As the conference season draws to a close and weary bloggers leave the seaside amid a flurry of election fever, all eyes were on David Cameron's keynote speech.

Widely seen as the Conservative leader's last-ditch attempt to set out his stall to the party - and possibly the country - Cameron's address won a rapturous reception among activists and political commentators alike.

The apparently off-the-cuff nature of the speech was a triumph of spin that, argues Mark Lawson, could help catapult Cameron into Number 10.

And his post-speech comments - not least being "overheard" telling his wife, Samantha "I love you babe. Ahh, I’m knackered" - will surely help convince voters that he is an ordinary man and a sincere politician.

Cynicism aside, the Tory leader received masses of praise for his oratory skills. Adam Boulton diplomatically declares that all three leaders exceeded expectations. However, there is broad consensus that Cameron's speech was in stark contrast to Brown's and is widely considered a "storming success".

Cameron's conversational tone in the Winter Gardens may have been refreshingly devoid of political clichés, but the choice of an accompanying soundtrack by pop-reggae veteran Jimmy Cliff seemed a desperate bid to appeal to non-traditional Tory voters.

Combine this with the Tory leader's reference to a Facebook group entitled "David Cameron is a hottie", and his attempt to woo the youth vote became all too clear.

As well-received as Cameron's speech was, Guido insists the narrowing of the polls is not down entirely to the Tories post-conference bounce, the most recent of which has put both main parties neck and neck on 38 per cent.

Some commentators say that George Osborne's tax cuts are a sure vote winner and mark a return to traditional Tory ground, while others describe William Hague's pledge to hold a referendum on the transfer of any powers to the EU as an "astute political move". However, Labour MP Tom Watson argues on his blog that Osborne's figures simply don't add up.

Unsurprisingly, the other question on everyone's lips - will he or won't he - has received more than adequate coverage in the blogosphere this week.

Benedict Brogan created something of a storm when he wrote with cautious certainty that there would not be an autumn election, while Conservativehome posted a link to a mock-up of a Labour billboard claiming that Brown will "bottle out" of a November poll by depicting a chicken accompanied by the slogan "The Clucking Fist". One blogger notes that it is, in fact, a picture of a rooster.
The Guardian's Michael White, however, points to members of the Brown camp who maintain that the prime minister will go to the country.

If, as is looking increasingly likely, Gordon Brown does decide against calling an election, he might do well to check out Adam Boulton's useful list of how he can do so without looking "like a blithering idiot".