I was just there as an observer

Above: by the time the soufflé course arrived I was too drunk to say anything.

Dinner with a group of economists and economic historians. Monkfish, squirrel (!), pomegranate sorbet, venison, Valrohna chocolate tart, Grand Marnier soufflé. Taittinger to drink.

A gold bar was passed around the table (was this genuine? – it felt heavy enough).

As usual I was just there as an observer, and by the time the soufflé course arrived I was too drunk to say anything - but I jotted down a few comments:

The Geddes Axe (1922) was the last time government spending was reduced.

Local councils may be fighting the government by deliberately making cuts in high-profile areas such as public libraries.

Public will forget the cuts within eighteen months to two years.

The Conservatives are letting the Liberal Democrats take responsibility for the cuts and at the end of the Coalition they will cut them adrift.

There is a pessimistic strain in public opinion that generally assumes the worst case scenario is the correct one, which is why there is not more opposition to government policy.

The NHS reforms are a risk, but the innovation that will result from hundreds of practitioner groups tackling the same problems in different ways may well produce breakthrough advances that will pay off with the electorate.



Above: I stayed overnight at the hotel (special January rate, so it wasn’t too expensive). Big chintzy bedroom, a little cold. Hardly slept at all, my mind racing around on all sorts of subjects.