David Davis has suddenly acquired the air of the runner-up

Despite well-meaning efforts by Francis Maude, Theresa May and Alan Duncan to cast a pall over the occasion, Blackpool 2005 turned out to be the most life-enhancing Tory party conference in recent years. With 6,000 members present, it provided a pleasing reminder that vigour and enthusiasm survive among the grass-roots. Meanwhile, a series of outstanding speeches from the platform demonstrates the remarkable depth of talent within the parliamentary party.

The first revelation was awesome: David Cameron. Every so often in British politics a star is born, and this happened last week. There has always been much to like about Cameron. But there was every reason to suppose that the same easy and plausible manner that has provided the impetus for his apparently effortless ascent through the foothills of Conservative party politics might in the long term prove an obstacle. Even admirers wondered whether the fashionable clique that has facilitated his rise would be utterly unable to sustain him once he reached the top.