News came recently of the death of a friend, Alistair McAlpine – Lord McAlpine of West Green. The obituaries have naturally focussed on his political career, rather than on Alistair’s stellar importance as a collector and patron of the arts with a golden gift for friendship. This is understandable, as he was Treasurer of the Conservative Party during Mrs Thatcher’s premiership, and seldom out of … [Read more...]