It was perhaps a sign of the scale of Labour's defeat that the candidates for the party leadership were asked all about a politician who wasn't here - the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon - and what qualities they shared with her that could make them more successful.
This didn't engender a bout of soul searching about Labour's meltdown in Scotland - instead the candidates swiftly and unsurprisingly turned the question to their advantage.
Yvette Cooper said it was time for Labour to break the glass ceiling and elect a woman leader - unsurprisingly Liz Kendall agreed.
Middle England
The two women each had different pitches, though - the former had run a big government department, she said, while the latter described herself as "a fresh start".
Andy Burnham saw the SNP's success as evidence that people were fed up with a political elite and he was the man to take his party out of the Westminster bubble.
The most left wing of the candidates - Jeremy Corbyn - preferred the nationalists' anti-austerity message.
He had struggled to gain enough nominations to take part. His supporters said his inclusion would broaden the debate and it certainly did that.
Here in Nuneaton in Middle England - a seat where Labour had lost ground since the last election - he argued strongly against those who said immigration was causing problems with public services.
While the others talked of tougher rules or tougher enforcement he passionately put forward the case that the health service and public transport would be struggling without staff who had immigrated here.
Nagging doubt
Liz Kendall - who is seen as a Blairite candidate but who describes herself as "today and tomorrow" Labour - also defended immigration but was the only contender to suggest she would consider taking away tax credits from migrant workers.
And the shock of Labour's defeat still hasn't subsided.
The nagging doubt that none of the candidates might be right for the 2020 election led to the question of whether they would resign if things were going badly.
Jeremy Corbyn called for more regular leadership contests - every couple of years - while Yvette Cooper said the candidates shouldn't decide the rules.
Unequivocal answers came from Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham - both said they would go - the latter 'for the good of the party', while the former responded with the jibe that she felt the country should come first.
She claimed she was the candidate the Tories fear most - but the others are arguing that in some ways she is too influenced by the current party of government and that for Labour to broaden its support it doesn't have to move away too dramatically from all its previous policies.
