Enoch Powell and Ted Heath try to pull the Tory delegates in opposite directions at fringe meetings
Enoch Powell and Ted Heath try to pull the Tory delegates in opposite directions at fringe meetings

After a rush to get the girls off to school and a rendezvous with Di’s parents in Cambridge, Off to Glisson Road for a planning meeting where my resignation was not discussed.

Back to lunch with the family at The Copper Kettle and home via Meldreth for some swimming pool chemical. Sitting in on the St Neots Town Council Group meeting and home to watch TV coverage of a discordant Tory Conference

I had to rush round this morning to get the final FOCUS copy ready to take to Cambridge. Now that both girls go to school at 8.00am, the pressure is with me on these occasions to get ready to leave. Just time for breakfast and to take some copies of the artwork before I had to spend a few minutes getting my papers ready for today's meetings. A fairly easy drive into Cambridge and then a smart walk up to Eadon Lilley's to meet Di's parents for morning coffee. I only had a few minutes for my coffee before catching a taxi over to Glisson Road for the start of the 10.15am meeting.

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It was a quiet and nervy affair with everyone treading carefully on egg-shells after my note about standing back from the front line of campaign management. The agenda went very well but there had been little progress on the matters outstanding now that the pressure had been taken off with the election not being until next year. Strangely, neither Murray White (in the chair) nor Sue Sutton mentioned my letter and, as I had last left Murray with the task of discussing matters with Sue, I did not raise it either and so things are left in the air. Percy gave me a lift back to The Copper Kettle and there I sat and read a Motorboat Monthly magazine whilst drinking a pot of tea and waiting for Diana.

A roast beef lunch and then back to the car for the journey home. On the way, we first stopped at the garden centre and then the swimming pool shop in Meldreth where we bought the necessary anti-algae chemical to keep our pool free this winter. Home in mid-afternoon and then to watch TV world cup rugby until tea. This evening, I sat in on the Town Council Group meeting where my party colleagues were discussing the following day's full meeting of council and also what to do about the Town Clerk who has not been behaving as the new council would like. Home a little earlier than of late and so to bed by 11.00pm.

The political news is of the National Health Service and of Europe as the Conservative Party Conference is well underway. Enoch Powell and Ted Heath try to pull the Tory delegates in opposite directions at fringe meetings as the leadership attempt to avoid the impression of having policy splits. There has been a "leak" that the London hospitals will not be able to "opt out" under Trust status pending an inquiry into the London health service which is a reverse for the Tories. So far, their conference has not been going as well as the other two.