Mario Cuomo, the former governor of New York who sadly passed away last week, famously said politicians ‘campaign in poetry, but govern in prose’. Yet on Monday when the main parties marked the start of their general election campaigns, it seemed like both were firmly stuck in governing mode.

Despite it not being the most dignified first day of campaigning, it was Labour who emerged best from the early exchanges. Far from crumbling in the face of a Tory onslaught on spending – as some had predicted it would – the party machine was competent at rebuttal and the Tory’s error-laden dossier fell apart.

That the political media’s focus stayed fixed on the NHS in the days after will also have pleased the party strategists. And this weekend Labour’s activist base will be flooding into key marginal seats to build on this early advantage as part of Progress’ Operation Flight campaign day.

So far so good then, surely we can all relax? Well, let’s not get too comfy. Although Labour has done well this week, what Monday demonstrated – apart from how tedious political campaigns can be – is that neither party has yet set out a compelling narrative for the voters about where Britain’s future prosperity is going to come from, or what kind of country we might be in a few years.

This is less of a problem for the Tories because, well, they are not trying to give voters one any more. Remember the global race? What happened to that? No, instead they are happy to carry on as they are, while waiting to see if the economic recovery can finally deliver large poll leads.

But while the Tories might be stuck in neutral, there are more than just electoral reasons why it is in Labour’s interest to try and shift gears. When Ed Miliband said on Monday that this is a once in a generation election, he was right. The next government, whichever party, or parties, form it, will face challenges more difficult than perhaps any for 70 years.

Deficit reduction is still, to put it mildly, a work in progress. Productivity has barely risen. Living standards are stagnating. Then there is the social fabric that needs repairing, foodbanks, payday lending, the crisis in the health service. A new constitutional settlement needs to be completed. Europe. Welfare reform. Trident. Oh and not to forget historic levels of social immobility.

And that is just the immediate problems, never mind the ones coming down the road. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s long-term view of the public finances shows that even if the United Kingdom returns to surplus in the next parliament, the demands of an aging population will mean that not even a growing economy will prevent us from beginning to slip back into a deficit sometime in the late 2030s.

There is little in the public mood to suggest that voters are prepared for the scale of reform to both public services and the economy that will be needed. Most feel that after years of cut budgets, squeezed wages and hard work, it is about time that a growing economy translated into the steadily rising incomes they are accustomed to. Few have the appetite for ripping up the rulebook.

But whether voters are ready for the challenges or not, it is the job of responsible politicians not only to warn us about what is coming, but also to show us how to rise above them and come out stronger. If Labour is to have a hope of being able to achieve anything substantial if elected then it needs to prepare the ground now for the changes that will need to be made.

We should welcome this opportunity. After all, the big inspiring vision thing is what progressive parties are meant to do best.

In the past Labour won all of its major victories in the face of great changes in both the global economy and society at home. In 1945 Clement Attlee challenged the postwar generation to win the peace. In 1964 Wilson offered the white heat of a technological revolution. In 1997 Tony Blair promised to build a young country again.

In these cases the party was successful because it aligned a hopeful vision of the future with the urgent national interest. To win this year Miliband and Labour will need to do so again. Many of the foundations are there. Labour has developed some strong retail policies since 2010 and the early election pledges have shown promise. What is needed now is for it all to be woven together into a compelling story about a better Britain under Labour.

I am sure many commentators would smirk at the suggestion that this is even possible. For many the election is already cut and dried. Support is seeping away from both the main parties towards the fringes. We are heading for a hung parliament and there is nothing any of the main party leaders can do about it.

Maybe this is true, maybe not. Either way, we are going to have an election and we are going to have a vote. And there is a real choice and voting really will make a difference to outcome. So should the politicians not at least try to inject a bit of excitement and inspiration into the proceedings? Call me naïve perhaps but surely the public deserve that? Who knows, a bit of poetry might even win them a few votes while they are at it. Stranger things have happened.

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Rich Durber is a former speechwriter for a shadow minister and writes a fortnightly column for Progress. He tweets @richdurber

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Photo: John Keogh