Has Labour finally fallen for Mandelson?

Peter Mandelson may have been many things over time - feared, respected, loathed - but I'm not sure he's ever been loved.
But there were definitely some warm and fuzzy moments for Labour delegates in the Conference Hall in Brighton during his speech.
Plenty of applause and a standing ovation at the end.
It was self-deprecating and had some good jokes, and it also did what delegates like best - attack the Tories.
It tried to portray Labour as the underdog.
This seems to be a distinct strategy now.
Perhaps a typical piece of Mandelson rebranding. One person's underdog might be another's loser!
The question is - will it work for the party's leader?
Gordon Brown the underdog? We'll see.
Anyway, it was certainly less bizarre than Mandy's now infamous "fighter not quitter" rant he delivered when he was still Hartlepool's MP.
There's one problem though.
Tony Blair said he'd only know the New Labour project was truly complete if the party learned to love Mandelson.
Looks like it just may be all over!

I'm Richard Moss, the BBC's Political Editor for the North East and Cumbria. Welcome to my irreverent - but hopefully insightful - northern take on reporting politics for Look North and the Politics Show.
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