Fine and enjoyable month enjoying my boat and family outings whilst accelerating the BMMG campaigns to counter US and Japanese standards threats as the coal disputes drag on and gather momentum and Price Harry is borne to Charles, Prince of Wales and lady Diana
A month to enjoy my new life, which remained quite busy but far less stressful; combining family and personal time with the new but semi-detached responsibilities that I had assumed as the Director-General of the British Microcomputer Manufacturers Group, that I had previously founded as a member. Now having to write its annual report and their submission to the Minister, as Geoffrey Pattie replaces Kenneth Baker in that role. It took me The London Press Club for the NCC’s advisory committee and then to the office and the riverside home of Rob Wimott, MD of the firm I started out with and was sponsored by for Brighton University. Next to NEDO (National Economic Development Office) meetings in Westminster. Everywhere I go, I stiffen the resolve of these institutions and counter their defeatism for the anti IBM/BT campaign. I continue to get new invitations and join the ExportIT Council. I am invited to address the ECIF Council and NEDO and am welcomed by the top brass at OFTEL who are sympathetic to my case for rejecting the IBM/BT deal as being anti-competitive. This, all before attending strategic DTI meetings about networking standards. The press interviews flow one after another as it becomes a normal daily event but this is something that does not worry me;
apart from my need to keep up with my press cuttings album now I have no staff to do that sort of thing anymore! I thought the time was right to be smarter and so ordered my first Saville Row suit from Huntsmans, the Royal mens’ outfitters. Also, in my own time, I was enjoying cruises aboard The Lady and getting it to the boatyard for its annual maintenance in a month that was quite nice weather; a phenomena that often takes place in September. I had to care for Diana and Daniella when they were recovering from illness and play with the other children, including games of croquet with our new set from Harrods. When Diana improved, I could take the whole family for outings such as to Alton Towers and to see The Shuttleworth Collection on their flying day and now I had our new video camera and could record this for posterity. I was teaching Daniel maths and Debbie how to ride a bike as I was enjoying my new Jaguar car. The Miners Dispute was still dragging on and the Docks strike came next following by the TGWU blocking road and rail deliveries of coal to power stations. The Thatcher government were using all sorts of laws and measures to try and contain it but the TUC supported the miners and then the pit managers NACODS weighed in and they were going to be the hardest nut for her to crack. The Queen was not very happy with Thatcher’s very divisive ethos, but she was on a mission. Kode international PLC go through a major crisis as their performance falters and their share values drop. This as John Lamb reports lots of problems and stress at Comart, which would have tested my management skills and are far too much for John to handle. Racial riots disturb the South African status quo. Prince Harry is born to Charles and Diana. The SDP/Liberal Alliance is the emerging party political force ploughing a central furrow between the extremists of the hard left of labour and hard right of the Conservatives. A car bomb kills over 20 people at the US embassy in Beirut and stabbings of British holidaymakers took place in Spain. IRA republicans continued their hunger strike due to lack of segregation and recognition of their claim to being war prisoners and the Hong Kong sovereignty agreement was initialled by Britain and China so that they could soon take it over from us. As the month closes, it was the new Japanese MSX network threats that I had to counter where Microsoft were on the side of the bad guys again! The US and USSR posture over nuclear disarmament, which puts everything else into perspective.