Declaration of intent

The idea of the "big society", of citizens taking back from the state power over their own lives, went untrumpeted and largely unheard. Had this not been the case, had the message been hammered home in the way it should have been, the Tories might not now be in a marriage of convenience with the Liberal Democrats.

Nor is it only poor communication that is in danger of smothering the Tories' radical reforming ambitions, for they must also survive the twin threats of an economic crisis that demands huge spending cuts and the urgent need to compromise with their new coalition partners.

The very existence of the policy document published yesterday, however, outlining the Government's plans for a fixed five-year term, is one in the eye for all those who say that neither the coalition, nor its plans, can ever get off the ground.

This is a document of a type not seen before, a contract with the electorate that can and will be used to hold the Government to account. Its existence cannot guarantee the coalition's success, but failure to fulfil the vast majority of its declared intentions would guarantee the public's swift loss of faith in the so-called new politics.

And in spite of the necessary compromises, it seems that much of David Cameron's concept of the "big society" has survived the inevitable pruning.

After all, the idea of creating a just society through civic action and social responsibility is itself a compromise, a third way even, between the twin alternatives of state control and untrammelled individualism. And it is present in plans to create more directly elected mayors, to open parent-controlled schools, to free more people from welfare dependency, to offer residents vetoes over council-tax rises and give neighbourhoods more powers over planning. From looking at opportunities for employee ownership of Royal Mail to achieving transparency in food labelling, there is the intention to give people more control over their own lives.

Some of these plans may be over-ambitious, some may not work well in practice. But the public cannot complain that it is not being informed of the nature and intentions of its unusual new Government. And it is on those plans, and the way that they are carried out, that this coalition must be judged.