This was a month of poor weather, but one where we made best use of the earlier finer days for electioneering until a storm, incessant rain and snow and slush stopped everyone. Even so, we made the best of it in the early part of the month and got well ahead of the Tories in our canvassing and poster board campaigns. Some staunch Tory thugs tried to retaliate against our poster boards, but we stopped them succeeding by replacing them and calling in the law.
On a poor month for family priorities, at least I fired up the swimming pool on the odd fine and bright but cold day. Daniel was learning to drive with mixed results, Debbie was progressing her horse-riding and we had family trips to church, and Wickstead Park. My dad’s treatment was progressing at Addenbrookes but was a worry. I was tired and struggling to work effectively, injuring my finger when assembling poster boards for the election campaign and painfully splashing after-shave into my left eye but the campaign was going well. My main achievement of the month was my book being printed – in time for the meetings and presentations, which was a great success with the first batch of 100 books soon sold. My first de-humidifier was delivered but not strong enough to stop condensation.
A good month for our candidates in the local elections; after a good well-organised campaign with three edition of Focus leaflets, canvassing and planning – not to mention publicity. We had canvassed early in the month and got ahead of the Tories before the weather broke and the door-step encounters were no longer possible and we had lots of poster boards erected and we kept them there, despite the efforts of staunch Tory hooligans trying to trash them. Michael was winning easily in Priory Ward, Percy was behind but gaining ground in Buckden. The Tories reacted angrily to our criticisms about their absentee councillors criticisms and their Tory leader Derek Holley was unwisely provoked into published accusations of lying for which he had to publish a written apology and retraction which I had drafted for him in the Hunts Post later!! The big day arrived for the visit of Paddy Ashdown to The Hayling View for a big press and radio event in my lounge and new conservatory with many journalists and a radio station in attendance. I kept up the local action and publicity, attending and hosting all manner of meetings and keep the press informed with constant publicity.
The tragic news this month has been all about the Hillsborough football Stadium disaster with nearly one hundred Liverpool fans dead. Some 15- 30,000 people protest in Scotland against the poll tax. The government announced its unilateral decision to scrap the dock labour scheme covering 9,400 men in 40 ports. With inflation is up to 7.9% and 8p per gallon petrol price increases there is widespread condemnation over the government over the introduction of ID cards and NHS ‘reforms’ as doctors are still opposed the government’s health reforms but will not take collective action. There is news of a baby food blackmail scare.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, arrived in London and Mrs Thatcher hosted him to a Downing Street banquet and paid tribute to his ‘peaceful resolution’. The US/Soviet summit talks seemed to go well but there remain arguments between Britain, West Germany and America over plans for upgrading NATO short range nuclear weapons. As a result of the Russia nuclear submarine sinking, we now know that 27 of the 69 crew died but ‘they say’ that the two nuclear weapons and propulsion system are supposed to be safe.
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There was not much time for the family this month, but I gave Daniel some driving lessons; concentrating initially on steering and control, before taking him for longer runs to Cambridge but, when Diana tried, they came home with his car dented after an accident! We saw Daniel off from Kimbolton for the start of his school trip to Russia; even though the news was of a curfew in Georgia after 16 die in unrest. He returned home with news of a girlfriend he found there, despite KGB attention, but he lacked contact information to pursue his interest! Both Di and I kept taking Debbie to the riding stables, with me even managing to transport her and Sundance to a Pony Club meeting with her friend Helen Cranston after we had prepared by undertaking horse-box training for an hour or two. I also prepared Debbie’s post-birthday party invitations and we all watched a Crocodile Dundee video film one evening. As usual, I took the family to St James’s Church services, including that for the St George’s Day parade. We once walked on from there on a better sunny day to the Little Chef in Southoe for lunch. We took the girls to Wickstead Park for an afternoon of unlimited rides where I got bored and naughtily distracted gazing at one young mum who was immodestly dressed. The worrying news was from my Dad, as we welcomed him after his latest Addenbrooke’s Hospital visit and I was nursing an injured finger after election poster-boarding work, but more of that later.
