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It was the traditional gathering of Northern delegates here at the in Brighton last night.

A chance again for the party to rally its troops and stamp on any despondency and defeatism.

It's an event that's always graced at some point by the PM (as long as he or she's Labour!)

Rather curiously though Gordon Brown turned up ten minutes before the advertised starting time - a busy schedule apparently.

There was enough warning of his early arrival to get an audience together, but I must confess I turned up fashionably late to discover he'd been and gone.

Harriet Harman showed up later though, as did David Miliband.

I decided not to bid in the fundraising auction for tea for two with Nick Brown. I'm sure he's seen enough of me.

The mood was relatively jolly. Much talk of Mandelson's speech.

But I'm not sure there's much resurgent confidence on show here.

There's perhaps more determination to make a fight of the election, but certainly nobody staking their second home on winning it.

I did manage three "medicinal" glasses of red wine last night, but the Man Flu is still overcoming my fightback.

Incidentally, I must correct a crucial journalistic inaccuracy from yesterday.

On closer examination and consumption, the biscuits in my hotel room appear to be Dutch not Italian.

The trouser press is definitely made by Corby though.

imminent. Will blog again later.

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