By Nick Assinder BBC News Online political correspondent

Howard needs to re-define the Tories

But he also knows one of his greatest jobs as Tory leader is to stop some people, and some groups of people in particular, hating him or hating his party.

He is determined to continue down the path of inclusivity started by his predecessors William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith and most graphically summed up by former party Chairman Teresa May when she spoke of the need to destroy the "nasty party" tag.

And that is what this major "vision thing" speech was all about. Persuading voters he has driven a stake through the heart of the nasty party and created the friendly party in its place.

He embraced gay marriages and couples bringing up families outside marriage.

He spoke of his "loathing" for prejudice and bigotry of all descriptions.

Live the dream

And he drew on his own background to speak of the "British Dream" which, he insisted, was unlike the American Dream because it actually existed, and worked.

In effect he was saying if the son of immigrant parents who started a small clothing shop from nothing could rise to become a possible prime minister, then, in Britain, anyone could.

Howard must appeal more to voters

And he offered a Tory government that would strip away the state and offer everyone the opportunity to live the dream.

At one point he even appeared to be offering to give everyone a free video phone - but that turned out to be a prediction of technological growth rather than electoral bribery.

There were a couple of pointers towards forthcoming policy on the NHS and education.

But that is not what the core of his speech was about. That was all about image and perceptions.

Poll tax

If, as many in his senior ranks believe, the Tories are still seen as intolerant and illiberal, then that is seen as having to change if it is to appeal to enough voters to win at the general election.

And if he is still associated with the so-called "bad old days" of the last Tory administrations, he has to change his public image.

That single task is top of his political agenda.

He knows he may not be the most obvious candidate to throw off the Tories' past.

As Tony Blair loves to remind him, he was at least in part responsible for the poll tax.

So Mr Howard has set himself the task of transforming he public's perceptions of the Tory party while re-defining himself.

Less Dracula - a jibe which is, frankly, starting to wear a bit thin - and more Mickey the Vampire Slayer?