I found some time to catch up on my backlog of newspaper cuttings and watched some sport on TV for a rest occasionally such as watching Nick Faldo win the US Masters Golf, but the main achievement of the month was my book being printed and delivered – just in time for the parish meeting presentations and the W. I. talk, which was a great success with the first batch of 100 books sold. This, after a last-minute book panic where they were missing a drawing and text for the book cover. Two were presented at the Little Paxton Annual Parish Meeting to long term retiring members and Vera Ruff and Ivy Bunnage who really appreciated signed presentation copies which I took round to them. and the Rev Peter Lewis advocated my book and publicised my village talk during his service! Following the deterioration of my Hariwake Koi carp, the fish people came and injected him once more and I tried to spend time tending my conservatory and received a dehumidifier machine sales representative who left a trial machine which was not man enough, judged by the condensation inside the conservatory windows. After many late nights and tiring days, I was tired and struggling to work effectively but, after taking time out for a much-appreciated restful night’s sleep, I caught up with two days’ journal and completed my accounts before the April deadline. Also being tired and less than careful, I injured my finger assembling election poster-boards, following a painful incident of getting strong aftershave solution in my left eye.
It was a good month of campaigning for our candidates in the local elections and April comes to an end with just a few last days left in this campaign. We stand a chance of getting Des Merrill elected, Michael seems home and dry – but the marginal seat is that of Percy, who is fighting a difficult and spread-out ward from a position of being the underdog. I think we may yet win all three of the seats, but it could go the other way. At least the turnout will be very high, as we aim to have a big polling day organisation in place and it has been a good well-organised campaign with leaflets, canvassing and planning – not to mention publicity; and we could do with a good result. We had started work early in the month and got ahead of the Tories before the weather broke and the door-step encounters were no longer possible. When canvassing in Buckden, the Tories seemed yet to appear to oppose us! By that time, we had lots of poster boards erected and we kept them there, despite the efforts of staunch Tory hooligans trying to trash them, repairing our election poster sites. We started our canvassing in Little Paxton, as I organised three volunteers, and we had a very encouraging response for Michael. As well as the door-to-door contact, we planned our election campaigns very carefully agreeing three editions of Focus leaflet copy with the theme ‘a history of action and promise of more’. I also organised a working party to make and post 120/130 flag boards for the election campaign; installing them in Paxton for Michael, Offord and Buckden for Percy before taking over a load for Des Merrill in Gransden.
This made quite a provocative show and sign of progress which gained us more support. I constantly reviewed the results of our canvassing and de-briefed canvassers, which allowed us to adjust election tactics and respond to some Tory efforts accordingly. Michael was winning easily in Priory Ward, Percy was behind but gaining ground in Buckden and we had no results yet for Des Merrill yet but anecdotally he thinks he is doing well after we highlighted the sitting Tory Councillors absences. We had completed quite a section of Offord Cluny and then five us for were canvassing Abbotsley, after which we analysed the returns which showed the prediction as being very close. In view of all this, we agreed to concentrate on Percy’s ward where our efforts should have the biggest effect. There then followed a successful afternoon canvassing the council house bungalows in Buckden on behalf of Percy. I advised Des Merrill to stay in his home village of Gransden with his sister Celia to canvass for personal support whilst I organised other helpers to join Percy to canvass the much larger Buckden village, personally helping him morning and afternoon on most days. Some more very good days canvassing results in Southoe for Percy but a very different experience for Des Merrill and Abbotsley where the Tories have been arm twisting their party members to put up posters and we found little support for him on a day where the Merrill’s family cat got run over!
