Paul Mackney, the general secretary, asked why we continue to spend 10 per cent of GDP on “defence”, which some might claim is simply donating our hard-earned cash to the Bush clan’s campaign for world domination.

That afternoon, and right on cue, the RAF’s ultimate public relations operation, the Red Arrows, performed along the seafront, the little red Hawks whizzing past the hotel at 500 feet. In all the excitement, the lecturers seemed to forget about their distaste for things military as they pointed up like excited schoolchildren.

And who would blame them for enjoying the show. We might be spending too much on defence, but WOWEE!