enemy messenger. Labour is turning to its roots. Once so despised by New Labour architects, suddenly the centre is rediscovering the party and the unions with a new warmth.