Huddled in a corner of the gallery we found Dennis Hayes, the president-designate of Natfhe, talking to Simon Davies from the London School of Economics. Mr Davies spoke out recently in The Times Higher about the Government's "relentless" smear campaign against him after he co-wrote a critical report on ID cards. Could it be that Mr Hayes, an ardent campaigner for freedom of speech, was recruiting Mr Davies as the union's new poster boy? Regardless, after the pressure he had been under this was one academic who truly deserved a drink.