Full day’s desk work evaluating Xitan events, planning priorities and concentrating on the budget factory expansion and the huge people plan as Irish terrorists shoot a 20-year-old girl teacher, Ted Heath speaks out against Thatcher’s plans to abolish the Metropolitan Councils and the Miners plan their next steps
Early to awake with Debbie up, playing and putting the hall lights on. Up to my normal breakfast and then to the office for a full day’s desk work. June has successfully organised the meetings and appointments for Thursday and next week and I settled to a range of tasks including the start of the 1984/5 people planning process. But first to brief Derek Weatherby on the Xitan events and he soon phoned through to the Accounts Supervisor and confirmed the outcome.
It seems Geoff has been phoning all and sundry for advice and sympathy. I work out that I have far too many competing demands on my time and decide to draw up a list of priority action items which include concentrating on the budget, investigating factory expansion, and completing the 30-odd annual personnel reviews ahead of the payroll deadline. I stay late at the office again, calculating the new year’s organisational chart, setting off to return home very tired at 8.00pm. The funeral today of Mary Travers, the 20 year old teacher from Anderstown cruelly shot dead by Irish Terrorists. In the House of Commons, ex-premier Ted Heath spoke out against the bill to abolish the Metropolitan Councils which changed power from Labour to Conservative and there will be a major rebellion in tonight’s vote. In the US Walter Mondale is pulling away from his rival Gary Hart in the race for the Democratic nomination. Rising interest back in England as the countdown starts to the NUM executive meeting tomorrow to decide whether to call a National Ballot or Delegates Conference. The weather today continues wet and cool but a slightly warmer day is forecast for tomorrow.