Happy day taking videos of the family at Alton Towers as the Sunday press supports my BOC anti IBM/BT campaign and the South African government does not like an MP’s criticism of its political detentions
An early call from Diana, but I lay in bed for half an hour before preparing my video equipment for the day’s trip. Even then I had to wash my hair and have a full wash; as I anticipated lack of time this evening or in the morning to do it. Eventually up, these ablutions completed, and a breakfast of melon and toast. Then to load and prepare the car and, half an hour later at 8.20am, all ready and our journey began. I decided to drive north along the A1 to Grantham, west along the A52 through Nottingham, Derby until signposts from Allchurch homed us in on Alton Towers. The weather had turned out fine – sunshine and warmth and we carried the minimum of clothes and left our coats in the car. Plenty of fun on the Log Flume, the Octopus, the Pirate Rocking Boat, the train and most of the rides that we had missed on our first trip. Lunch and tea of burgers and hot dogs and a good time enjoyed by all. We stayed until 5.30pm (it closes at 6.00pm) and set off back in more traffic home.
Whilst the journey there, early on Sunday morning had taken only 2 hours, it must have been 2 ½ hrs back at least. In the dark, I put away the ducks, locked up and spent the evening watching the video recording and reading The Sunday Times. I was pleased to see that both the ST and The Economist had come out against the BT/IBM link this weekend to make a clean sweep of the technical and national press. We had won the public debate – will we win the decision? News tonight of reports from South Africa of British Labour MP, Mr Donald Anderson, seeing the political detainees in Durban and making some public comments afterwards about the government. Fury from the SA government predictably in response. Stories also of the IRA attack being predicted by intelligence sources and of less than tight security at The Grand Hotel where workers in a prior refurbishment had not been vetted and on the day many entrants were allowed entry unchecked by a police force more concerned with NUM picket risks and eggs than IRA bombers.