The gap between the Conservatives and Labour in the polls is narrowing because they are not taking leadership with a well presented alternative vision for the electorate, rather than attacking Gordon Brown and reacting to events such as the Lord Ashcroft tax issue. The financial markets for example are still waiting for a strong signal on national debt reduction and the message for the voters is that governments in Sweden and Canada with comfortable welfare systems have already shown how to manage deep cuts in their national budgets without major social dislocation.