A day of domestic problems with the family and with Colin Howard not returning with the photos and I could only finish my tax correspondence and tidy up and so another day passes with no progress on my local history studies. Reagan and the US Congress finally agree a budget with a poor outcome and Ken Baker encounters controversy over is education bill but the main news is the details of the Kings Cross fire, which killed 32 and ten more badly injured
To bed on time last night and a restful night’s sleep. Still slow to breakfast, but made it in the end, if a little late. Had an argument with Di after the meal, over a petty matter, and then I retired to my office whilst Di went off to Bedford. I worked this morning on my tax and trust affairs, as well as catching up on the national and local newspapers. This took me until lunchtime and I had to make myself a salad again, as the girls were not yet back. Worked on this afternoon, tidying up as many things as possible. I prepared the next batches of photographs for Colin Howard to copy, but he did not visit to bring back the others as promised. By 4.30pm it was quite dark and I had fed the ducks and doves. Soon the children were home. Di had collected the kids from school and taken them to the dentist. Bad news. Daniel needed his teeth cleaned and Debbie another filling. The dentist is not happy with her diet and has suggested a course of treatment to coat her teeth as well. Di had forgotten to take the Range Rover in to be repaired as well and so was in quite a mood.
This evening, I could only finish my tax correspondence and tidy up and so another day passes with no progress on my local history studies. The news today is of a last minute deal between Congress and the US Administration on the US budget deficit reduction. It has taken them 4 weeks of tortuous negotiations and they have ended up with a rather poor thing for all the effort. Reagan has publicly supported the outcome, which cuts the budget by $77 billion over two years, including $9 billion of tax increases in the first year. Now, Western markets have a week to digest the package and still the result has to be ratified in the Congress. It is the minimum they could have achieved. All this time after the Kings Cross fire, six victims have still yet to be identified, because of their incineration. 32 are dead and 7 more are seriously ill in hospital, 3 on the critical list. More stories and speculation circulate on the results and reasons for the fire. The most damning is of smoke and smouldering being present for up to an hour prior to the main fire, which manifested itself as a ‘ball of flame’. Then, the non-existence of fire exits, sprinklers, smoke detectors and closed circuit TV and cutbacks have been harshly criticised. Education Secretary, Kenneth Baker, published his Education Reform Bill today and has run into a barrage of criticism from political opponents, local government and teachers alike. At least he has made the proposed National Curriculum more flexible, but can count on no cross-party support. There are widespread cuts in mortgage house purchase interest rates, as they are reduced to 10.1%. A 5 year old kidnapped girl in Spain is back in her parent’s hands after the kidnap gang were stormed and overpowered by local police. More cocaine traffickers have been apprehended and one wonders how much merchandise exists in view of the volumes seized. The weather today was dry and sunny, if cold, but the river was well up from the heavy rain of yesterday and the day before. Tomorrow is forecast cloudy with odd showers.