A month of disappointingly cold, wet and wintry weather with a few better spells that reflected the degree of economic hardship, disputes, strikes, demonstrations and disruption caused by Thatcher’s adversarial policies at home and abroad but the family recover from nasty coughs, colds and flue and mother from her operation. Progress with the BMMG gaining members and influence and widening of my interests to include collecting silver, dove breeding as well as boating whilst I expand our property portfolio and diversify my investments. The picture abroad in South Africa and The Lebonon is also very depressing with repression the order of the day
And so ends another month. All rather depressing with the wintry start we have had to Spring where we saw even hail and snow as we were trying to fight off the renewed bouts of colds and flu but the sun appeared on odd days as a relief. My parents attempting their pilgramage today to Freda and Alf’s house in Halsworthy, Devon, and her progress after the heart operation has been a real bright spot. Daniel growing up and going through a really awkward phase of independence and argument. Debbie still as bright and lively as ever and the baby Della is going forward by leaps and bounds and my Mother recovers well from her Papworth operation and visits us and plans to visit Freda and family in Cornwall. The doves still incubating two eggs after their earlier casualty and all fingers are crossed for a successful outcome. My interests widening and I am quite taken now with the collection of antique silver to make up a heritage service and other items for fun. I successfully negotiate for 7 Willow Close, next door, and look to connect the two houses together.
Negotiations nigh completion on acquiring a forestry estate in the Scottish Highlands. We manage a good trip on The Lady after her renovation, despite Debbie falling in and the poor weather, and we get as far as Cambridge and even there the Moleworth anti-nuclear demonstrators are in evidence. Still busy with the BMMG, meeting Acorn tomorrow, and finding the DTI/LAN project an increasing liability, but I grew the membership consierably and, with it, the Group’s influence after meeting personally with many computer industry leaders and representing them on industry bodies such as BOTMA, PITCOM, the DTI. The UK micro industry is srinking in the face of unfair competition and the government seems blind or disinterested in warding off the IBM monopoly but at least they might be persuaded to support our Open Standards campaign. The local council elections next week, I have posters out supporting the Alliance, and hope the Tories get the drubbing they deserve after presiding over so much division and aggravation at home and abroad, visiting the Far East and upsetting everyone in malaysia and India too. NUM members are still suffering Coal Board threats and sanctions and strikes also take place amongst teachers from 200 schools and of 27,000 teachers in Scotland, Customs officials and post office workers at a time when the clergy are still critical too but the government are saved when the Civil Service opt not to strike. She still interferes with scholl curriculums, moves to abolish the GLC and there are even suggestions she will do the same to the Royal Dockyards as they are politically inconvenient for her plans and 40 children are arrested in reading over throwing stones against the new YTS scheme. She is also seen as a threat to the nhs. Asians from Newham riot against the Police protesting at discrimination before an Old Bailey trial. Interest rates are sky high but Thatcher still blames the £900M UK visible trade defecit on industry leaders rather than being of her own making despite her devastating industrial capacity. The South African civil rights killings show equal obduracy which cannot and must not prevail as 50,000 march in protest and 26 more are killed as a result. The same thing in Isreal and they are retaining 1200-odd Lebanese hostages and moving them back to Israel against the Geneva Convention such that the Lebanese Government is forced to resign. This at a time when Geneva is the location for East-West arms talks but an argument over a major being shot in East Germany also delays progress as the 10th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam and World War in Germany but bomb blast kills 18 in Madrid