As part of a cultural display currently being shown in the House they were creating something called a Mandala. Broadly defined it is a geometric design intended to symbolise a microcosm of the Universe as experienced from the human perspective (difficult to even comprehend I know). It is created by sprinkling crushed and coloured grains of marble across a flat surface to build up an incredibly intricate and vibrantly coloured picture. This normally takes 4 monks around five days complete although this one was being finished more quickly so it could be shown to the Dalai Lama when he visited Parliament yesterday.

The particular design they were crafting had a Lotus flower at the heart enclosed by a temple and bordered by a brilliantly green garden filled with a variety of creatures and spiritual symbols. My descriptive powers could never do justice to what the Monks were able to fashion with little more than coloured grains of sand but I can tell you it was an incredibly beautiful example of human creativity.

However, after a short discussion I learned something that surprised me - after all their labours and the completion of the piece they intended to ceremonially destroy the Mandala. Apparently this reflects the transient nature of beauty and life itself.

Oddly (you could say) this then set me thinking about the nature of policy generally and what this Labour Government has done over the past 11 years.

We currently have a situation, following the mistake of abolishing the 10p tax rate without adequately compensating those losing out, where the Tory party is trying to paint itself as the party for those on low incomes. How ridiculous!

I do not wish to engage in debates over class but the simple truth is that since the birth of the Conservative Party they have represented the wealthier people in our society which has historically meant cuts to public services which hit those on lower incomes. You only need to look at the Thatcher years to see the truth in that.

Over the last 11 years of Labour Government the group which has benefited the most are people on low incomes. The minimum wage helped millions as have the increases to child benefit, the introduction of Working Tax Credits, Pension Credit and Winter Fuel payments. In real terms the third of pensioners with the lowest incomes are £40 per week better off and the third of families with the lowest incomes are £70 per week better off. Those are incredible figures which mean a great many people have benefited – indeed some 2million pensioners have been lifted out of poverty since 1997.

We have also implemented lots of other policies which have benefited the British public as a whole. Sure Start centres are providing support to more and more families every year. Flexible working legislation has given people the right to working patterns which suit the needs of both their children and their employer. Investment in education and skills means we have record numbers of youngsters in University and an ever expanding number of apprenticeships. Our pledge to be tough on crime and the causes of crime means crime is now 35% lower than when we were elected.

However, this returns me to where I started. So as the Mandala represents the transient nature of life it also could be said to represent the transient nature of political success. Labour's achievements since 97 are impressive and should not be forgotten or discounted but neither should they be counted upon for our future.

The natural home of the Labour Party is with low and middle income earners but it should not be assumed or taken for granted. It is undeniable we have recently lost the political initiative but being the underdog is every bit as impermanent as success.

I know a great many people in Hastings and Rye have benefited from Labour reforms and initiatives over the past 11 years but now they want more.

That is entirely right, that desire for improvement and that next forward stride are what make Britain great.

What we need now are bold new ideas which resonate with the people of the UK.
I believe Labour is the Party of low and middle income earners, the Party of Public Services and the Party best qualified to Govern Britain but we now have to step up and prove that to the electorate.

Through all the uncertainty, however, one thing is certain. It always has and it always will – Tories for the rich, Labour for the rest.