The Great Ouse had subsided but is rising again with further heavy rain forecast and so the flooding may worsen. A day of telephone calls and arrangements for visiting the Huntingdon Record Office, which I did later today, and to Norfolk on Monday for the court case and to see the boatyard. Uproar over the appeal dismissal for the obviously innocent Birmingham Pub Accused whilst no action is taken on the Irish ‘shoot-to-kill suspects. Thatcher rules out NHS hospital charges this parliament and the Ford talks have broken down
Was late to bed and reluctant to wake this morning. The curtains were opened to reveal that the river had subsided a little. Actually completed my bathroom routine and got down to breakfast for once, but the children were just leaving the table. Stayed in the kitchen after eating only one croissant and nothing else, and read the paper until the children had gone. Finished off the rest of the FT in my office quickly afterwards and then made a series of telephone calls from my office to organise my day. First, phoned Buckden Marina to progress my boat repairs and they promise to do The Lady by the end of February, even though they do not seem to have any engineers! I got my witness summons and must go to Norfolk on Monday and so I tried telephoning a Norfolk boatyard to arrange a meeting in Brundall on the same day. Then, having decided to spend some time in Huntingdon today, I telephoned both the District Council and the Record Office to check their opening times and plan my day.
Drove off and first worked away at the Record Office, until their lunchtime break, looking at the 1851 and 1887 Census returns for Little Paxton, to check on the farmers and residents at the two times. Then raced over to the Planning Department and checked on latest planning applications in the present day at Grove House, The Lodges and Riversdale. Just 10 mins for a salad roll and then telephoned home before spending the rest of the time completing my transcription of the 1881 content. Driving home afterwards, I noticed the floodwater was rising again after yet more rain. An early tea, then out with Debbie for her horse riding lesson in Buckden and I had to go via Huntingdon again to miss the floods. An evening of analysis on my new date and then my journal. The news today is of the results of the appeals for the Irishmen previously convicted for the Birmingham pub bomb. Despite widespread doubts, the convictions have been upheld and the friends and relatives are shattered. The event was the biggest mass murder in the UK this century and there was a public outcry at the time in 1974, as arrests were demanded. The defendants had claimed that confessions were beaten out of them and now they will try appealing to the House of Lords. The Irish Government are upset and plan to appeal to the European Court of Justice. This displeasure follows prior anger and dismay over the lack of police RUC prosecutions after the ‘shoot-to-kill’ enquiry. The Anglo-Irish agreement has received a double body blow. On this day there has also been found in County Donegal, 1 cwt of explosives, 5000 rounds of ammunition, 5 heavy machine guns and 98 rifles. These new weapons were found buried in oil tanks on the Malin peninsula beach. Thatcher tells the Commons today that there will be no charges imposed on patients in NHS hospitals this parliament. The Ford pay talks have broken down and a strike is threatened. I read my letter published in the St Neots Weekly News today, to which I expect a response from both District Councillors obliquely slated by it. The weather is forecast to be wet tonight, tomorrow and Sunday, but Saturday might be dry. I fear the flooding might get worse.