In Gransden, the Tories reacted angrily to our criticisms about their absentee councillors criticisms and their Tory leader Derek Holley was unwisely provoked into published accusations of lying for which he had to publish a written apology and retraction which I had drafted for him in the Hunts Post later!! I then helped Michael Pope to canvas the larger houses in the Priory Estate using my personal-index-number Range Rover to help gain their attention. I spent one day canvassing in Offord with Percy, close to the riding stables were Fiona’s father, Roland Smith, was an opposition Tory councillor as we competed to erect the most posters. This triggered an entire day organising, making, and erecting election posters after collecting materials from Arrington and then distributing them in Gransden and Offord with Michael and Percy. The whole poster-board campaign had declined into a war, as many of our were trashed but we persisted as I firstly helped Michael re-erect some of his Paxton signs which were then trashed again. Michael has complained to the police over another bout of vandalism to our poster boards where I found a number of them had been attacked again along Gordon Road and Mill Lane and Michael personally put many of them back up the same day and we also spoke to a community policeman. After the problem continued, I confronted Bob Grubb over his family’s involvement with my poster boards, and once back, reinstated the boards with Mike and his dad.
I heard news that Paddy Ashdown was to be visiting Paxton at my invitation, and we got more news coverage of Paddy Ashdown’s visit until the big day arrived for his visit to The Hayling View for a big press and radio event in my lounge and new conservatory with many journalists and a radio station in attendance. I kept up the local action and publicity; hosting Parish Council Planning Committee Members at Samuel Jones to discuss that firm’s expansion plans. I was pressing an HDC Policy Committee where they considered my proposals for new standing orders but would not let me speak! To the Little Paxton Village Hall AGM where I was elected as Vice-Chairman and Trustee and then attending a residents action group meeting at Little Paxton Village Hall, surprisingly attended by local leading Tory District Council members. I just had enough preparation time to make an effective contribution to the full meeting of Huntingdonshire District Council one afternoon. before and after a parish council leisure and amenity amenities meeting at the village hall. The Labour group helped me by seconding my proposals and amendments and, in the end, the Tories fell out with each other over making spending choices with insufficient funding. Another successful Southoe Parish meeting followed.
The tragic news this month has been all about the Hillsborough football Stadium disaster with near a hundred Liverpool fans dead. Liverpool are considering whether to continue in the FA Cup after the countless deaths of their fans. Thatcher is upsetting even more people and the Tories are defecting in some numbers. Some 15- 30,000 people protest in Scotland against the poll tax, whilst writs and injunctions fly over the report into the Harrods takeover to the government’s embarrassment as Lord Young is struggling under criticism for concealing the monopolies commission House of Frazer/Harrods report which reveals ‘evidence of wrongdoing’ The government announced today its unilateral decision to scrap the dock labour scheme covering 9,400 men in 40 ports. With threats of industrial action, market worries depress the stock market and the Chancellor is under pressure for a high interest and exchange rate policy and the stock exchange slides but the TGWU, on behalf of the dockers, holds back from a dock strike in order to choose winnable ground and to get further legal advice. Inflation is up to 7.9% and 8p per gallon petrol price increases and there is widespread condemnation over the government over the introduction of ID cards and NHS ‘reforms’ as doctors are still opposed the government’s health reforms but will not take collective action. Labour commits to raising the top rate of income tax to 50%. There is news of a baby food blackmail scare where glass fragments and other foreign objects were placed in Heinz baby food to try to secure a £1 million ransom.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, arrives in London and Mrs Thatcher hosts him to a Downing Street banquet and paid tribute to his ‘peaceful resolution’ and then he goes on to visit Ireland. The US/Soviet arms summit talks seemed to go well but there remain arguments between Britain, West Germany and America over plans for upgrading NATO short range nuclear weapons. As a result of the Russia nuclear submarine sinking, we now know that 27 of the 69 crew died but ‘they say’ that the two nuclear weapons and propulsion system are supposed to be safe. There are street protests in China calling for economic and democratic reform and a Soho Chinese arcade is firebombed with four casualties. Forty people have died over the rejection of the new regime in violent clashes in Namibia. David Gower has been named as the captain for all six England cricket test matches this season.