The Labour party conference has closed with a series of singing extravaganzas from Cherie Blair.John Prescott made his last speech as deputy leader, in which he lifted the spirits of delegates with a robust defence of his time in office and of Tony Blair.
Prescott began with an apology. "Tony started his speech by saying thank you. I want to start by saying sorry. I let myself down and I let you down."
His wife Pauline sat in the front row beside Cherie Blair, and it cannot have been an easy moment for this very shy woman to have BBC cameras in her face while her husband apologised for his all-too public affair.
Prescott recalled his first job as a commis chef (you know what joke he told here) and said that British chefs these days, such as Jamie Oliver, were among the best in the world. Referring to his own frame, he claimed "some people even say I am fat for purpose."
The speech was vintage Prescott, and considerably less mystifying than usual. Conference speaking seems to suit the Deputy PM much better than the House of Commons, and he delighted delegates with a series of attacks on David Cameron.
"We do not have the luxury of three years until the next election. It is seven months until the next election, in Scotland, Wales and in local government ... 36 million people will make a decision about Labour in the next seven months."
He called for unity during the leadership campaign, and urged party members to "remember the real enemies are the Tories, the Liberals and the nationalists."
Although he did not explicitly say it was his last speech, it is almost certain that Prescott will leave with Tony Blair.
"I will be swapping my government Jag for this bus pass to campaign for Labour ... I suppose they will call me two buses."
It was a warm, positive speech, and as conference rose to their feet, and Pauline joined her husband on stage, "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen seared through the PA system.
What? Who is picking the music at this conference? Capital Gold?
It got more surreal. In the old days, at the close of Labour conference delegates, or comrades as they were then known, used to sing socialist anthem The Red Flag with all the aplomb of a rugby club on a pub crawl.
This was deemed not new Labour enough, and dropped completely. Since 2003 a verse of the old song was sung, followed by all of Jerusalem, by William Blake, which is a hymn that asks us to imagine that Jesus came to England when he was on earth, and found it more green and pleasant than the Middle East.
Added to these two incongruous singalongs, the organisers had added a youth choir and a flame-haired diva, whose microphone malfunctioned during The Red Flag, but mysteriously worked again during the English nationalist hymn.
Cherie Blair sang her head off throughout everything, as did her husband and the Chancellor. Gordon Brown was all smiles, especially during Jerusalem, while both Prescotts resolutely refused to sing a note. It was good to see that Tony Blair actually knows the words to The Red Flag, and did not do a John Redwood and attempt to mime.
The truly surreal moment came before The Red Flag, when the youth choir followed Mr Prescott's speech with a spirited rendition of Oklahoma!
Prezza did not look amused, as every journalist in the room had visions of Prescott in cowboy gear, down on the ranch, chewing tobacco on the front porch with casino billionaire Philip Anschutz.
Cherie loved it - she knows every word of Oklahoma! too, and isn't afraid to show it. I can't see Sarah Brown or Carine Adler, John Reid's Brazilian film director wife, enjoying themselves this much at future party conferences.
