Gordon Brown resigned with dignity last night. The progressive coalition was not to be and we await the full details of the LibTory government deal. But for Labour, if it is to rebuild for the next election, now is a time for clever opposition and not knee-jerk oppositionism.
John Prescott may be relishing a fight. Those who find themselves leading the party in the months ahead need to worry more about the voters' real concerns.
The biggest failure of the Brown years was the way in which some of his lieutenants undermined Labour's reform agenda, purely because it had been developed by Tony Blair. The result is that on education, particularly, the Tories adopted Labour policies and added a bit of extra radicalism to them.
They were ably helped in the process of pretending otherwise by the decision to ditch an education department, sideline academies independence and focus on bureaucratic safeguarding procedures ahead of school reform. This approach not only undermined Labour's education record, it blunted the party's continued radicalism on the NHS and its successes in fighting crime.
It is vital that Labour regains the initiative for policy radicalism in opposition. That should mean a wholesale policy review to develop approaches for a more economically constrained age and for tomorrow's Britain, including political and democratic reform. It also means that there should be a clever approach to opposition, strategically opposing on issues where it is right to do so but regaining a reputation for forward thinking in the process and supporting the new government where it is right to do so.
When it comes to selecting Labour's next leader, these must be foremost in the mind of the candidates and those of us who vote for them. What is needed is a leader who can craft an approach to opposition and a plan for government that moves beyond New Labour, but which doesn't ignore the lessons that allowed 13 years in government. The person most likely to offer that balance is David Miliband.
The new leader does start with a better base than might be expected. The party is stronger in London and other cities in local government than for some time. It has a healthy 258 MPs. There is much new blood and a stronger group of women and ethnic minority members. This is an opportunity for Labour to renew itself. But it is also a moment of real danger, when some may want to relax into 1980s comfort zones. Which direction the party takes will determine how long it is out of power this time.
Conor Ryan was senior adviser on education to David Blunkett and Tony Blair. He blogs at www.conorfryan.blogspot.com
