This was the day of Leon Brittan’s much overdue resignation, resisted by Thatcher as it puts her own future in jeopardy and gives the difficult task as all of the most able ministers do not conform to her doctrinaire beliefs. We spend today visiting Cambridge for my Jaguar service and I scan the bookshops and library and then return to collect Debbie from her party as The Orleans oil tanker collides with another ship and starts a fire storm that endangers nearby oil rigs and Murdoch reaps the whirlwind and now has a strike on his hands
After the very late retirement, slept well and woke to my morning tea and radio stories of the continuing clamour for Leon Brittan’s resignation. Also the Tory press had united under the headline ‘Brittan must go’. Up and dressed early and Mr Cheeseborough phoned to talk about our bathroom design and dropped round some information whilst I was still in the shower. Our task was to get Debbie over to Amie’s, Daniel off to school and ourselves ready to leave for Cambridge. Today we were putting in the Jaguar for its 15,000 mile service (having done 19000 odd) and, though due to get it in early, we only managed to arrive in Cambridge by 9.15am.
In view of her optician’s appointment, I dropped Diana off in town, and took the car in to Marshall's. I then decided to take the bus into the city centre, but this proved something of a mistake. I was waiting about half an hour before a CAMBUS arrived and was late meeting Di at Belinda’s coffee bar for refreshment. But what a human form of transport the bus is. I was in conversation with a gentleman and two ladies at the bus stop and passed the time quite pleasantly. I think that the motor car is quick and efficient, but very de-humanising. A day window shopping in the late January sales. We did not buy a great deal (I saw to that), but had a good look at rugs, suitcases and other things. Diana would, however, prefer that I would leave her to be alone on these expeditions, but I fear what she would come home with. We trudged around Debenhams, Robert Sayle, the Co-op and heaven knows where, before I phoned Marshall's at 3.00pm and we learnt that we had another 2 hours to kill before the car was ready. I went to the bookshop and then the library, amusing myself by catching up on some reading in the reference section. By now, in the 1985 editions of Company Directories, my old Comart now appears under my control and management as No 1450 in terms of private company size. They are always behind events. I also looked at statistics from the 1841 Census and saw that Little Paxton had 61 houses and some 200-odd inhabitants. When I return to my genealogical search for Bermondsey, I will use this source. Rendezvoused with Di and then we took a taxi to Marshall's. As we waited for the car to be ready, we were impressed that both the Receptionist and Sales Manager remembered me and the original car purchase transaction and our circumstances at the time. Back to Lt Paxton in time to collect Debbie at 6.00 pm from yet another party and hence to find Daniel had been able to get in through the cavity in the front of the house. After tea I frogmarched Daniel through his prep and saw the small broom cupboard that the carpenter had done for us under the stairs. No sign of the new window yet and we hope it is done early in the week. My journal, some time with the rest of the family and then to today’s remarkable news. News tonight is of the resignation of Leon Brittan. Thatcher did not want him to go and spend half an hour trying to persuade him to stay and will now have to wind up the reply to the emergency debate on Monday in his absence herself. The latest news came out in the same rumour and speculation that had typified. He had become aware this morning that a reported 90% of Tory backbenchers thought she should go. Now she had to cancel her weekend arrangements to write her Monday speech and go about choosing a new industry minister. This choice will not be easy, as all of the most able ministers do not conform to her doctrinaire beliefs. The Northern Ireland by-elections end with the forecast victories for the Unionists, but their planned onslaught on the Anglo/Irish pact is spoilt by their loss of one seat to the pro-pact SDLP. Voters turned away from the IRA to do it, in what has been a good day for moderation. In the North Sea, a tanker, Orleans, collided with another ship and spilt huge amounts of burning oil as it drifted towards oil platforms. The same gale that got them into trouble is breaking up the oil slick and a tug manages to pull the tanker clear, before the tow rope breaks again. Late news tonight is of the end of the News International talks with the NGA, the strike by all of the printers for the Sun, Times, Sunday Times and News of the World, and their sacking by Rupert Murdoch. The electricians and journalists are continuing to work at Wapping and it remains to be seen how this worst newspaper strike for 40 years will end up.