WHETHER or not Alan Milburn has an ulterior motive for launching his 2020 Vision website, we don't know.

The Darlington MP may be mischievously stirring up Gordon Brown; he may be seriously attempting to find an alternative candidate to stop the Chancellor succeeding Tony Blair.

Whatever the reason, Mr Milburn is right that if Mr Brown is to have legitimacy as a leader, he needs to have emerged victorious from a contest.

Ideally, Mr Brown would win a contest of big-name contenders. But as there don't appear to be any big names willing to take him on, Mr Brown must win a contest of ideas.

What are Mr Brown's ideas about Iraq and Iran? What are his ideas on academy schools? What are his ideas about rescuing many hospitals and police forces from their financial mess? What are his ideas for tackling global warming (and a fiver on an air fare is not much of an idea)?

Mr Brown - who has many commendable qualities - cannot become leader just because it is his turn. He should become leader only because his ideas are good enough. This policy website might help flush out some of Mr Brown's original thoughts.

The problem Mr Milburn has is that people are not only suspicious of his motives but they are suspicious of politics in general. There has been an encouraging number of postings on the site, but many of them are cynical in nature. Many mention the "Big Conversation" which was Mr Blair's last attempt to engage ordinary people in policy debate. The conversation seemed to consist of Mr Blair being parachuted into a room full of selected people, having his photo taken and then being airlifted out again.

The Big Conversation only added to the impression that New Labour is all spin and no substance. If Mr Milburn's website is to avoid enhancing that impression, it must come up with some innovative ideas that will test Mr Brown.