To London for a lunch with IT policy author, Dr Jill Hills, and Nigel Smith after Diana has fallen ill and then home to my architect and to find Sir Kenneth wants me to lead the PITCOM dinner talk all as Thatcher meets Reagan again and Acorn is sold to Olivetti as a blow to the British Micro industry
Up during the night for relief to the bathroom and an unsettled night for Diana who was suffering from a sore breast and headache. She left me to lay in to make up for it and brought the tea and morning paper at 7.30am. I finished reading, washed my hair and had a bath by 9.00, but Diana was struggling and obviously tired and ill. Out to the birds in the milder weather and driving rain, which put the doves off of flying down. The 13 ducks only managed 1 egg as well. To the office to read the mail and make a couple of calls. I book the restaurant for today’s lunch and try to contact Nigel, but he was on the road. Back to the house at 10.30am and a meeting with Mr Stokes, the architect. He listens carefully and seems to think that the joining together of our house and that next door is feasible. We have to check the planning department view, settle the exterior elevations to ensure the result is pleasing and finally to plan the internal layout to make ergonomic sense. Off quickly, as Diana goes to bed to rest, to Huntingdon Station and by train to Kings Cross.
Time in the stationers, buying a model boat magazine and two on woodworking, and then across to the Lounge of the Great Northern Hotel to meet Dr Jill Hills of Manchester University, the author of a very good book in IT policy, my lunch guest, and also Nigel Smith who I also invited to join me. A good session where we undertake to work closely together in influencing government policy on Information Technology. Just in time at 4.00pm to catch the Huntingdon train, which was very full, but I just managed to get a seat. Then home and to put away the ducks and check my office. Calls returned to a BT contact about CCITT standards and to Sir Kenneth Corfield’s secretary, who asked me to open the discussion at next Monday’s dinner party. Tea of tomato soup and then a police constable arrives to take my statement on last Sunday’s incident where the Heron’s Acre dogs attacked a cat. News today of Thatcher’s speech to Congress in the USA, the first time a British MP has spoken since Winston Churchill. The theme was the support of the hard-line defence policy towards Russia, the call for cutting off support to Noraid, and to talk up the value of the British Economy. There then followed talks with President Reagan and what seemed a meeting of minds over arms talks tactics. But as they were talking the pound fell to $1.08c which said something about how Thatcher was effective! In Ireland, over £1M of IRA money was seized at the Bank of Ireland and transferred into the High Court following the urgent legislation passed yesterday. A long days talks on the coal dispute ends in failure as the NCB’s latest documents were rejected by the NUM as being tougher than the previous versions. Olivetti, the Italian firm, have bought a 49% stake in Acorn, with options to buy more. This is a blow to the British Micro Industry, in my view, as it should have been offered to UK interests. I had offered my help to the management, but it had not met with any response. Speculation today that London could host the Olympics in 1992, but there is much competition.