Freedom dinner date

Thanks to Tony Hilder, secretary of The Freedom Association, for sharing some photos of me at The Freedom Association’s 50th Anniversary Dinner at Penshurst Place in Kent earlier this month, and for organising such as excellent event.

Although I have never been a member, my association with The Freedom Association goes back to the Eighties when I was director of the Media Monitoring Unit and spoke at several TFA events, including one at a packed Chiswick Town Hall. Judging by the reception that night I must have given the best speech of my life. A few weeks later, however, in front of a different audience, I gave the same speech and bombed so I learnt an important lesson - know your audience and don’t be complacent!

A decade or so later I was invited by TFA chairman Norris McWhirter to edit Freedom Today, The Freedom Association magazine. Norris was a wonderful man but when he stood down as chairman the writing was on the wall because his successor was less tolerant of the libertarian direction we had taken the magazine. Nevertheless there were no hard feelings and two decades later I was delighted to be one of 70+ guests celebrating this significant milestone.