She added: "Top of Labour's new year resolution list is to establish an Alcohol Commission to start working on finding robust proposals to deal with those who are hazardous and harmful drinkers".
If Mr Blair can talk his chancellor round, and if he then manages his show of contrition more artfully than he managed last week's show of resolution, voters may well decide again that, for all Labour's mistakes, the Tories are not yet a credible alternative.