Howlin may well have planted the first seeds of Labour’s recovery

In my Labour days it used to be my job to draft the speech that the party leader would give to his conference in the live television slot. I’ve done loads of them in my time, and I often think I’d be 10 years younger, and have a full head of hair, if I hadn’t.

Of course, you have to try to draft a creditable speech that deals with the issues of the day — and also one that deals with the circumstances the leader is in. If the leader is wildly popular, the drafting is much easier. If his back is to the wall, sleepless nights are involved, because there’s a huge premium on getting the speech right. And there’s nearly always a need to get something on the record — and it’s usually something that shouldn’t be adlibbed.