"Another splendid night aboard the good ship Elizabethan."
Not my words but typical of the comments we received following the boat party on Wednesday.
Here's another:
"What a fabulous night was had by all on the annual Forest river cruise on The Elizabethan."
Actually, I can't believe how quickly the evening went. The on board party lasted for three hours but it seemed far less.
Thanks to Angela Harbutt (Hands Off Our Packs) and David Nuttall MP for two tub-thumping speeches. Good to see some new faces (including Ian Paisley MP) attending a Forest event.
Familar faces included Madsen Pirie (Adam Smith Institute), Matthew Sinclair (TaxPayers' Alliance) and inventor Trevor Baylis (who is a member of Forest's Supporters Council).
Trevor's PA subsequently sent the following note:
"[Trevor] enjoyed the River Cruise immensely and is very pleased to give his time and support to a cause he feels is close to his heart."
There were lots of parliamentary researchers (the next generation of MPs, perhaps?) plus some well known libertarian bloggers including Dick Puddlecote and Chris Snowdon who told me before the event:
"I think I've developed a phobia of boats but I will be there anyway!"
H/T Tony Dowling for the photo above, and to Natasha Cek who posted the image below on the Friends of Forest Facebook page.
PS. Before anyone says it, I know there's not a cigarette in sight but, believe me, there were plenty of people smoking, and drinking ...
