Sluggish start to a ‘fresh’ day after insufficient sleep lately and then a tiresome task coping with papers that were troublesome to file and bank errors as I sat and reconciled my accounts. This afternoon and evening making arrangements for my election. Ford are backing out of a motor electronics factory scheme for Dundee after workers refuse to agree a single union representation, the avalanche that struck Prince Charles’s skiing party was probable set off by their own movements and the Dover to Calais ferry workers are on strike again with a thousand lorries queueing
Slept well again, but the night was not long enough to let me catch up on the last few nights. Washed my hair as I showered this morning and was late to breakfast again. Then to my office and the morning trying to clear it up. Difficult to find homes for all of the papers and I made slow progress. In particular, the bank accounts were difficult to reconcile, with Abbey National making more than their fair share of clerical errors. Made my own lunch of ham salad and was feeling quite tired by then. Pete had lit a smoky bonfire again today and upset a neighbour as a result. This afternoon and evening, I carried on working, later phoning around political colleagues to chase up arrangements for the election. Later still, chance to relax and write my journal whilst watching the TV news and last episode of ‘Rockcliff’s Basics’. The weather was a bit fresh today, but rain is due tomorrow. News today is of the Ford Motor Company backing out of a motor electronics factory in Dundee, after the failure of the unions to agree on a single union representation.
The TUC say that there is a UK Ford union agreement in place for multiple representation and that should be honoured. The Swiss expert inspectors have concluded that the avalanche that hit the Royal skiing party was probably set off by their own skiing movements. The American troops recently arrived in the Honduras (3000 of them) are announced to be there ‘on exercises’ and are due to return soon. The Falkland’s exercise ‘Fire Focus’ is in full throw, with huge transport aeroplanes flying via Ascension Islands to bring reserve troops. The islanders seem more concerned about invasion by the friendly immigrant workers than the Argentinean military. Industrial trouble has returned to the ferries again, as Dover and Calais based sailors on both sides of the channel are on strike. Over a thousand lorries are queued up and the numbers are growing.