Mr Tony Blair's speech to the British Labour Party was certainly inspirational in tone and style. But whether it will in fact inspire the electorate to vote for him remains a moot question, despite the 10 pledges he spelled out yesterday and the firm lead his party enjoys in the opinion polls. Mr Blair relies so much on presentation and image rather than on commitments' to substantive change that he invites scepticism from onlookers and voters alike. He has been so fearful of giving hostages to fortune that he has been forced to rely on the case for psychological change if Britain is to be turned around after 17 years of Conservative rule.
But it is necessary to beware of succumbing to the manner of criticism that has become so characteristic of these years. One is reminded by Mr Blair's critique of Oscar Wilde's maxim about the cynic one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. The slightest Labour commitment to tax and spend is so rapidly turned to tactical advantage by the Conservative spin doctors that Mr Blair and his team are fearful of being drawn into an arithmetical game based on a sheer calculus of the impact on voters pockets.
It is not surprising in these circumstances that Mr Blair should rely so much on a reassertion of values, in rejecting his opponents' priorities. He calls for new energy, new ideas and new leadership if the potential of his country is to be fully realised. He is not afraid to invoke emotional rhetorical techniques, such as are becoming much more common in US politics. Certainly, if Britain has reached the depths of moral decline expressly identified by the Labour Party, its leader is perfectly entitled to use such techniques, so long as they are convincing. He is also shrewd in appropriating patriotic and family values which the Conservatives had tried to make their own.
Turning from style to substance, the priorities outlined yesterday by Mr Blair have an undoubted coherence even if they do avoid fiscal commitment as far as possible. Education looms very large, as does an escape from traditional welfare politics. Although they come intriguingly far down the list, the constitutional changes Labour proposes for Britain and its future relationship with Europe will be crucial factors in determining the success of a Labour government.
Mr Blair puts welcome emphasis on the need to bring Britain closer to the heart of Europe. There is indeed much more than psychological change of approach can achieve in this respect. He is probably wise tactically to maintain the reserve on whether his party would take Britain into a monetary union and careful to stress that it must be in Britain's interests and with the agreement of its population that it does so. But too much caution would mean that events will pass it by. The same stricture applies to the constitutional and political changes proposed by Labour. More detail about the policy changes would help to convince sceptical voters that substance could combine with inspiration to usher in a changed Britain.