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Completing Percy Meyer’s election leaflet, receiving the very un-prepared duo of Carole Crompton and Jack Taylor who joined me to start the process of writing their Bury leaflet and then chairing a dozen or so Liberal Democrat activists by prior arrangement in my office as we reviewed our campaign. Sally seemed home and dry, Percy now needed the priority and was a probable win but the Bury campaign was in trouble and I telephoned Peter Downes, the Huntingdon Constituency SLD Chairman, afterwards to warn them of our predictions.
The news today was of the release at last of one of the American hostages in Beirut after pressure from Iran, Robert Polhill, an accountancy professor from New York. A coup attempt to overthrow President Ibrahim Babangida in Nigeria was thwarted but the pressure between the Moslem north and Christian south continues. After floods in New South Wales, Australia, there is now bad flooding in Brazil that has left 5,000 homeless and killed 11 so far. Chancellor John Major is still trying to hold down Public Sector wage increases to try and contain inflation but there would be trouble ahead as a result.
A dry day today but still with that chilly wind. A more relaxing morning, getting up later than usual but my throat infection and cough were still very bad and worrying for me as I had the forthcoming Council Meeting and visit to Suffolk in mind. It was my first task to continue with Percy's leaflet and I arranged for him to get the final copy for checking and pass on other copies to Sally and Michael for their further comments and corrections. Then, after lunch, Carole Crompton and Jack Taylor came down and joined me to start the process of writing the Bury leaflet. I had to work with them from scratch as they had not even written their articles, let alone typed them in ready for incorporation!
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On a chilly day, after more rain, The Hayling gutters were full up with muck and the water was cascading down the walls as yet another maintenance job for me to do as I got the doves fed and then backflushed the pool filter which I found very blocked up. We also had a huge ant invasion to cope with! These interruptions as I finished off on Sally’s leaflet and then worked on Percy’s until Daniel arrived home from Peterborough after midnight.
I have agreed that Daniel can go to Norwich tomorrow and show Jason Heronshaw and the boats, but he must study too. I also spoke to Freda about our arrangements for Monday's visit to Mum and Redgrave. The Soviet oil embargo of Lithuania has soon developed into an economic and food blockade
It was another chilly day but finer after some rain yesterday. The gutters were full up with muck and the water was cascading down the walls as yet another maintenance job for me to do when I get time. With no Pete, it being the weekend, I had to get the doves fed and then backflush the pool filter which I found very blocked up. Another day of work at the election leaflets alternating with periods of relaxation. This time the fish, the plants, today's financial papers as well as the TV snooker were all "justifiable" interruptions to the good endeavour. It was well into the day before I had finished Sally's leaflet and then I started on Percy's. In the end I worked very late to finish it off and stayed up until well after midnight. This also allowed me to stay up to see Daniel home, as he had gone to Peterborough and told me he would not be home until about midnight.
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On a miserably day of rain with north-easterly winds, I was at home with my cough working on election leaflets. Priory Candidate Sally was round with her two girls helping and cheeky Della enjoyed their company and shocked Diana by inviting them to stay for lunch and Debbie had Amy round to play.
The Financial Times features many of my old buddies in an article on the Computer and Communications industries, Thatcher resisting a speedier process of European integration and Peter Walker has become the first cabinet minister to express publicly unease on the Poll Tax. More than 1,000 workers have walked out of Aldermaston in protest over privatisation plans
The weather certainly did not change for the better today. The wind was strong and from the north-east and it was raining at times to complete the misery. I was at home trying to control my cough and I worked on the first of the last three election leaflets. Sally came round this morning with her two girls and we planned and wrote much of her leaflet together. Della was pleased to have the company but then she invited them all to stay for lunch and so poor Diana had to cater for them! I worked on all afternoon and evening and had not even finished this first leaflet by the end of the day but calculated that it would not take too long the following morning. I heard from Cambridge Liberal Democrats that they will be able to print them next week as we require.
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Still suffering from my core throat and chesty cough on a slightly milder day, I managed to get to my Dentist’s appointment in Kimbolton but was subjected to a very hard teeth cleaning regime. I then wrote my resignation as a Buckden School Governor, fielded the wroth of the Lord of the Manor of Diddington over organising opposition to his gravel farming and was congratulated over my actions on the Coated Stone Plant in Little Paxton as their council are now opposed.
Then a letter to the HDC District Administrator about the procedure for allocating committee places where, yet again, I am the protagonist in the interests of a fairer outcome. After these excursions, I was coughing badly at bedtime. The government won its debate in parliament, with Liberal Democrat support, on the its plans to issue 225,000 Hong Kong residents with British passports. The Prime Minister has try to lay the blame regarding the Iraq Supergun at the door of the contractors, even though they were warned, and Lithuania is doing its best to stand up to the oil blockade and Bush declines to take any action for fear of damaging US/Soviet relations where he has more at stake.
Nothing changed much today. The breeze was slighter but still from a northern direction and my throat and chest were much the same. I forced myself up again and, although I was half an hour late to breakfast, I still managed to wash my hair and get to my Dentist for 9.30am. He has moved from St Neots to Kimbolton and has a newly-equipped surgery and (initially at any rate) more time to spend on each of us. He went on at great length about the requirements for effective teeth cleaning which, summarised, were that unless you were choking and your gums bleeding that you were not trying hard enough! I bought three new toothbrushes from him after he had cleaned the plaque off my teeth and polished them and I then pledged to improve my ways (again!). This morning Percy rang and I read my letter to him that gave my reasons for resigning from the Governorship of Buckden School which went as follows:-
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