Day at The House of Commons where Kinnock failed to finish off Thatcher in the emergency debate and then to Committee Room 17 for my last meeting of the PITCOM committee after my retirement and then my own meal in front of the TV as the news told of both Westland European dimension and the NGA’s independence both seeming to be lost
A sound night’s sleep and then up to my customary breakfast of toast and fruit juice, before getting showered and dressed. Ready in time to let in the builders and I was pleased to see the arrival of the electrician for the first time in a long while. I helped him feed the outside power cable through the duct and then chiselled away at the skirting board in the hall and formed a hole in the cushioned vinyl to make a neat job. He then set about changing round the downstairs light switches and positions, whilst the builders spent their time plastering. No sign of the telephone engineers this morning and so, after coffee, I got ready to leave for the Houses of Parliament by putting on my Huntsman suit and having morning coffee.
Mr Cheeseborough then turned up and we made arrangements about the en-suite shower room furniture and also agreed on an approach to the fitting of the new front window and change of position of the kitchen door. Away after to my car and the drive to London. The fine weather had turned cloudy and, by the time my journey was underway, there was heavy rain and sleet lashing the car. My new windscreen wiper blade became loose and I had to stop under the shelter of a motorway bridge to put it back. By the time I arrived at Parliament Square at 2.15pm, there was a long queue of strangers hoping to get up to the gallery and so I decided not to join them. In the event, I got some tea and donuts and sat within sight of the House and listened to the emergency debate in the Commons. First, Neil Kinnock led off, but by speaking far too long in my view and with certain slips of the tongue and hesitation, failed to get Thatcher on the defensive. He had to weather widespread barracking from the Tory backbenchers and the Prime Minister got the same treatment. Hers was a full explanation that revealed yet more misunderstandings and confusions amongst her officials and then the strange fact that Leon Brittain had not told of his role in the affair to her at all. This meant that she only knew the full facts after the enquiry had reported. The opposition parties still maintained that this incredible tale still left much unsaid, but her party rallied behind her to carry the day. She will lead the Tories into the next election, but with party popularity and credibility thoroughly damaged. I parked the car and went to the House myself, entering past rows of forlorn members of the public with no chance of admission, and went up to Committee Room 17 and my last Council Meeting of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee. As usual the agenda was a series of dull reports and, come the nominations and preparation for the AGM, I let the session pass by without putting myself forward for reselection. I was glad not to be tackled on my reasons, as I had formed the view that PITCOM was so committed to facilitating IT debates and avoiding matters of policy formation and promotion, that I could not be influenced along these lines. My past paper had received a sharp rejection and Philip Virgo’s of today was similarly rejected. A pity, but I feel that the UK industry is so infiltrated with American influence (I was sitting next to the IBM representation for example) that the endeavour is lost. Quickly away after, avoiding the post-meeting association, which was no doubt short lived in view of the vote in the Chamber. By this time Biffen had wound up for the Government. A quiet drive home and then to avoid antagonising Diana by making my own welsh rarebit and Christmas pudding/cream to follow. A nice pot of real tea (no tea bags) with which to accompany my viewing of the TV news. As well as the debate, Westland’s affairs also developed, with the publication of the latest resolution for a simple majority of shareholders approval in two weeks time. It still involves the US Sikorsky/Fiat partners and Westland shares fell 40p on the news. News International secure the agreement of the Times journalists to move to Wapping under threat of dismissal, but Sunday Times members of the NUJ are still holding out and thinking about it. There was no doubts that the distribution of their newspapers this morning was very patchy and thus is the NGA’s only hope. Later tonight we heard that the Sunday Times journalists had voted to move, and that News International had an injunction to stop the NGA blocking of distribution and so their future looks grim in the light of this union-breaking conspiracy.