Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen, very nice indeed to welcome you all here to

tonight's McKenzie-Stewart lecture. I'm going to say a few words of welcome to Paul Craig,

and then we'll give him the opportunity to lecture to you and then he's kind of agreed to take some questions afterwards.

And at the end of the lecture and discussion, there will be drinks outside and you're all warmly invited to join us for that.

So Paul Craig, what can I say?

Paul Craig, MA 1973, Oxon, Gibbs Prize 1972, Henrique's Prize

1973, Vinerian Scholar 1974, 1974, Professor of English Law since 1998. And for those of a certain

generation, the Terence Stamp of British academia. Now one of them has been

described as a handsome devil with impeccable manners and a gleam in his eyes who

also managed to romance Brigitte Bardot and Tudy Christi and one of them taught EU law. Now for my generation,

for my generation, Paul is quite simply the king. Even though he's at Oxford, he has led the way

in matters of European law. He writes incredible tomes on EU law.

He's helped shaped the academic discipline. He's been the chronicler of all major stages of the evolution of the EU and author it must be said of its

decline in the United Kingdom at least through works such as Brexit a drama in seven acts

it's hard to believe he's retiring, more of that and on,

but we are enormously grateful to him

that he's agreed to give this Mackenzie Stewart lecture this year,

this lecture named after Baron Mackenzie Stewart,

the first British judge at the European Court of Justice.

Paul has become very much part of the fabric of Searle's life, as indeed have the McKenzie-Stewart lectures.

They've been generously funded for the last three years by Sherman and Sterling.

Sadly, none of the members of the McKenzie Stewart family can be here tonight, but they are

...