Publicity for Microcomputer industry affairs after an early morning domestic panic and car care exercise with tariff’s and IBM micro impact on the UK industry a concern as the BT share issue proves to be under-priced and the first news filters through of the Bhopal gas tragedy whilst the NUM defies the courts again
A lay in as Diana forgot to set the alarm and I read The F. T. as she and Daniel scrambled to get him out to school on time. Then down to breakfast of melon and natural honeycomb with toast before back to finish reading The F. T. Up at 9.00am and to get washed and dressed in the company of Deborah who has been kept at home today with a heavy cold. Then out to the doves and ducks again before round to the old house and the Mini Metro in the garage. We set off to St Neots so that Diana can drop off her Escort Estate at Hunts Motors for repairs to her tailgate and I stop on the way and buy a new battery for the Mini Metro and the new tyre and battery station, ‘Supafit.’ On our return I spend an hour fitting the new battery and drive the repaired car around Lt Paxton and back to the house. It runs well and the bright red colour looks very attractive. Di’s advert will be in The Trader this Wednesday and she is hoping to sell the car for nearly £2000. Just time to check the office for messages and mail and I phone de Zoete for advice on selling my British Telecom shares, but Nicholas is not there. News on Prestel of prices of up to 90p quoted on the unofficial market, which is interesting. A lunch of pork roast intended for yesterday, then back to the office to successfully speak to Nick de Zoete. He reports latest news on a 80/85p stock exchange debut and recommends selling – I’ll think about it. Message to phone Tessa Curtis of Computer Weekly, which I do.
It seems that Daniel Frazer’s letter from Microsoft was published as an open letter and he is getting publicity for an opposing view. I phone Nigel Smith and Helen Gibbons and eventually sort out our timescales for publishing the LAN Report and holding the seminar. I brief Tessa Curtis to keep the initiative. Call from Computer Weekly for views on the Tariff Duty issue. It seems that DTI officials are horse-trading with the EEC and we could get tariff equalisation in exchange for measures on consumer electrics. Then Which Computer phone to ask about the effect of IBM’s PC AT on UK micro-makers and I generate more opinions on that score. Back to Nicholas to hear that the BT sell prices are near to 100p with the market opening. I give sell instructions and get a later confirmation by Prestel Mailbox that our 4000 shares in 5 lots of 800 are sold for 93p each, a profit of £1720 on the stag, which is quite good. Not much time to write my reports today with all these distractions and so I give up at 3.30pm, have a cup of tea and then tend to the birds. A tea of stilton cheese and pork, then early evening helping Daniel to revise his biology, which is a trial. News tonight of the NUM delegate conference deciding to continue the strike and defy the influence of the judges by 139 votes to 80. The Receiver met with little success today as he was barred from entry to the Luxembourg bank along with the Sequestrator. Another violent incident today as an NCB explosives van was speared by a 2ft spike thrown from an overhead bridge. The stream of strikers returning to work has eased to a trickle. The EEC talks start in Dublin today against a background of a bomb hoax, but with few fireworks apart from anti Thatcher demonstrations. Over 300 people die in India and thousands have respiratory and eye problems after leakage of poisonous gas from a factory in the urban area of Bhopal. In the Commons today criticism of the £1billion lost on BT under-pricing (£300M per 1p share price) and also the start of trouble on the abolition of metropolitan councils and cutting of local government expenditure. George Best is sentenced to 3 months imprisonment for drunken driving and refusing to attend court hearings. England lose the 1st test against India by 8 wickets amidst some controversy over umpiring decisions.