Morning sorting out trustee powers of attorney, Comart executive share options and contracts and then by fast car to the Westminster for a PITCOM meeting and then a House of Lords reception with the European Commissioner M. Carpentier in close conversation about IBM as Arthur Scargill again injured in miners’ skirmishes and detained in hospital
Up on time but delayed on completing my journal for yesterday and so a quick breakfast and rush to the office to get there just in time. First to sort out my papers and dispatch them to file or others and then to try telephoning Ashursts and others to review progress with the Inland Revenue on tax clearances. Then to set up appointments later in the morning with Roger Brittain of Whitmarsh Sterland and David Christie of Wade Grey and Brackenbury to brief them on the sale and obtain their signatures by power of attorney so that on eventual contract and completion they would not have to be in attendance. I met both of them in late morning at their St Neots offices and by the end of the day they had signed. I have now decided to take half of the childrens’ holdings each in cash and Kode shares and have the rest of the Kode shares distributed between Diana and I in relation to our holdings.
Before leaving home this morning I had telephoned Geoff Lynch and asked him to come up after spending a few hours in the Xitan office but I now found on telephoning Kode that Stephen Day had not left with the agreements which rather angered me. So I took down the principal details over the phone and involved John Lamb in the meeting with Geoff and showed him one of the other contracts for comparison. I also discussed the terms with Peter Smith of Kode on the telephone and agreed Geoff’s salary and also the best deal we could put to Peter King.
I just had time to leave Peter with this information before John and I left by car for London and a PITCOM reception at the House of Lords. The principal speaker was Monsieur Carpentier of the European Commission and the topic was the Esprit Programme. Afterwards, at a reception on the House of Commons terraces overlooking the river, I spoke to him about the choice of enabling technologies and the difficulties of small to medium size British Manufacturers finding European parties for Esprit grants. Also about the BMMG’s disenchantment with the Alvey Initiative which had been sold to us as being more suitable for smaller organisations but which in the end had been carved up between four large companies. The final straw had been the admission of IBM, and M. Carpentier responded that this had also created a rather difficult precedent for Esprit where IBM had 7 submissions in of which 5 were shortlisted. In response to comment that it was becoming difficult to resist them further, I emphasised the importance of doing so and assured him by preaching the undervalued benefit of bureaucratic delay which had also helped keep IBM out of UK public procurement lists. After all we are frightfully good at this aren’t we?
Time also with NCC Director and PITCOM Vice Chairman, David Fairbairn, to introduce John Lamb and explain that his promotion would allow me more time for Government committees. Then to talk with the new UKITO Chairman, Mr Fraser of GEC Computers Ltd, about the need for us to meet and discuss UKITD/BMMG relations.
Home by car on another hot and sticky day and rather late to bed after a somewhat hectic day. News tonight of the worst clashes yet on the miners picket lines with Arthur Scargill again injured and detained in hospital overnight.