Although widely reported as a defiant and confrontational exchange the atmosphere was, in reality, a great deal quieter and better natured than the television and radio clips and headlines portrayed.
It was clear that Mr Miliband, as part of a well-trailed over-arching narrative that has been unfolding over the past few months and which due to peak at his party conference, wanted to persuade a wider TV and newspaper audience that he was “distancing” himself from the unions as a “critical friend”.
In his speech he said he wanted the three million trade union members who pay a levy to the Labour Party to realise they are appreciated by the party and to feel valued. He also warned that he could not promise to reverse many of the Tory-led coalition’s cuts should Labour return to government because he could not say where the money would come from.
In turn, many union delegates and general secretaries at the first London congress since 1902 appeared undecided about Mr Miliband’s performances as Labour Party leader, choosing to withhold judgement rather than walk out.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, blogs and various other on-line forums there was a much sharper, rancorous note of hostility to Mr Miliband’s speech.
In the hall, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber insisted on a conciliatory, collegiate tone and thanked Mr Miliband for being prepared to take direct questions from delegates on key issues ranging from public sector pensions, to “free” schools and National Health Service restructuring.
To the evident annoyance of many present he insisted the June 30 strike earlier this year by the NUT, ATL, PCS, NAHT, UCU and Unison had been a mistake and said that future strikes expected in the coming months would be equally wrong.
Mr Miliband said he accepted the pensions deal struck by his own Government had been a good framework but he insisted on equally endorsing the recent pensions report by former Labour minister Lord Hutton and insisted that so long as negotiations based on that original framework continued it was, and will be, a mistake to strike.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey gave broad welcome to Mr Miliband’s speech but admitted he thought a strike ballot among his own members was “inevitable” with the prospect of long, drawn-out industrial action next year.
GMB general secretary Paul Kenny praised Mr Miliband’s “courage in coming here and speaking frankly to us”.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow did not walk out of the speech but said he thought the Labour leader “needs to decide just whose side he is on”.
Unison’s Dave Prentis also suggested industrial action by his union’s million-strong membership over pensions seemed inevitable so long as the Government insisted on an unworkable timetable for agreement.
