His planned soundbite, “erotic spasm”, did not quite go to plan.
The Prime Minister should speak over the heads of Party members and the media to the people that she most identifies with: middle of the road voters.
Yes, we need a resource shift to technical education. But the loss of the Tory majority last June will make it very slow going.
There was a genuine sense of grievance that policy suggestions and campaigning ideas are never listened to.
People are not yet at the point where they believe the party in government needs kicking out; they are still willing to give us a hearing.
We have our reservations about the Foreign Secretary, but concede that he alone, of those Ministers who spoke this week, made the Tory message sing.
“A country that works for everyone” becomes “A country that works…or everyone”, as letters begin to fall off the slogan.
His sedulously-crafted speech wasn’t so much a crowd-pleaser as a big argument about Britain, Brexit – and the future.
Political leaders always say that the election they are fighting is the most important for a generation, but the next time Britain goes to the polls it will probably be true.
The Prime Minister has a long story of progressive toryism to tell. Moral authority must not be conceded to Labour.
We pick out five items from it which may be of special interest to our readers and others who will attend.
If the Conservatives had won 42 per cent from them too, our research projects that she would have won with a comfortable 42-seat majority.
Plus: The Labour leader’s other Brighton speech: “It was a full-blown Marxist rant. Put up taxes. Employers are evil. You know the sort of thing. They lapped it up.”
The full force of policy and how it is communicated will need to be wrapped in an overarching theme of securing a bright future for the country after Brexit.