A leader is a dealer in hope, said Napoleon. Despite a landslide victory, the public has already lost hope that the Government can truly improve public services. And, even if Labour does deliver improvements, a yawning chasm can exist between actual delivery and public perception.

The ‘Death of Deliverism,' popular in Downing Street this summer, is a term coined to describe the failure of policy successes to translate into public approval. It is not unique to Britain, nor is it new.