With the plaudits from pundits across the political spectrum ringing in his ears, Ed Miliband must be pretty pleased with his conference platform speech. Interestingly, I listened to it on the radio and it came across much less well - the confidence was missing and the oratory more faltering.
But whether you saw it on the telly box or listened to it on the wireless, what did come across was a complete lack of awareness of the culpability of Labour (and Mili minor) for most of the issues which came under his criticism.
A widening gap between rich and poor, failure to regulate the banks (or separate consumer from investment banking), high energy bills and kowtowing to the Murdoch press were all hallmarks of the last Labour government. A government that let's not forget Miliband was either a senior adviser to or a minister in.
But most interestingly in Miliband's monologue was his reference to his mother's escape from totalitarianism and arrival in the UK (having been smuggled in by some nuns).
Unfortunately for Mili minor on the very same day
Mohammed Rafi Hottak - an Afghani interpreter who served with UK forces and was injured in a bomb blast - was told by the UK Border Agency - a creation of Miliband's government - that his claim for asylum was being refused because he had entered the country unofficially without papers (ie smuggled in).
So much for the embracing of the dispossessed and those fleeing oppression under Labour's asylum and immigration policies - policies the coalition need now urgently to revisit.
