Tonight's the night (to meet Lord Bell and The Captain of Clanranald)
Looking forward to The Freedom Dinner at Boisdale of Canary Wharf tonight.
It's going to be hard to top last year's event but we've already got more guests (160, 30 up on last year) and I don't think you'll find a better pair of speakers on the political circuit.
As previously reported, we've got Lord Bell, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan etc, and Mark Littlewood, director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs.
One small problem is that I've been invited to Wimbledon today and I'm going to have to leave early if I'm to stand any chance of getting to Canary Wharf before our guests start arriving at six. (I know, I know, your heart bleeds for me.)
Anyway, someone tweeted, shortly after we posted a video of the Forest boat party two weeks ago, that we were nothing but a bunch of "drunken toffs smoking cigars".
That's not my experience. One of the great things about Forest events is that guests come from a remarkably diverse range of backgrounds, unlike most political events I have ever been to.
I'm sure there will be a few toffs smoking cigars tonight but they will be hugely outnumbered by the hoi polloi.
Nevertheless, skipping through the guest list I am delighted to note one Honourable gentleman, two Honourable ladies, four double-barrelled surnames and, best of all, The Captain of Clanranald.
Throw in several MPs, a handful of journalists and more political researchers than I care to mention and it all adds up to what – fingers crossed – should be another great night.
PS. Just arrived at Wimbledon. Looking forward to my first drink of the day in around ten minutes.
Isn't it strange how our detractors often bring class into it?
Describing another Forest event, in 2008, the Guardian's Libby Brooks wrote 'The truth is some smokers are more equal than others'.
To emphasise her point about Forest and class, Brooks described Boisdale – the venue for that 2008 party – as a "smart private members' club" which it's not. It's a very public bar/restaurant.
Still, that didn't stop Labour MP Kerry McCarthy charging in a couple of weeks later with her own little dig:
"My recent post about the success of the smoking ban mentioned a reception by Forest, the pro-smoking group at a private members club in Belgravia. And today they're having a champagne tea party for MPs in the Commons. Kind of bears out what Libby Brooks is saying in today's Guardian."
See A Labour MP writes (Taking Liberties)