Report on the Masters & Clerks’ Lunch 2024
On 30th April, the Masters & Clerks’ Lunch saw 130 Company members and guests, including 15 visiting Masters and 13 Clerks, join the Master and Mistress in the splendid surroundings of Carpenters Hall.
The Hall is presently the home of the Plumbers’ Company, and for the Carpenters it is their third Hall since occupying the site in 1429, the current building having been opened in 1960 following the destruction of its predecessor in the Blitz.
Prior to lunch, the Court members witnessed the clothing of 8 new Liverymen, one of our largest intakes in recent years, of whom incidentally 3 are Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members and 4 are “financial plumbers” with City backgrounds.
Also at the Court meeting, 2 members of the Armed Services, Corporal Jason Trotman and Sapper Jitendra Limbu, who qualified as the top Plumbers in the Royal Engineers, were also made Freeman of the Company in recognition of their achievements.
A packed reception followed the Court meeting.
After a delicious 3-course lunch, we heard from guest speaker was Larry Elliott, Economics Editor at The Guardian. He is a leading writer from the left on the international economy, and has a special interest in globalisation, trade and development, and the interface between economics and the environment.
Larry helped created the progressive ‘Green New Deal’ published by the New Economics Foundation in 2008 to drive recovery from the financial crisis. He explained that he believed that the British people’s decision to vote for ‘Brexit’ reflects the EU’s failure to act on its promises to protect its member from the worst effects of globalisation.
The son of a plumber, Larry also explained to the diners that he believes strongly in vocational skills education and that the developments such as AI present huge opportunities and threats. He also spoke about the upcoming General Election, its likely timing, and the prospects for the opposition parties given the considerable unpopularity of the Government implied by current polling.
The lunch concluded with Master David Adams who proposed a toast to the Clerks on behalf of the Masters present, recognising the hugely important contribution made by Clerks and their team to the running of Livery Companies. In return, Adrian Mumford, our Clerk, offered thanks on behalf of his fellow Clerks.
Steward John Wilson