What the razzmatazz and promises tell you about Labour

Labour is leaving absolutely nothing to chance. With four consecutive general election defeats tattooed across its psychology, it is a party now burning with a determination to do what history tells us it manages vastly less often than the Conservatives: win. It means every aspect of its approach is worth scrutiny because so many elements of it have been given considerable thought. The event to set out their key messages for the coming months - the bridge, they hope, from the local election results until the general election is actually called - was remarkable in and of itself. Literally remarkable, because it had a scale, an ambition and likely a budget normally associated with a party conference or the moment an election campaign is formally beginning. It felt like the launch of a campaign for a general election in the summer, which is now widely expected in the autumn.