After yesterday’s meeting, Radio Cambridgeshire came on the telephone for an early interview and then broadcast it on the news for several hours afterwards and then I had the nightmare of the ONSITE emergency board meeting at 2.00pm in Grove House which was all bad news.
A better meeting with political allies in the evening to agree more action over the Poll Tax. The Tories are tearing themselves apart nationally as Sterling drops to 2.88 pfennigs, within four points of its lower effective limit within the exchange rate mechanism and retail and financial services firms crash
After the heap of papers from yesterday and all the activity, there was much to sort out this morning. Even so, the day started with more activity still as Radio Cambridgeshire came on the telephone for an early interview and then broadcast it on the news for several hours afterwards. Breakfast listening to all this, reading the papers for the national press reaction and then to my office to start to tackle another deadline issue. It was necessary to choose and notify our topics for the forthcoming Southern Area Committee meeting and I used the fax to good effect to get them registered with Pathfinder House before the deadline.
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It was not long before lunch and then my ONSITE emergency board meeting at 2.00pm in Grove House. I was not looking forward to this meeting and, with no idea as to its scope, I was expecting the worst. In the event, we avoided a discussion of the month's performance - which I did not want to undertake unless we had the figures in full - nor did we commit ourselves to the new premises or loan despite coming under some pressure to do so; but we discussed the management structure and priorities which was by far the most important thing to do after all of the relationship problems there. The meeting went on until about 4.00pm when I drew things to a close and then left for home.
Some little more time to do some clearing up after the paper rains of late before tea. I called Peter While and warned him that we were about to start another FOCUS cycle and then I was on my way again to another meeting. At this, our local Liberal Democrat activists and councillors were due to meet a similar number from the Labour Party at my request to try and improve communication and push forward co-operation. In the event, only George and Daisy Seager were there but it was still a useful meeting and the rest of us went for a drink afterwards to discuss the outcome and agree a course of action.
Home late as a result and another late session watching the TV news with some fascination. The Tories are tearing themselves apart in a most un-seemly way and there seems to be no early end to it. All this shakes the pound on the foreign exchanges and it drops to 2.88 pfennigs, within four points of its lower effective limit within the exchange rate mechanism. Other news in the city is of folding companies and falling company heads. Most of the Thatcher era "blue-eyed boys" in the fields of retail and financial services which are amongst the worst ten trading companies since the crash are biting the dust in quite a shake-out. All this as the electricity privatization issue struggles ahead.