Regrettably, Labour does not have a new leader in time for this year's party conference. So, regrettably, we won't be hearing the following speech:

"Conference, first of all I would like to pay tribute to the longest-serving Prime Minister in our party's history. Tony Blair has achieved great things, not least three general election victories. We must build on our successes and learn from our failings.

"The issue that has most divided us has been the war in Iraq. The problem was not the principle of seeking to promote democracy and human rights around the globe, but the way we went about it. In future, we must act only through international forums and recourse to military action only as a last resort. We must ensure we are as candid as possible with the public and that we follow formal procedures throughout. To this end, I announce the creation of a panel of experts to vet the government's use of intelligence, particularly in the run-up to any war.

"We must be even-handed and consistent in our approach to nuclear proliferation, human rights and observance of international law. Our relationship with the US remains a cornerstone of our foreign policy. But we have a duty to be a critical friend, in public and private, where we disagree. I regret that we did not condemn Guantanamo Bay and that we connived in the "rendition" of terrorist suspects. I regret that we turned a blind eye to the flouting of the Geneva Conventions. I regret our refusal to call for a ceasefire during Israel's recent invasion of Lebanon and our failure to be both even-handed and assiduous in pushing for a Middle East peace settlement.

"It has been humiliating for a party of the centre left to see the Conservatives set the agenda in calling for a less subservient relationship. However, there is one area where we will take no lessons from them. We must play a much more positive role in our links with the European Union.

"On the domestic front, we have presided over the longest sustained period of economic growth in our history. This is an achievement to be proud of, but the benefits have not been enjoyed by all. We must take urgent action to address the growing wealth divide and to increase social mobility, which has gone into reverse. I am establishing a commission to investigate the underlying causes, and to report back urgently with detailed proposals.

"Our strong relations with business underpin our economic success. These must continue. At the same time, we need to show less fear about ensuring that UK plc acts responsibly. Tighter rules on issues ranging from job security to injury liability to environmental protection should not be shirked. We can win this argument if we show confidence.

"The same, conference, applies to tax. It is absurd for a party of the centre left to see the Liberal Democrats holding a candid debate, while we shirk all mention of it. We have held the top rate of income tax at the same level for a decade. We must look at this again. There is little evidence to suggest that a higher rate for very high earners acts as a disincentive to enterprise. We must also abolish the perks provided to non-domiciled citizens. People are naturally wary of paying more. But most of all they resent unfairness in taxation.

"Extra investment has benefited our public services. But the rate of improvement has been disappointing. The left must accept the end of uniform solutions, but we in government should not see the private sector as the only panacea.

"Conference, with each generation, priorities shift. We must join a debate that has begun long ago outside Whitehall. For many people quality of life has overtaken earning, and spending, power as their top priority. Until now we have paid little more than lip service to global warming, the biggest danger the world faces. We should show far more speed and courage in introducing green taxes and other measures. We must be robust in countering the threat of terrorism, while looking at the root causes and ensuring that our civil liberties are not casually violated.

"Finally, and most importantly, we must restore trust. That means constitutional reform and cleaner politics. We promised in 1997 to introduce a new era of honesty and probity in politics. We failed in that. We humbly seek a second chance."

The anguish of a political liar

For all its profanities, the leaked speech that set in motion Hungary's crisis has a Shakespearean quality. This is not to say that the man who made it, the ex-communist property millionaire-turned-socialist prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, deserves any sympathy. Winning elections with lies may be nothing new, but it is still wrong. Yet the speech has the electrifying directness that comes only when someone snaps, when they are overwhelmed by the need for an act of torrential soul-baring. As Shakespeare knew, when this happens to a person with power, it can be compelling.

Gyurcsány, addressing his MPs in May this year, spoke of torment and anguish. He announced that the moment of truth had arrived. And at the climax he wailed: "I almost died, because for a year and a half, we had to pretend that we were governing." Though he was confessing to years of lies, perversely this has the ring of truth.

He revealed more, however, than remorse and mendacity. There was the naked joy of power ("fantastic") and, worse, how much more important his party and the left were to him than what he called "this bloody country". In one especially megalomaniac passage, he said that he was creating history, but not for the sake of the history books. "I don't give a shit about them."

History books will not feel the same way about him. We are familiar, thanks to Hitler, with the concept of the big lie. Now, thanks to this remarkable speech, we will always be able to look into the soul of the big liar.

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