Gordon Brown's announcement of more free early education and childcare for two- year-olds is a serious attempt to develop early years policy, yet it strikes a bit of a duff note.
The Prime Minister is known for combining seriousness with awkwardness, and I have my own personal memory of walking round a nursery school garden with him, talking about Sure Start, when he suddenly decided to stand in the middle of the sandpit. His shiny shoes scuffed by the sand, he stood there for about half an hour with his advisors, talking about the importance of Sure Start and showing an impressive grasp of detail. A small number of children tried to carry on playing, and then gave up.
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