Great news later today of a famous victory in opposing the IBM/BT network after I research my family history and also attend a NEDO meeting and get a ‘British’ restriction included in their collaboration but Thatcher is now very bitter over the death of her friends
Up on time but tired from our active weekend and some bedroom antics occurring all too seldom since our latest child. Time to exchange my briefcase of papers with those more relevant to today’s activities, conducting a rare foray into the Lowe’s occupation at 39 Gordon Road at an early hour. Off then to the station for the 8.02am train from St Neots to Kings Cross and on it to catch up on my journal and read today’s Financial Times. By tube to Aldwych and my first resumption of my genealogical search for many months. Three completed applications for death certificates filed from further analysis of past research notes – hoping to find records of the death of John Broad (Snr) or his wife Ann in St George (East) or Epping where they may have moved from Watford. We shall See. Off by taxi to Millbank Tower room 1320 for a NEDO Office Equip EDC meeting as a steering group on collaboration. A good meeting getting agreement to convene the combined office products under a catalogue of an ‘Alliance’ of trade associations and major companies. Also getting the British owned and controlled criteria (an exclusion of IBM) accepted from an early stage. Then a buffet lunch and chance to talk to all and sundry about BT/IBM to good effect. It seems that DTI opinions are reported as changing largely to oppose the venture on balance. Then a walk to take fresh air from Millbank to the House of Commons where I enter several souvenir shops in the vicinity to ask after union jack tie pins (to no avail). Then a couple of nice bus rides first to Victoria Station and then on by bus again to Swiss Cottage – all for 70p total! I do enjoy the time to see London above ground rather than sweltering on the tube on what had become a fine warm sunny day. At Swiss Cottage reference library I took task again with the Census Returns – examining those of 1861 at 17 Kenton Street. John Broad (Jnr) seems to have had one or two ladies there at the time, helping to look after the young children and the terrible untidiness of the enumerator made deciphering unusually ambiguous. Then by tube in time to catch the 5.15pm train home from Kings Cross, taking a cup of tea and Evening Standard on board with me. A smooth journey and chance to catch up my journal again and read about the latest speculation on Grand Hotel security failures. Back to the house and as I was parking the car in the garage, I heard the radio 4 business news and the excellent news that the BT/IBM licence has been refused by the DTI for the reason that it would limit free competition.
I spend a happy half hour phoning The Guardian, Financial Times and returning the call of Computing and talking to chief reporter Tom Forenski before finally trying to contact ICL and the BMMG Chairman, Nigel Smith. Nigel was equally pleased with the news. Evidently the decision was made early last week in a meeting between senior Ministers at Brighton. News late this evening of Thatcher’s views on reflection upon the immensity of the bomb attack. Both her and the Tory Chairman, Selwyn Gummer, seem very shocked and bitter and are talking in terms of capital punishment, which is in contrast to their first reactions. News in the miners’ strike of the breakdown of talks tonight as televised documentary, Panorama, presents the facts behind the financial and logistical battle for coal supply. On the foreign exchanges, the pond sterling fell to a lowest ever rate of $1.20.