Thanking Flick Rea

The National Liberal Club was awash with LibDems this evening, some for the Haringey local party’s annual dinner (at whose pre-dinner drinks Nick Clegg appeared and answered questions), others for the Thank You party for London Region’s longstanding Administrator, Flick Rea, who retired at the end of June — and a few, like myself, who were there for both. I hosted Flick’s ‘do’, at which former London Chair Brian Orrell (who hired her) and current regional President, (Baroness) Sally Hamwee, spoke and of course Flick herself contributed in her own inimitable way. We weren’t treated to a fair dose of her legendary Mrs Thatcher impression, but she did give us a nice taste of her irreverent but dedicated, even loving, attitude to the regional party. As I said in my own brief remarks, we are not saying farewell to her, for although she may no longer be working for the party, she is still a Councillor in Camden and will doubtless continue supporting its development, fortified with liberal helpings of her justly infamous port wine jelly.