Drive to Manchester for a struggling Federation of Microsystems Centres steering committee meeting and then back for key press interviews with a possible victory against IBM/BT on the cards the judiciary fines Scargill and the NUM and the Tories excel at conference stage management which bodes ill for the future in my view
An early start, in view of the day ahead and awake at 6.30am for morning tea. A quick wash, dress and bowl of sugar puffs and, after 10 mins scan of this morning’s Financial Times, off by car to the north. A long drive up the A1 and across the M62 noting at the junction of the two an inordinate amount of activity with an open cast coal mine at Pontefract frenetically loading coal lorries to try to beat the miner’s strike. Eventually traffic delays and congestion meant I was a half hour late for my 10.00am Federation of Microsystem Centres steering committee meeting. A difficult morning with a tired David Fairbairn in the chair churning laboriously through the problems of trying to run a Federation to public objectives without the necessary funding. For some reason I had not received the meeting’s papers as well which made my contribution difficult from the far end of the table. A better buffet lunch with news exchanged on BT/IBM where hope expressed of stopping the venture. The long haul by car back, arriving after 5.00pm, but in time to return calls to the Sunday Times and Computer Weekly and fit in a lunch interview tomorrow. Horror at finding that Diana had left the ducks locked up in their hutch all day. At the Tory Conference, announcements on increased penalties for drug trafficking and limited funding to track its abuse – but fringe meetings feel that the funding is only a beginning. In the economic ‘debate’ a speech by Nigel Lawson was unopposed with no wet voices raised against; and Fowler’s health speech only had a few minor contributors. In all the conference is an orchestrated PR exercise with genuine debate excluded by careful speech screening and stage management. What a disaster will eventually come out of this phenomenon – spine chilling in its suppression!
No business mail today only a bank statement and placing documents for T & S Stores which I shall buy and then immediately sell. News today of Daniel’s school assessments which are much improved – with a 1A for physics! Also of court fines for Scargill and the NUM – though they will continue the strike as an ‘official’ one. The strike committee are still determined to stick to their statements and the bitterness becomes even more acute.