This was the 'coral anniversary' of the Bruges Group's founding and the mood was very thoughtful, given the historic defeat in last week's General Election.
Addressing the meeting was Bruges Group Chairman Barry Legg. His key point was that the Tory Party has not been Conservative for decades. One questioner from the floor said that in a fairly long life this was the first time he had not voted for the Party; he had chosen Reform.
Others wondered whether the two factions should unite; the Chairman pointed out that Farage was out for himself and Reform's four million votes had resulted in only five seats and robbed the Tories of hundreds.
Legg said Rishi had gone to the polls early because by the Autumn his Rwanda scheme would have been revealed as unworkable, nobbled by the ECHR. There is more to say about that: the agreement with Rwanda was to swap our asylum seekers for sick and crippled people who would be even more of a long term drain on our resources. Besides, the trickle of rubber dinghies is a distraction from the flood of legal immigration that both Labour and Conservatives have enabled.
Part of the electoral disaster was disengagement. The national turnout was only 60%, almost an all-time low; and in my solid Labour Birmingham constituency 50%, with a Muslim firebrand newcomer very nearly unseating Jess Phillips. As Tony Benn said, when the turnout drops below half 'we are in danger.'
Hanging from the lectern was a portrait of its former honorary president, Margaret Thatcher. As discussion ranged over the need to return to core Conservative values and how to pick a leader out of the shattered rump in Parliament, one key principle remained unspoken: patriotism. Mrs Thatcher's worst enemies could not accuse her of not believing in the nation state - remember when she wrapped her handkerchief over the abominable Union-flag-free design on a model BA jet?
There is a need to re-inspire. The people choose with their hearts; they do not consult manifestoes when selecting a government, any more than when picking a marriage partner.
The question I wished to ask was whether the challenge for the Conservatives was not merely how to save the Party but how to save Parliamentary democracy. It was a constant theme not only of Maggie but also of great Left orators such as Tony Benn, Dennis Skinner and even the recently unseated George Galloway. Without a visceral belief in our country and its ability to restrain autocrats the Tories are wasting everybody's time looking for a new leader.
The need for strong leadership is urgent. The Brown commission - tasked by Starmer - plans to decentralise the life out of Parliament. It seems his direction of travel after this is back towards the EU 'no matter what my British voters think,' to adapt Baerbock's arrogance. In this he has long been supported by the quislings on the Conservative green benches, in Whitehall and the increasingly biased news media.
Two seats away from me was Polly Toynbee, writing longhand slowly in her exercise book; and a woman from the Evening Standard. The old Scots poem 'Twa Corbies' came to mind; but the knight is not dead yet.
