Being a member of CREES was undoubtedly the most important period of my working life and, with the benefit of hindsight, I can now see what a deep mark it left on me. I have many wonderful memories. But the most abiding one is of the sheer quality of the colleagues with whom I worked for many years and, in particular, of the inspirational influence of Bob Davies upon us all. I can still almost hear Bob's tactful voice at my shoulder or, even worse, his significant silences. CREES, to my mind, has always represented a gold standard for clear thinking, for meticulous use of evidence and an instinctive capacity to recognise and reject all kinds of ideological twaddle - standards I did not always encounter later on in my career. In an interview with the THES at the time of my appointment to the Cabinet Office Julian Cooper (rightly) observed that I was someone who was intrigued by the "corridors of power", always wanting to find out what really went on behind the closed doors. Unfortunately, I found out - but it was an insight that I wouldn't have missed for the world!