The 519th Billesdon dinner

Now for something completely different: let me give you an account of the archaic remnants of British tradition and privilage.

This evening I was a guest at the annual Billesdon dinner, at which the Master and Wardens of the Merchant Taylors' Company visit the Worshipful Company of Skinners. These two "companies", along with many others based in the heart of London's financial district (called "The Square Mile" or simply "The City"), are all that is left of the ancient guilds which once dominated British - and indeed global - trade. The remnants of the guilds are essentially social clubs with some tacked on charitable activities, principally schools (the Skinners founded Tonbridge, where my father was educated, while the Merchant Taylors school main is Winchester). The members of the guilds are drawn from "the great and the good" of British society, in large part the financial services industry, for whom the guilds are a useful networking forum and a colourful backdrop to the fevour of the financial markets, reminding them of a time when The City dealt in physical goods rather than abstract financial instruments. Anyhow the origins of this particular dinner are in 1484 when, following an armed battle between the Skinners and the Taylors, over which would march ahead of the other at the annual Lord Mayors Show, Mayor Billesdon decreed that they should kiss and make up, cementing this with an annual dinner. Five hunderd and ninteen years later this is still happening - with considerably better food, wine and cigars than would have been available back in 1484. The meal is steeped in ceremony, from the sung grace, to the passing of the Loving Cup to the formal toasts to the royal family and officers of the companies.

I'd expected the whole affair to be very alien, but as it happens I had connections to the all the principal participants. The Master of the Skinners was educated at my prep school (the Dragon), the after dinner speaker was an alumni of my Oxford College (Balliol) and the most honoured guest, the Acting Master of the Taylors, was my sister's godfather. I was forcifully reminded how inescapably entwined I am with the old British Establishment by dint of upbringing and education.

Anyhow, the guest speaker, Sir Eric Anderson, the Provost of Eton College (bitter rivals of my own secondary school Radley), was very humourous and impressive. He has the unusual history of having taught, early in his career, both the Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Heir to the Throne Prince Charles. A few years ago there was a very powerful television advertising campaign to attract people to teaching in which celebrities simply spoke the names of their favourite teachers, with the tag line "No one forgets a good teacher." Tony Blair named Eric Anderson. This fact makes what he said at the dinner particularly poinient. "Something I must clear up immediately is that, while I did teach the Prime Minister, I certainly did not teach him either politics or economics... And his latest proposals do not get high marks." He was refering to the governments policy of introducing £3000 top-up fees for university students, something Anderson said was the most bureaucratic and least effectual option for tackling the crisis in higher education. Anderson certainly agrees with the government that more funding is needed for universities - stating that the Americans spend 2.7% of GDP on this against our mere 1% - but favoured a system of giving univeristies discretion in what they charge, with half of raised funds going to pay bursaries for students unable to afford the fees.

Anyhow, much to my shame I rather enjoyed the dinner, although after the five courses of food, wine, port, brandy, cigar and pipe... I was feeling rather brittle this morning.