Encouraging Pattie to fight for IT funding
Encouraging Pattie to fight for IT funding

Day of tending my doves and working at home as disappointing news from Geoffrey Pattie that the government are freezing spending on IT schemes, which makes the UK industry even more vulnerable to be swamped by overseas manufacturers

A good night’s sleep in my own bed, but I wake up with my cold heavy and limbs still aching from cold. I read the remains of yesterday’s Sunday Times and then today’s Financial Times before down to a breakfast of fruit juice and toast. Shower after to get washed and dressed and only arrived at the office at 10.00am, but found no messages. I read today’s Computer News – full of IBM’s retaliation over the Jove refusal - and the daily bulletins of a Computer Industry still under stress and revolution before, not feeling well, I took some time to relax. The first then of a couple of calls to Owles Hall over BMMG press releases and I also heard from Selwyn Press to agree the form of my arms for the new letter head. Lunch of pie and peas again as I had inadvertently switched the freezer off when locking the garage for the weekend and spoilt a chest of food for quick eating. The lunchtime television news was full of the violent scenes in Yorkshire where missiles and petrol bombs accompany a drift back to work of miners concerned for their Christmas money. This afternoon I typed into the computer my latest portfolio information and, by the end of this afternoon, had reprinted the summaries for circulation to my accountant and two stock brokers whose continuing advice I value. I took a call from the DTI that informed me that Geoffrey Pattie had announced in the House today a moratorium on applications under the SFI, MISP, FOS, CADCAM and FMS schemes. In line with our worst fears the existing allocations of funds had been taken up with applications and will not be supplemented this financial year.

I had time to contact Helen Gibbons and Nigel Smith and compare notes and the effect on our press releases. There will undoubtedly be a row over these developments and quite a widely spread one at that. This government is abandoning the IT emphasis and encouragement of innovation in favour of budget cuts and that will unify the computer industry against it. As dark fell, I shut up the office and tended first the pigeons and then the ducks. The fantail doves are starting to pair off and defend territories. The male Blue, by far the most dominant, has occupied the first floor ledge of the dovecote and today was guarding inside the right hand box of the Dilute Indigo hen. On the feeding tray one of the Dilute Indigo cocks has already mated with the Blonde Qualmond hen and has tried to adopt the feeding board as a nest. I had to remove the bowl and revert to feed and drink cups at the cage sides to avoid this problem. The weather has been dry and bright today and the birds are well preened. Now that at least one is using the sheltered boxes voluntarily, I think that they are settling in fine. The ducks came to feed after dark and were put in, but I have to settle them with a more regular feeding pattern if they are to come back on lay soon. More pies for tea and for sweet to follow and a quiet evening reading, writing and waiting for signs of trouble from ‘Paddy’ (the local hooligan) and his companions on this Monday night. News today of the Chancellors autumn mini-statement intent on cutting expenditure in order to make tax cuts in the Spring Budget. All departments budgets are trimmed and today’s DTI cuts are only part of a wider picture, with the control of inflation still the prime economic objective. They announce that the pound note will now go and be superseded by a pound coin, a development which is very unpopular with all. The half-penny piece will also be dropped, but nobody will miss these. Pound notes will stay in Scotland and Northern Ireland who will not follow the Bank of England’s example. To bed at 10.30pm on a quiet night without disturbances due to the increased police presence.