Content to stay at home on another dull and chilly day, I incorporated another story in our LibDem FOCUS newsletter and then welcomed the Chairman of the South-West Cambridgeshire Constituency Liberal Democrats, who tried to talk me into accepting the P P Candidacy and standing for Parliament, which I declined/deferred.
Later to help move Sundance from Offord to his new livery at Great Staughton and to witness the cruel treatment by Fiona of long-term helper Sarah Morby, who was being abruptly sent away. An evening meeting as a Trustee of the Village Hall Maintenance Committee, where we agreed to re-roof the whole of the front and middle of the hall and to go ahead with a new wood-block floor. Then settling down for a very late working session to complete the FOCUS artwork going to bed after 3.00am.
Thatcher’s cabinet are dead locked over the reforms needed to the Poll Tax, the States of the Soviet Union are looking more like they are willing to negotiate a confederation and Penguin books have dropped plans to publish Salmon Rushdie's Satanic Verses in paper-back after caving in to the political pressure
Another dull and chilly day which meant that I was just about content to stay in and do things most of the time. I got the log fire going before breakfast and had another reasonably early start, clearing up my office and then my chores and making a few telephone calls to my colleagues about the St Neots Pool story. With the details breaking in the press, it was ridiculous not to have a story in FOCUS, putting our side of the issue. Then my visitor arrived. It was the Chairman of the South-West Cambridgeshire Constituency Liberal Democrats, Murray White, come to try to talk me into accepting the Prospective Parliamentary Candidacy and standing for Parliament. We also chatted about election strategy and what I was doing on the local scene. I had to explain to him that I did not want to do the job at the moment and, in any case, I felt that a victory could not be achieved without a radical increase in active membership and a deal with the other opposition parties. We decided to leave the matter in abeyance for the time being as there was nobody better able to stand and they still hope that I will be willing to do so.
** PRESS "Read More" BELOW for the complete story **
Back to my FOCUS's each side of lunch, but then I had to go out with Di to collect Debbie from school and to help move Sundance from Offord (where he has lived in the same stables since he was a youngster) to his new livery at Great Staughton. The visit to Offord was as traumatic as ever with Fiona being very pleasant to us but horribly sending Sarah Morby away from the stables whilst we were there. I had to help her take all of her gear after she had been helping to look after the ponies there for years and years. She was in tears and, if we ever needed any other justification, this only goes to show how un-feeling she is for others and selfish for herself. Mrs Usher arrived with the horsebox and we loaded Sundance (slightly reluctantly) aboard and off they went to Staughton as we saw Sarah home and spoke to her parents who were equally upset for the last time, we believe, with that terrible woman. Fiona has also made claim to a number of Sarah's things as she has with Debbie's to make things worse. We arrived at Staughton and found the place rather big but with lots of ponies and horses there. We eventually settled Sundance down and found somewhere for Debbie's bridle and saddle in the tack room and chest in the barn.
It was quite late for tea that we eventually arrived back at Paxton, and poor Daniel was beginning to despair for something to eat. It also left me no time to do any more of the FOCUS's before I had to go out to the Village Hall for a meeting of the Hall Maintenance Committee as a Trustee. We had a good meeting and agreed to re-roof the whole of the front and middle of the hall and to go ahead with a new wood-block floor rather than mess around any further with the old one and I am sure that is the right course of action. The old water tank is also to be removed from the roof as no longer being needed and adding to the weight of the roof which is already sagging. I was home by about 9.00pm and had to ring Sally and Derek for the last information that I was needing before settling down for a very late working session to complete the FOCUS artwork. It was after 3.00am before I could go to bed, but I was relieved to know that the job was done at last.
The news from the corridors of power is that the cabinet are dead locked over the reforms needed to the Poll Tax. Thatcher does not want to put in the £2-3bn needed to ease next year's Poll Tax without a new law allowing much more widespread capping but that is opposed by those who believe in accountability in local government. The States of the Soviet Union are looking more like they are willing to negotiate a confederation to replace the tight union of the USSR and thus avoid further blood-shed and economic dislocation. Penguin books have dropped plans to publish Salmon Rushdie's Satanic Verses in paper-back after caving in to the political pressure. The City still seemed to believe the best news for sterling and the EMS.