Did Brown’s speech make a big enough bang?

You know things aren’t tickety boo when a leader’s speech opens and closes with a plea not to give up. Think big and fight hard, Gordon Brown said.

The fight will follow, did he think big?

New defining policies in an age of little cash are difficult and this speech underlines that. It also comes at the end of a Parliament so promises are mostly manifesto ones not Queen’s Speech 2009 ones.

Social care, an AV referendum, recall powers for MPs, extra childcare and the anti-social measures briefed overnight…  should there, could there have been some bigger bangs in the speech? Some are bound to think that.

They do have the PBR to put some more challenges up to the Tories – what would they match on spend and dare to cut? But I wonder if some will have hoped for some more daring here?

Delegates here loved it though, clapping furiously as I write.