Ming Campbell has made an assured leader's speech at the close of the Liberal Democrat conference. Moving through the crowd towards the podium, reminiscent of Rocky, but after the fight, he looked like the recipient of a suprise birthday party, but he made it to the stage without falling over, which many judged a good start.
In an allusion to Charles Kennedy, Campbell said he had been enjoying this conference, "in particular since Tuesday afternoon."
He didn't mention his predecessor again in the entire speech.
In his first appearance at a national gathering as leader, Campbell focused his fire on David Cameron, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Initially slow and obviously reading, the 65-year-old warmed to his theme when he accused the Tories of posturing over the environment and Labour of failing to help the poorest working families.
He contrasted this with new LibDem tax proposals that would lift the 2 million lowest earners out of income tax, "money back in the pockets of the poorest working families," lift the tax burden on 28m people and change the tax regime to target pollution.
In a bizarre interlude at the start of his remarks, Campbell alluded to Tony Blair's leaked 'victory tour' of the UK just before retirement, and the inclusion of Songs of Praise on the list of programmes the PM might make a valedictory appearance on.
Campbell then went on to list an 'amusing' list of hymns that might accompany the PM. Hymns? For a moment it looked like he might go headlong into another of his 'Jo Grimmond, don't run in the Olympic games without committment, John Smith" riffs.
But he recovered, and he made it to the end without mentioning his upbringing. And he remembered the LibDems did not in fact win the Bromley & Chislehurst by-election.
Declaring the LibDems to be "a party of substance and not spin," Campbell railed against the government's foreign policy disasters, its craven attitude to the US and the way they have tarnished the reputation of the UK, calling the present policy, "neither ethical nor effective."
"How we act abroad is as important as how we act at home," he said, pledging the LibDems opposition to any form of torture or to 90 days detention without trial.
Campbell described himself as entering "youthful middle age" he spoke several times of the sense of hope voter felt in 1997, and how Labour have failed to deliver on those dreams."
He told conference we must all act now to try to stop climate change, and mocked the photo-opportunity politics that Cameron has stolen from Blair. Presenting the Liberal Democrats as the only party to tell voters the truth, he admitted that aviation would be more heavily taxed.
"All of us should pay tax on the pollution we cause," he told delegates.
Although the speech did not contain much in the way of jokes, it was a dignified and principled speech. Ming spoke about everything from Darfur to wind turbines, and while the hall was not exactly electified, the delegates were certainly pleased. As he was joined onstage by his wife and party MPs, it was all smiles. Kennedy was nowhere to be seen. The delegates gave Ming a very middle-class standing ovation.
The LibDems leave Brighton with a clear policy direction and general contentment with the leader. It seems unlikely the Tories or Labour will go home with either of those.
