Common features in the two manifestos.

If you choose to - you can find a great deal of similarity in the two manifestos. They agree that if we are to have a functioning civilized economy, capable of holding its own in the brave new world ahead, we need a massive injection of investment in infrastructure, education, skills, R & D and innovation. The investment will have to be paid for later by taxed raised from wealth created in the future, so it had better be made to pay off. No posing. This is for real.

Both sides (all sides actually) appear to agree on these main items - so I say - 'get on with it'.

For myself - I think Education is the key to releasing and harnessing our human potential. We should immediately start implementing a Labour style approach to the funding of lifelong education, with most sensible education (and I a happy to be the person who decides what that covers and who gets it) funded out of general taxation - but Labour should not be allowed anywhere near the content or the administration of the education (lets learn from our mistakes shall we) - the content should be based on the kind of whole person education Conservatives organize for themselves and their own children.

To my mind the biggest unresolved issue - is how to manage public sector services. State monopolies are a proven failure and the private sector model has intolerable problems as well. We should really focus on this problem as a top priority. look at how other countries have tried to do it, learn from everyone's successes and failures and try to design a better system.

If you choose to get tribal about it, you may say you don't believe that one, or other, or either side really mean what they say. You may even say that you know that they don't mean it, that they are wolves in sheep's clothing, and that you know for sure what they are actually planning (in which case you should maybe consider seeing a doctor).

If you choose to - you may decide to look at these manifestos in a way that highlights all the differences in their policies, or values, or underlying beliefs.

Discuss.