THE PROCESS.

The first steps have been taken on road to strengthen democracy, argues Donald Dewar,

Labour Party Chief Whip.

THE Road to the Manifesto is a new departure for British politics. Months in advance of a General Election, Labour has laid out the principal planks of the programme on which we will fight.

In the past manifestos, irrespective of party, have been cobbled together in smoke-filled rooms in the hours after a General Election has been called. On occasion, compromise has been forced by the printer's deadline. The document which finally emerged has been largely unread and ignored by an indifferent world. This time we are determined it will be different.

It is a sign of Labour's confidence that a very different approach has been taken. It is the biggest consultative exercise in British political history. We are asking for the support of almost 400,000 members, each and every one of whom will have an opinion to express and a vote with which to do so.

Over recent weeks, there has been criticism of the introduction to the party's programme of referendums on devolution in Scotland and Wales. The polls suggest that the majority of Scots believe that it is right that the people should have a chance to endorse and give impetus to the plans for a Scottish parliament.

What is certain is that Tony Blair should be given credit for insisting that if change was to come it should be openly included in the Road to the Manifesto. There should be no dishonesty or subterfuge.

The Road to the Manifesto is radical and ambitious in its objectives. It pinpoints the most urgent priorities for Labour in office. It will encourage party members and command confidence with a wider electorate.

Above all, the programme is practical and will be delivered. There are tough targets on public spending and finance. A Labour government will only borrow to invest and not fund revenue costs. The ratio of public sector debt to national income will be held stable. There will be no short-term boom and bust with the national interest giving way to political expediency.

This disciplined message is reaching parts of the electorate Labour has not reached before. Tony Blair's speech this week to the conference of British Chambers of Commerce has had a notably warm welcome. A partnership with industry is essential if this country is to build a competitive economy and fewer and fewer now give credence to the tax and spend caricature that the Tories still allege is Labour's position.

Our priorities are clearly set out. The party was brought into being to redress the balance in favour of ordinary people; provide every citizen with the opportunity to flourish and with security in hard times. Social justice is at the heart of the case.

The pledges are relevant. They are not political window-dressing but will affect the quality of people's lives.

A Parliament for Scotland reflecting Scotland's needs is central to our New Politics. The Tories have developed a remarkable line in gesture politics, but Scotland wants the substance of power.

Cutting class sizes, attacking the waiting lists in the NHS, putting the young unemployed back to work will be priority pledges for a Labour government.

What could be more important than to give the hundreds of thousands reluctantly trapped in the dole queue and struggling to make ends meet on benefit a chance to work and contribute to the community?

With the early pledges for government, there is an explanation as to each how plan change becomes reality. Assisted places to be phased out and the cash released used to reduce class sizes; health service waiting lists to be cut back by reducing the masssive bureaucracy which is clogging up the health service as a result of Tory failure. The aim is schemes that are responsible, have social purpose, and can be sustained.

There is one central theme. Labour is committed to policies that benefit the many and not the few. That is the essential contrast with the present Government.

If this country is to prosper, it must use the talents of all its people. The test at the end of Labour's first term will be our success in rooting out the politics of exclusion and reversing, perhaps not dramatically but significantly, the damaging growth of inequality and poverty in an essentially prosperous society. The Road to the Manifesto is a constructive and honest attempt to point the way forward.