After last year's calamitous conference performance, the bar was not set particularly high for Theresa May's set-piece speech to the Tory faithful yesterday.
The fact that she got through it without serious mishap - ill-advised dance moves aside - meant it was declared a resounding success, by her cabinet allies at least.
By the prime minister's terms, it was not a bad speech but even she would readily admit she is no orator.
It was inevitable comparisons would be made with the man who has become her political nemesis, Boris Johnson.
The former foreign secretary, with his colourful turn of phrase and humorous flourishes, can certainly hold an audience as he showed earlier this week but as a party leader he would be disastrous.
The DUP, which has been hedging its bets on the Tory leadership, should guard against being seduced by the disloyal narcissist Johnson, who is actively campaigning for the prime minister to ditch her Chequers plan.
He is promoting a Canada-style trade deal even though it would result in a hard border on this island.
Mrs May yesterday insisted her Chequers proposal, which she did not actually refer to by name, would maintain a 'seamless border' in Northern Ireland, which she described as a 'bedrock of peace and stability.'
The problem is that the EU has rejected the prime minister's plan, heightening the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
Having got the conference out of the way, Mrs May is still left with a divided party, enormously difficult EU negotiations and mutterings about her leadership.
She is in an invidious position with the most challenging days still to come as the withdrawal deadline looms.
In less than six months, on March 29 2019, the UK is set to leave the EU and we still have no idea what will happen on March 30.
Time is fast running out on the likelihood of a workable, sensible and coherent deal.
