It was classic Peter Mandelson: measured, unambiguous and ever so slightly menacing.
"I believe, and I hope that you will agree, that we should recognise Tony Blair's extraordinary achievements. Let's recognise that at his age he has a lot more to offer. Let it be his decision, not the decision of old-style operators in the party, who operate in smoke-filled rooms - and are best left there, quite frankly."
A delegate in front of me snorted and hissed between her teeth.
The cabinet may (by and large) be sticking to a self-imposed silence on the subject that everyone else is talking about - the Great Succession Debate - but some people, as Mr Mandelson pointed out at a fringe meeting last night, are ex-members of the cabinet.
And those people are free to say whatever they like.
Fresh from an Amicus event in which the chair had introduced him as Alastair Campbell - "how the mighty are fallen", Mr Mandelson said waspishly - the EU trade commissioner, who remains a frequent confidant of the PM, used yesterday's Progress event to remind everyone how much they ought to value Tony.
David Cameron knew it would be "electoral suicide" to abandon New Labour, Mr Mandelson said. To reject it now would be to reject "all our actions since New Labour came to office". It would be wrong for "all the thinkers in the party not to be used in an inclusive way". Some of the thinkers he probably had in mind, including David Miliband and Tessa Jowell, were sharing the same platform.
Point made, it was on to Manchester Town Hall for a Fabian debate. Here, too, Mr Mandelson had a warning for "our friends on the left who are looking forward to 2008".
"I would say be careful what you wish for. We need US active engagement abroad. We may not always agree on the Bush administration's actions, but it is far better that the US has actively engaged than not."
Seldom has the phrase "actively engaged" covered such a multitude of sins. But it was a satisfactory evening's work for Mr Mandelson, who was able to pour some undiluted and unashamed Blairism into the foment of this week's conference.
