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I spent this mild and dry morning working through my District Council papers and mail and then the afternoon typing and making phone calls. I was orchestrating an anti-Tory plans for the coming May District Council elections together with Labour and the Greens.
It is now apparent that Thatcher is using the Ambulancemen’s dispute to try and enforce an undercover incomes policy as the strike escalates with more regions having to be served by army ambulances and some branches going as far as striking to leave no emergency cover at all. The Ford motor workers have just rejected more than 10% and the spiral is on. East German, demonstrators who are unhappy with the slow progress towards democracy and Gorbachev is in Lithuania trying to persuade them out of breaking away and is facing a tide of opinion that could yet overwhelm him
A day at home today after I slept reasonably considering the tension of last night's Town Council Meeting and was then up only slightly later than the rest of the family for breakfast. I took the mail into the conservatory to open and found a lot to read, particularly on District Council business. It was nearly coffee break before I had dealt with all that and tended my plants and fish. For the rest of the day, I was typing letters and making telephone calls. I am orchestrating what could be an effective local election campaign for the District Council Elections of next May. I spoke to my colleagues as well as the Labour leader and, with Michael and Moira talking to the Greens, I might be able to arrange quite a surprise for the Tories. If we each target our best seats and do not oppose the others in theirs, the Tories will have to fight on all fronts, and we may each win a couple of seats. I also arranged with the Hunts SLD lady candidate for Bury to co-ordinate campaigns with us, in which case we could get her elected as well.
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This was a sunny and dry day to take down our Christmas decorations which started with the normal panic of organising the children's first day back at Kimbolton School as I suffered from a head cold with a temperature which was rather uncomfortable. After suffering from bouts of depression and disorganisation at the moment, Di has at last booked herself on to a health check and beauty programme.
Later, a meeting of the Little Paxton Village Hall Committee, which went well, and then to see the rest of the St Neots Town Council meeting afterwards which was awful. The news today is of the TUC and CBI joining forces to appeal to the Chancellor to reduce interest rates and join the EMS despite Thatcher's opposition to both. China has ended Martial Law and so the process of resuming international relations begins, despite the atrocities of Tiananmen Square.
I completed my series of telephone calls last night, getting into bed with Diana when she was still awake at 11.00pm. A sound night’s sleep that seemed milder than of late and then awake at 7.00am this morning for the children's first day back at Kimbolton School. The usual panic to get them ready and out and then, after Diana had taken Della to Little Paxton School, I wrote cheques for all our outstanding bills and she took the envelopes into St Neots to post for me. I worked on at more paperwork and booked Daniel and I onto a Sunday course in February on marine VHF radio operation. The sun was shining today which made me wish I was in Norfolk on our new boat. I have a head cold with a temperature which is rather uncomfortable.
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A late and tired start on a fairly fine day to take the rest of the family to town whilst Debbie was briefly at her horse-riding because of her need to finish off her project. I ordered ordering a couple of battery chargers to be permanently installed on the boat, investigated getting a more portable version of the MAC Plus, and then prepared for the evenings St Neots Museum meetings at which the problems of finding a site were depressing everyone.
Gorbachev faced mounting ethnic violence in Azerbaijan and mass demonstrations being planned in Lithuania offering more autonomy whilst ensuring the integrity of the Soviet block. Two RAF jet fighters collide in mid-air over Northumberland, with a Tornado crashing and injuring its two pilots. Airbus Industrie threatened British Aerospace with damage claims after a dispute cost the Airbus consortium $40m in lost production
To bed earlier last night but still tired when woken up this morning. Though my morning tea came at 7.00am, I was not ready for breakfast at 8.00am and the rest of the family had left the table by the time I arrived. Even so, Della came and sat with me to keep me company. This morning, I went out with Diana and Daniel into St Neots to have a haircut. Then coffee together in the Harvest Bakery before we came home. Debbie was at her horse-riding, but Diana did not allow her to stay long because of her need to finish off her project. After lunch, I just did a few chores and read the morning mail. These action items included investigating the status of the outstanding things on the boat and ordering a couple of battery chargers to be permanently installed there.
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A day which was sunny and dry but a little cold, we first served breakfast with our guests - Gary for Daniel and Helen for Debbie – before Debbie took her friend horse-riding and Amy and Katherine Law came to take Della for her first day back at school. Daniel had Gary all day and they used my computer to type a report for Gary's Dad.
I went with David Rudd and Derek Eyons, the St Neots Town Clerk, to see the District Council in Huntingdon to try and secure a site for St Neots Museum. Following continuing deadlock in the ambulance dispute, Clarke is rejecting any further talks, even though there is 90% public support for the ambulancemen and Tory back-bench M.P.'s are showing signs of anxiety and the outgoing chairman of British Rail, Sir Robert Reid, is highly critical of government policy towards the railways and calls for more capital investment
A better night's sleep, but still tired and looking forward to getting an earlier bedtime tonight. Breakfast with our guests - Gary for Daniel and Helen for Debbie. The girls went horse-riding today; Di took Debbie's bike so that one could cycle as the other rode and vice-versa. It was Della's first day back at school and Amy and Katherine Law came to go with her and that was fine, although Amy looked sad to see Debbie going horse-riding with another friend. Daniel had Gary all day and they used my computer to type a report for Gary's Dad. I had several telephone calls this morning, with the corrections on the copy that I had put out. Sally came around with a photo and then, much later, I amended the copy and printed out the final sheets and took them round to Michael Pope's place for him to deliver to Cambridge for printing in the morning.
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