Twenty years on

My first Liberal Assembly - that is what the old Liberal Party called its annual conferences - was here in Bournemouth 20 years ago.

In those days Cruise missiles (ask your parents) were the hot topic. Those of us who were against their being stationed in Britain under American control thought it important that the TV cameras should see people in suits voting our way when the vote was called. So I spent some time saving a place on the platform for a new MP from the Borders by the name of Archy Kirkwood.

Now he is Sir Archy, a good House of Commons man. And, as it turned out, he was rather short and because he was not in the front row the cameras did not see much of him.

Happy days.