"Tony you made Britain better" read the suspiciously party-approved looking banner unfurled as delegates gathered in the hall ahead of the prime minister's last conference speech as Labour leader.

And while the address repeatedly stressed the need to look to the future, without him, it was hard also not to see the speech as a defence of his nine years in power.

One of the introductory songs served both points - Take That's 'Never forget' summing up the need to remember the record and the lessons of it.

A huge welcome greeted Blair when he eventually arrived after a video showing "50 reasons to be proud" of the party which, while predictable, also looked genuinely heartfelt.

To say they will miss him when he is gone is a cliche but no less true for that.

Cherie Blair received a standing ovation of her own as she took her seat, despite having allegedly done her best to destroy the carefully crafted peace between her husband and the chancellor.

In the end the affair was laughed off by Blair with quite good joke about not having to worry about her running off with the bloke next door.

The gag was accompanied by praise for the "remarkable" Gordon Brown which fell short of the endorsement some were looking for but was probably strong enough to put a stop to the rows.

It was a vintage performance by the premier, showing for the final time in this arena at least what made him such a successful leader.

The tone (grateful), content (policy heavy) and length were all judged well and the message ("the only legacy that has ever mattered to me is a fourth election victory") strong.

For the first time he talked to the party more than the country, in a reversal of usual roles with Brown.

And perhaps the biggest surprise was how much he professed to "love" Labour, despite it having just forced him to quit sooner than he wanted.

Some supporters might have thought it should be members saying so many "thank yous" to him rather than the other way around.

As for the guide to future success, Blair was humble enough to say it was the party's "choice" whether to take it or not.

He offered a strategy for taking on the Tories, saying they are full of contradictions under David Cameron, but was equally modest enough not to bind his successor's hands.

It was "hard to let go", he said, but by the end he seemed to be a man who is now coming to terms with his departure from the political scene and the profound personal upheaval that will mean.