Back to District Council matters today; racing over to Pathfinder House to deliver council papers, meeting up with Peter Wilmer about his forthcoming County Council campaign and meeting Parish clerks and a Parish Chairman on Ward issues. At home, liaising with Pete about my Games Lawn top-dressing, and working hard. More trouble in Burma as demonstrators refused to accept the military coup, Israel launches its first satellite and Dr David Owen ends his SDP conference with uncharacteristic words of unity
Slept well and awoke to my morning tea in good time for breakfast with the family. Di was off shopping this morning as I first read the paper and morning mail and then settled down to write three letters to the District Council on constituency matters. I ‘touched base’ with Pete who spent a full session today mixing top dressing and applying it to the games lawn and we are making progress. Soon lunch was upon me and then I quickly copied my council letters, raced over to Pathfinder House to deliver them, and then went to see Peter Wilmer to help plan is campaign to successfully fight the West Hunts County Ward. Along but fruitful session which made me late home to tea. This evening, I dropped off letter copies and had meetings with the Southoe and Little Paxton Parish Clerks, the Southoe Chairman and Shirley White, my deliverer in Southoe.
I also dropped in to see Mr Sanders, of 30 High St, next to the Little Paxton Playing Field road who confirmed my impression that the youth disturbances had decreased since our campaign. Just time for the news and my journal this evening at the end of what has been a day dedicated to local government with other priorities suffering. International events dominate the news today. In Rangoon, the capital of Burma, troops are patrolling the streets and fighting pitched battles with demonstrators – shooting many of them who refused to accept the military coup. Israel has launched its first satellite – a feat matched only by the US, USSR, China and Europe. In the Seoul Olympic Games, Britain has won its first gold medal courtesy of Moorhouse, a swimmer. The SDP conference ends with Dr David Owen calling for a grand alliance to oust the Thatcher government but his words of unity do not sit well with his previous actions. The media has paid him and his party the courtesy and respect of full coverage of his conference