Brown will speak to a party gasping for inspiration

Peter Mandelson’s speech was all the talk of the fringe last night. l interviewed him at a fringe meeting this morning and he insisted he didn’t do “pantomime”. I resisted the inclination to say “OH YES YOU DO!”

One Cabinet minister last night said the speech was a “Gaddafi-like” indulgence.

A couple of others I’ve spoken to thought it a pretty irrelevant internal therapy session for the delegates.

Another Cabinet minister said he thought it would be a positive turn-off for voters.

But the real story comes later, the PM’s speech after lunch. It’s still churning through re-writes… an aide says he’s now officially lost count how many.

There have been different policy ideas sitting in a pile, being inserted and removed over the last few weeks to see which works and which doesn’t.

Anti-social behaviour measures were released to the press overnight. Gordon Brown needs to hit on things that make Labour look like the party of change, and which advertise the “chasm” which Peter Mandelson says exists between the parties.

And he needs to address the problem all the political parties are wrestling with as they try to sell politics (already a damaged pursuit) when there’s nothing in the piggy bank. How do you enthuse, give a sense of mission?

Of course, he also needs to enthuse the hall on a day when a poll was published suggesting Labour was behind the Lib Dems.

Peter Mandelson’s reception suggests that should be the easy part. Those delegates who’ve made it down here (really not great constituency delegate numbers so far) proved in their welcome for Peter Mandelson that they are gasping for inspiration and confidence and will lap it up if someone doles it out.

Related: Wolf whistles for Mandelson, no ordinary Cabinet minister
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Unexpected question for Gordon Brown
Where next for the unions at conference?