The magnificent

dining room at the Palace Hotel, Manchester, built for the Refuge Assurance Company at the height of Victorian confidence. Lunch was free to me, during a day of meetings about the new GCSE in Computer Science. Mr Gove's 'Bridge Too Far' speech added spice to the day. An unhappy metaphor, really, if one thinks about the casualties of Op MARKET GARDEN. Poor use of intelligence, inadequate preparation, questionable strategic leadership ... Oh dear.

Still, it was a very pleasant lunch, as part of an agreeable new team.