Sir Geoffrey Howe's statement in the House of Commons and this was a very damning indictment of Thatcher's style of government
Sir Geoffrey Howe's statement in the House of Commons and this was a very damning indictment of Thatcher's style of government

A long meeting with Percy and Sally for five hours with breaks for coffee, then for tea and sandwiches agreeing an active strategy for tomorrow's council meeting with lots of questions and points to press the Conservatives about and then a call to the Labour leader to make sure that his members would be there to see it through.

This evening to a Village Hall maintenance meeting before home to watch Sir Geoffrey Howe's statement in the House of Commons and this was a very damning indictment of Thatcher's style of government and her intransigence with respect to European development. Another telephone call from Ian James means that I will have to chair an ONSITE board meeting this week. I may not have made a very good decision to become involved with them.

A better night but was still a little sleepless and then slow to wake up this morning to get started on the things that I had to do. Breakfast was therefore a little late and then I had to wade through quite a lot of mail. There was another long planning document from the district council which I needed time to study. In the time left before Percy and Sally arrived at 9.30am, I could only do my morning chores and clear up my office ready for the meeting. We then met for five hours with breaks for coffee and then for tea and sandwiches and agreed an active strategy for tomorrow's council meeting with lots of questions and points to press the Conservatives about. I then contacted the Labour leader and made sure he realised that we were planning an active and late session so that his members would be there to see it through. It fell to me to collect Della from school as Diana had to go and get Debbie and take her to see the doctor this afternoon. She had been suffering with pains in her knees which have been diagnosed as growing pains but that I think they may be related to her long-distance horse-riding. In any event, she is not to worry about them and can carry on sports and games if the pain allows.

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Then I had to conduct the final arrangements for the Village Hall maintenance meeting this evening and then left late for it. This delay was due to all of the telephone calls and final typing of the long list of outstanding problems that needed bringing to the meeting. Although there were only three of us there, it was a good meeting in identifying the jobs that could be done by the handyman and those that needed to be put out to contract, but there were still a daunting number of maintenance tasks that have built up as a backlog. I went to The Anchor Pub afterwards with Alan Cromack, the chairman, and we had a couple of drinks together. Home at a reasonable time and then updated these last couple of days' journal before I forgot the details. I took a little time out this evening to hear Sir Geoffrey Howe's statement in the House of Commons and this was a very damning indictment of Thatcher's style of government and her intransigence with respect to European development. The House treated it as a very important occasion and it was packed and shocked and surprised by the extent of the attack in its frankness. Now Hazeltine has to decide on whether to make a bid for the party leadership and will probably announce that he is to do so tomorrow. The day raining after some finer weather earlier. Another telephone call from Ian James means that I will have to chair an ONSITE board meeting this week which will leave virtually no time for gardening. I am now very uneasy about the situation with ONSITE and think that I may not have made a very good decision to become involved with them.