JUST days before the General Election was called, Labour announced its intention, if re-elected, swiftly to sanction the 24-hour opening of pubs and clubs, seven days a week. Obviously viewed as a vote-winner - otherwise why get a minister down the pub to fanfare it? - this was as emblematic of the dubious quality of New Labour as Tony Blair's wholly inappropriate launch of the election with a blatantly party political speech in a school.

Given Great Britain's booze culture, 24-hour opening is as likely to prolong binge drinking as curtail it. More important, it will make life a misery for people living near premises that choose to open through the night. Durham University has already charted a trend of increasing violence with late-night drinking, and Westminster City Council, which has the largest experience of clubbing, believes 24-hour opening "could destroy communities''.

But while New Labour is positively eager to bring in this change, for which there has been no public clamour, it has failed, in four years in office, to act on a matter of widespread and genuine concern.

Indeed, Environment Minister Michael Meacher has admitted that his department has received more correspondence about Leylandii hedges than any other issue. As is well known, there is even a pressure group, Hedgeline, supported by 3,000 victims of this menace. But at the dissolution of Parliament, a Bill to control the so-called "Devil trees" was among seven that fell by the wayside.

Shamefully for New Labour, the Bill was a Private Member's measure. And, double shame, that MP was a Tory.

New Labour has been very weak on what might be called small social legislation. This can often have big benefits, even saving lives. And I'm not thinking just of the man shot dead in a particularly extreme quarrel over a tall, light-blocking hedge.

Increasingly, one sees drivers on the move using mobile phones. A needless new cause of accidents, some of which have been fatal, this is illegal in Germany. One might have expected New Labour to outlaw it here.

Another new road-safety hazard is bullbars. A child struck by one of these at a low speed which would normally only cause injury is likely to be killed. With exceptions, New Labour could, and should, have banned the macho accessories.

Perhaps, the greatest bane of modern life is noise. A frivolous new source is fireworks, now commonly let off for birthdays and other occasions, often late at night. Old Labour might have considered perhaps restricting fireworks to community events except on Bonfire Night. But New Labour? No chance, still less of controlling nuisances like outdoor musical chimes, which can drive people to distraction. Germany - dare I mention her again - even imposes limitations on when power tools and mowers can be used - preserving evening peace and Sunday sanctity.

Of course, issues like these don't figure at general elections. But since they impact greatly on daily lives, perhaps they ought to. And since the Tories, with their pathological belief in "personal freedom", can never be expected to move social frontiers forward (Tory MPs savaged the High Hedges Bill, one claiming it pandered to "an obsession with complaining'') while the LibDems will never govern, it is to Labour that we must look for improvements to the general quality of life.

But New Labour's social agenda is either miles behind the times or ineptly conducted. To encourage a switch to small cars, John Prescott reduced their road tax. But the switch will be achieved only if the owners of bigger cars are made to pay more. Yes, New Labour has spectacularly "failed to deliver.'' More next week.

Published: 23/05/2001