Successful start to the Brief Encounter talks

[Ross]

On Tuesday CAGS held the first of its series of bi-monthly talks, called "The Brief Ecounter". Brian Paddick, former Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police, and subsequently Lib-Dem candidate for Mayor of London, addressed a packed gathering in The Brief in George Street. The photo shows Brian in full flow, with David (Chair of CAGS) listening, and the cameraman from TV Polari recording the event.

We were very impressed that Brian didn't just give a prepared speech, but started by asking his audience what they wanted him to talk about. He gave us some interesting insights into his experiences in the Met and some thoughts on the current situation.

The event attracted a good number of CAGS members, plus quite a few who were not members, but had heard about it from the Internet or the local papers. Two people joined up on the spot, and we suspect there are some more membership subscriptions in the pipeline.

Talking to our members afterwards, they were all extremely complimentary. It was a really good meeting, and an excellent beginning to our “Brief Encounter” season.

There's a fuller report on Brian Paddick's speech in the CAGS press release.