Twenty Years On

Protocol demands that I say what a great honour it is to have been invited to give the opening address today. But indeed I would say that without the demand of protocol, since I am overawed by the long list of distinguished guest speakers who have earlier filled this role, including, at the last Oxford Symposium, a much beloved great man of science, the late Sir Lawrence Bragg. It is indeed a great honour for me to join their ranks, an honour only slightly dimmed by the sotto voce comment of our Programme Secretary, who greeted the new of my acceptable of the invitation to speak with the remark: ‘an excellent choice – at least we can keep him under control and make him keep to the time-table.’