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Alistair Darling is not the kind of politician noted for blowing his own trumpet, but in Glasgow's Hilton Hotel last night, he gave it a bit of a blast all the same.

It was hard to find anyone who agreed with his Budget view in spring that Britain could be back into growth by the end of the year, but he was rather pleased to report that more people do these days.

Likewise, he reminded us that he had said in August last year that Britain was heading for its deepest economic downturn in 60 years, and was roundly condemned for undue pessimism (by those close to the Prime Minister, he didn't have to add). That was only wrong in understating the problems that lay ahead.

Indeed, if you read his speech, there's quite a bit that doesn't seem to come from the same script-writers as his neighbour in Downing Street.

Gordon Brown was yesterday signing a joint UK-French-German leaders' letter that took its cue from Nicholas Sarkozy on the way to crack down on "reprehensible" bankers' bonuses. But Alistair Darling used his speech to disagree with the French president over how to do so, with a defence of British financial sector interests.

And then there was public spending. Gordon Brown has been trying to present the future of the public finances as a choice between Tory cuts and Labour investment, as he has successfully done in past elections.

That's not quite what Alistair Darling was saying. The Chancellor is setting out clearer language about the nature of the looming squeeze, preferring to call it "slower growth", and without mention of Conservatives.

In a loud echo of Tony Blair's days in charge, the talk is of public service reform - "focusing not just on the pounds and pence we spend, but on what the money actually buys for the economy".

"It does not mean some sort of dark age," he said. "It means deciding what's important now and what's less so. It means setting clear priorities and choices - a clear sense of direction - underpinned by our values."

Was this a speech to the CBI Scotland in Glasgow, or had it become mixed up in one of those ministerial red boxes with a memo to the Prime Minister?