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So what would a Conservative government mean for us all?

That will I think be the crucial question as the Tories gather in Manchester today.

This is their 13th successive in Opposition.

But it could also be their last before re-entering Government and therefore there'll be a more intense focus on what the party might do if it returns to power.

There are still only a smattering of seats in our patch that are winnable for them.

But they're crucial ones. They need to win the likes of , , and to get a decent majority.

And so voters here need to be won over, especially in a part of the country where Conservative support collapsed so dramatically in the 1990s.

The Tories have talked a good game in the last few years of taking the area seriously again, with their Shadow Ministers for Tyneside, Teesside and Wearside, and a beefed up northern operation.

The days when have gone.

But, inevitably the Tory power base will remain in the South and Midlands.

Labour will therefore try and warn voters that the Conservatives will neglect the North.

There was a lot of capital made last year when the first phase of the Tories' high speed rail plans came to a halt in Leeds.
(Although to be fair no other party has concrete proposals for a line to Newcastle yet either).

So, there'll be a keen eye on Manchester to see what could win the North back.

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