The Tory faithful at Blackpool will have been cheered by the impressive performance of William Hague in his first address to the party conference as leader. Mr Hague confounded his many critics with a well-focussed speech and a polished performance yesterday. It will not, in one swoop, banish the many questions that have been raised about his leadership style, his choice of political aides and a certain lack of gravitas. But it should provide encouragement for supporters that Tory fortunes have, at last, reached their nadir.
Mr Hague was correct when he observed that many commentators came to Blackpool to pick over the Tory carcass. With Mr Blair enjoying a 93 per cent approval rating, the Tories suddenly appear entirely out of kilter with the new Britain. Mr Hague's formal, studied response to the death of Princess Diana and his crass attempts to portray a more " blokeish" image, appeared to confirm this malaise. And the layer of sleaze and corruption that still clings to the Tories - in comparison with Mr Blair's squeaky-clean image - has compounded the party's difficulties.
In his address yesterday, Mr Hague made a bold attempt to reposition his party as a champion of racial and sexual tolerance. He spoke of a Conservatism which believes in something more than economic freedom; one which believes that freedom does not stop at the shop-counter. In a further attempt to shed some historical baggage, Mr Hague, promoted a new " democratic, popular Conservatism that listens .. that has compassion at its core."
The party conference was not an unqualified triumph for Mr Hague. It highlighted continuing divisions about social policy, reform of the party structures, and critically, the single European currency. Mr Hague, who won the leadership contest largely because he was seen as a standard-bearer for the Eurosceptics, declared at Blackpool that he would continue to oppose European monetary union "for the foreseeable future". This policy declaration may have been well received by delegates, but it is fraught with risks for Mr Hague; an uncompromising approach towards EMU could re-open the kind of party divisions over Europe which blighted Mr Major's leadership.
Mr Hague was on less contentious ground in his critique of New Labour. In what is likely to be a dominant theme among Tories over the coming months, he derided the unattractive cynicism of Mr Blair, the lack of any policy fibre and the obsession with image and marketing devices.
There is a vestige of truth in some of these criticisms but Mr Hague must also know that Mr Blair's phenomenal level of popularity is not just a triumph of marketing. Tony Blair has struck a chord with the British people because of his personal integrity, his warmth and humanity and his uplifting vision of a more compassionate, less divided Britain. The problem for Mr Hague is that his re-fashioned conservatism - his desire to make Britain " the most compassionate society" - sounds like a variation on Mr Blair's theme. And William Hague, at this juncture, is no Tony Blair.