Francis Pym speaks with great dignity in The House of Commons
Francis Pym speaks with great dignity in The House of Commons

Indecent executive bargaining in the Comart Group, a recalcitrant Thatcher in the Commons despite Francis Pym's speech and a wet evening cruise

A day ending pouring wet and stormy but beginning dull and sultry. First the mail and then a hard slog through a backlog of items for urgent attention. Disputes to resolve with David Fear on sales executive’s packages. Ian Nickson with the type of word processing printer for his new system and Geoff Lynch over a large budget approval for new furniture for the separated Xitan operation. John offers to mediate in the latter as the intermediate sounding board.

Personnel Interviews with London Director, Bob Robinson, who has made no progress in filling the vacancies in his team and also required confirmation of his own profit commission plan and a new marketing executive for John Lamb whose employment I approve in late afternoon. He will take a year to gain experience but can help John considerably. This day I dispatch a 2000-word article to Computer Weekly, and agree to endorse an NCC Directory in return for a certain control over its editorial entry. David Fear agrees the sales quotas with the sales force and reports rising optimism for the month’s sales. More news of re-sewn severed arms; this one to an industrial worker whose elbow was shattered, and Francis Pym in great dignity makes his back-bench speech in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister will not agree to the customary request of the Leader of the Opposition to approve 20+ Labour peers in the dissolution Honours List even though the election result has left many active and senior politicians without a role to play. The evening finishes with a cruise on The Lady, Daniel as a reluctant and protestant crew and David Fear the appreciative guest – But it POURED!