In 1997 Labour's message was hammered home by the optimistic hit tune Things Can Only Get Better.

On Sunday, as the party opened its most difficult conference for years, the tune echoing around the hall was Canned Heat's hit Let's Work Together.

It is one of the key messages Tony Blair wants to get across during the week-long conference.

As he struggles to regain his credibility and bring his party back from its worst poll showings for eight years, he is desperate to swing disillusioned supporters behind him.

Out with new

Party bosses have even gone so far as to emphasis the Labour, and downplay the "new", in all the conference slogans in a clear attempt to win back disaffected core voters.

Even Home Secretary Jack Straw used an unusually downbeat conference speech to present his Old Labour-friendly face rather than the hard-nosed image he is more regularly associated with.

But, even as the conference was getting under way, the cabinet squabbling appeared to re-emerge over the fuel protests.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson was accused of blaming Chancellor Gordon Brown for getting the government's response to crisis wrong.

He told LWT's Dimbleby programme that minister has got appeared: "a bit unsympathetic and a little high-handed, and I think we got that wrong.

"If we gave that impression and if we got the tone wrong, for example, when we eventually did respond by saying, in a highly bureaucratic way, that all this depends on due process of the budget-making process and everything will be considered in course, people felt a greater urgency than that and I understand that."

No love lost

Mr Brown had angered protestors at the height of the crisis by insisting he would not be forced to change policy by short term issues.

And he has constantly said he would only consider fuel prices as part of the normal budget process.

Tony Blair and other ministers, however, were regularly promising to "listen" to the protestors' concerns.

There is no love lost between Mr Mandelson and Mr Brown and many believe the Chancellor is being targeted by some cabinet members for his hard-line approach to the protests.

But the last thing Tony Blair wants, despite his own turbulent relationship with Mr Brown, is further signs of cabinet in-fighting.

Supportive Mo

Cabinet "enforcer" Mo Mowlam did her bit to dispel claims that her decision to quit the Commons was as a result of her own bitter battle with Mr Blair and other ministers - notably Mr Mandelson.

She gave a hugely-supportive speech on the first day of the conference - with Mr Blair sitting alongside her.

But her very appearance at the conference - which in 1998 gave her a standing ovation during the prime minister's speech - only served to remind people of the allegations about bitter cabinet in-fighting.

Overall, the first day of the conference was dominated by attempts to put the government's worst few weeks behind it and start the fightback for the general election.

Tony Blair gave a series of interviews intended to put the past behind him and look towards the general election. And he was eager to insist that he was in listening mode.

But he still faces a hugely-difficult conference and any sign of continuing in-fighting amongst ministers will not only anger him but dismay the grassroots supporters gathered in Brighton.