The effect of the train strikes on attendance, the trauma of recent years, and the change in the nature of the Tory Conference itself leave the question hanging.
The joint One Nation Caucus and Tory Reform Group conference last weekend, following the recent National Conservative Conference, are pointers to the shape of a possible future.
Through tax competition, we could truly have a real Northern Powerhouse and give cities in the north a fairer chance against London and the south east.
What would have happened if Norman Tebbit had followed Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister?