While the blogosphere finds itself absorbed in the Fawkes-White grudgematch, I’ve been musing this much-trailed piece by David Miliband in The Telegraph. In it, the Environment Secretary sets out his political philosophy. And what is that philosophy?

He talks about how we’ve moved from ‘I need’ and ‘I want’ phases of British politics to an ‘I can’ generation. The emphasis seems to be on opportunity and the active involvement of British citizens. He talks about successful business giving more responsibility to employees. And most of all he sees a need to devolve power to local communities.

Decentralisation; individual empowerment; opportunity; self-defined life goals. Um, it sounds to me like a clumsy search for a Labour way of describing liberalism.

There’s really nothing to argue with, partly because Miliband is rather vague on specifics. But if he is finding his way towards a liberal direction for Labour, that’s not to be mourned. I will be quite happy to fight our rival parties on a ground that acknowledges liberal principles.

I’m convinced that as the politics of interests collapses, we’ll see a politics of ideas returning, and we’re well-placed to be the real standard-bearer for liberal ideas that chime with a growing majority of the population. Even if the party as a vehicle for liberalism has been through a rough century, our route is becoming more and more appropriate to the challenges Britain faces.

Miliband is clearly a very clever guy, and it’s always pleasing to see old liberal ideas (in this case philosophy) taken up by the other parties. However, I wonder if he really gets the implications of his prescription, deep down? Time will tell. I fear his record shows a socialist heart beating beneath the intellectual flirtation with liberalism.