The Conservatives might be wishing they could have held their party conference before Labour.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's address to his party conference in Brighton on Tuesday has thrown down a flood of new ideas, policies and initiatives from faster cancer diagnosis to choosing how Britain votes in what read more like an mini-election manifesto than a speech.
Brown played to his strengths (policy) and avoided trying to overcome his well-known weaknesses (not much of a political entertainer) in public. Trying to be someone else could have been a disaster for a man way behind in the polls to the Conservatives.
Whether it will be enough to make any difference to the polls remains to be seen -- Labour needs a miracle there after all.
But, for now, going for the policy jugular seems to have done the trick -- giving his browbeaten party something to get excited about and hitting the Conservatives where it hurts.
David Cameron's Conservatives have been accused of not giving enough detail on how they would govern the country if the polls are correct and they are to win power next year.
They will have to start showing their hand soon if they are going to convince voters that they have the ideas to run the country and aren't just a vote for change for the sake of it.

A new government policy document proposes that the low carbon sector will continue to grow despite the recession.

The number of people employed in the sector could rise to more than 1 million people by 2015, compared to 880,000 today.

The government is promoting the expansion of Britain’s nuclear programme and the use of such renewable energy sources as wind, solar and tidal power.

According to the United Nations, many simple things can be done to reduce a person’s carbon footprint, the measure of the impact human activities have on the environment.

A carbon footprint is a measurement in tonnes (or kilograms) of carbon dioxide equivalent of all greenhouse gases we produce by burning fossil fuels for such activities as electricity, heating and transportation.

Just under half of personal emissions come from things under an individuals’ control, according to the United Nations, which recommends some simple steps to cut your footprint:

* Use a traditional wind-up alarm clock, not an electronic one: save almost 48 grams (g) of carbon dioxide (CO2) each day.

* Brush with a non-electric toothbrush: avoid nearly 48 g of CO2 emissions.

* Replace a 45-minute workout on a treadmill with a jog in a nearby park: save nearly 1 kilogram of carbon.

* Heat bread rolls in a toaster, not an oven, for 15 minutes: save nearly 170 g of CO2.

* Take the train rather than the car to the office: a distance of as little as 8 km (5 miles) can save 1.7 kg of CO2.

* Shut down your computer and flat screen during the lunch break and when you leave work: this cuts CO2 emissions generated by these appliances by one-third.

* Install a water-saving shower head. This will save 10 liters of water per minute and halve CO2 emissions of a three-minute hot shower.

* Switch from regular 60-Watt light bulbs to energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps.

* Dry clothes on a washing line instead of a tumble dryer: knock 2.3 kg of CO2 off your total.

* Pack a light suitcase: world savings of 2 million tonnes of CO2 a year are possible if every airline passenger cuts their baggage to below 20 kg and buys duty free goods on arrival.