The manifestos published, the battle lines are clear at last. Now to push the range of campaign pledges through direct mail and phone banks, the media and advertising on an unprecedented scale.

One striking aspect of the major party manifestos is their similarity, clustered around key themes. They want improvements in health and education, with a similar range of promises of reduced waiting times, local clinical provision and smaller school classes, but with slightly different means of getting there. There is a row yet to erupt about student finance.

On crime, they agree on more community policing. There is a consensus around the need for better drugs rehabilitation, and something vague must be done about Scotland's drink habit, but not so that it alienates voters.

While under-age boozers don't have votes, pensioners do and they use them, which is why they are being showered with cuts in taxes and charges.

One new area of broad agreement is the environment. Judging by promises being made at this election, the next four years can be expected to bring forests of wind turbines sprouting from the nation's roofs.

Similarly, all the parties have realised they have to do more about affordable housing, town centres and small shops. On the economy, tackling skills shortages and disengaged youth, Scottish Enterprise is the political football of choice, but it is being kicked in different directions.

Jack McConnell was the only party leader to warn that his spending priority, on education, could mean tough decisions elsewhere.

Lacking the major taxation, economic and welfare powers retained at Westminster, the areas of dispute at this election are focussed around a narrow range of issues, and that means they can get blown out of proportion. Four years ago, Labour and the Liberal Democrats disagreed most on whether parents could be jailed for failing to control their children. This time, the disputed issues remain small, but the significance is bigger.

Independence has featured in Labour's campaign for months, and LibDem and Tory readiness to embrace more devolved powers has left Labour isolated.

The other big issue confirmed over the past week is the future of council tax. Labour argues for modest tinkering, Tories for a pensioner discount, while their opponents argue for a change to income-based tax. All of them face problems with their plans, as the current tax is unpopular but reform could be impractical and would mean some losing out and complaining loudly. That is certain to remain a theme for remaining weeks.

Those final three weeks look set to be shaped by the SNP's leading position. Its response is to play things very cannily. Alex Salmond is avoiding risk and limiting his exposure to awkward questions, but polls show his campaign would be helped by addressing a problem with women voters.

For Labour, there seemed a brief moment this week when Jack McConnell's vision for education could have taken hold of the campaign, but a slick performance by Mr Salmond at his manifesto launch quickly returned his rivals to their Nat-bashing instincts.

Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday suggested his party needs a new way to make the case for the union. It seems a little late to start that search.