The association?s annual dinner took place on 5 July at the Sheraton Park Lane hotel, Piccadilly.

In a well received speech, president Akhtar Ahmad said how proud he was to represent the association, not only in its 65th year, but at a time when it has fought so well on behalf of its members. Giving particular praise to past president, Paul Harris, Akhtar thanked everyone who has taken part in the recent campaign, not least the members of the PCT sub- committee.

Akhtar emphasised the importance of the unity of the profession, paying tribute to the Bar for its campaigning zeal and ? to sustained applause ? calling for an end to mutual "sniping?.

The guest speaker, Lord Justice Moses, won a standing ovation for his magnificently funny speech, which took the form of a spoof essay, written in application for the job of Lord Chief Justice. To curry favour with the government, the applicant proposed competitive tendering among judges, moving on to the possibility of their consolidating with each other and finally suggesting that they should be funded via sponsorship, with, perhaps Costa judges, Silk Cut judges ? even Virgin judges.

At the climax of his address, he said this: "If it is unthinkable, simply unthinkable, to procure the services of the judiciary by permitting their services to be performed by the lowest bidder, as part of a large commercial organisation, by laying them waste, by offering their services only to the wealthy, and to the privileged, by excluding the poorest criminal or non- resident whose support gains no votes, why, oh why, is it thinkable to procure the services of you the lawyers in such a manner??