Well the audience, as ever, loved Dave. Guido was watching the press pack and some of Cameron’s apparatchiks. The press seemed if not bedazzled, not unimpressed. Team Cameron seemed happy, tension that was in their faces at the start of the speech dissolved into satisfied smiles by the end.

On balance Dave did it, their is no comparison between Gordon’s speech cut ‘n paste from Al Gore and read off an autocue with Dave’s on his feet oratory. Politicians are notorious fakers, inauthentic to the core spinners. Dave was trying to overcome that perception, he was honest about having a privileged upbringing (Gordon was not so honest about his elite education). The strategy appears to be to turn that into a plus, because he came from a secure family with a good education he knows how important it is and he wants it for everyone. This will be a key charge from Labour – that he is an out of touch toff. If he can prove he isn’t, he’ll neutralise that negative.

Will the speech make any electoral difference? Probably not, but he made the case for his party well. Gordon has talked up the election which the Tories, whatever they say, would rather not fight from this position in the polls. Cameron has basically said bring it on, he’s ready for a fight, if Brown chickens out now he’ll look bad…