Ed Miliband: ‘Believe me, I’ll change everything’

Ed Miliband’s fightback speech was held at the Senate House in Bloomsbury – the 1930s building housed the Ministry of Information in World War Two. It was was also widely thought to have been the inspiration for the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984.

They dug out the One Nation posters that made no appearance at the September conference and played some soothing dentists’ music before the leader’s arrival to address a room of Labour supporters.

Ed Miliband’s mission was to get voters listening to his message – they want big change and he’s the only guy offering it. He’s been trying and failing to do that for four years and he knows one speech (a policy announcement and more shadow cabinet speeches and policy announcements to follow) won’t do that.

Read more: ‘Stronger than yesterday’ – the Ed Miliband playlist

But he’s hoping to make progress on that. The “zero zero” economy was an attack on zero tax paid at the top, while zero hours contracts are doled out at the bottom. He upped the attack on Ukip as a party that opposes equality for women and gay rights and wanted to construct a world he doesn’t want to live in.

If you look at the list of policies Ed Miliband gave to support his transformative claims you might argue they’re not that big: the £8 minimum wage by the end of the next parliament and temporary freeze on energy bills are not life-changing.

Some of his closest supporters think he’s pulled back from more radical policies under pressure from fellow shadow cabinet members who trim and dilute his big plans. Some think he holds back his own radical self and is a victim of his own caution.

It was a short speech when a longer one had been talked about inside his circle – probably a good call. There was no risk-taking with a repeat of the memory man “look no paper” effort. “Why the hell didn’t he do that at conference?” one longstanding member said.

This will calm nerves in the party but I would surprised if we’d heard the last of grumbles and plots.

Follow @GaryGibbonBlog on Twitter