Being invited to join the Export IT council and getting encouraging feedback from the press including the Financial Times on my BMMG IBM/BT opposition campaign
Up and to my office to tussle with the word processor. But first to set Daniel to work on his mathematics where arithmetic is the latest priority and long division top of the list. I call ICL, UKITO and Nigel Smith to talk about the progress on IBM/BT and from an initial mood of despondency, I get some encouragement. I call Guy de Jonquieres of the Financial Times to back up ICL’s efforts and Tom Forenski of Computing calls for an update, which I hope will be printed next week. I then realise that I am due to meet Roy Porter, Director of Export IT, for lunch in Tempsford.
I quickly change and reach the Anchor early, but on time to meet Roy, and I treat him to drinks and some lunch. We exchange views on the Government and its poor support of IT export funding and Roy explains his organisation and floats some of his ideas for new overseas shows and marketing cooperative agencies in France for example. I must admit that I tend to agree with his staff that more attention to the basics of overseas shows and inward/outward missions would still produce results if sustained. I emphasise the needs of small to medium size growth companies and get a good response to my request for an introductory discount for BMMG members who join. He then invites me to join the new Export IT council and I am to write to the Chairman for a formal request. Back to the office to return a few calls and also get a visit from John Lamb. John brings a range of magazines and I see that Computing Weekly has printed a piece from Tessa Curtis on the IBM/BT licence, which ends the day a lot better than it began. ICL and UKITO both promised to send copies of the draft DTI submissions, which I will find very interesting and helpful in preparing my own this weekend.