Full day on BMMG and ICL/STC computer industry strategies after some pet and desk husbandry and not back until midnight as the government again rebuffs miners talks and wants unconditional surrender
Awake fairly early and morning tea on a much cooler morning. Still thinking of my reading last night of ‘The Battlefields of Britain’, but the time before and after my breakfast to finish The Financial Times. Up at 8.30am and to listen to the radio news and Yesterday in Parliament whilst washing and dressing. Out to the doves, who come readily to the bird table at some distance and eat a good deal of seed on the cool morning. Only eight ducks were put away last night, but five eggs from them, which is not bad. This tells me (as there are now 8 young ducks to 5 older ducks) that it is probably the youngsters who are doing most of the laying, although the two flocks are virtually indistinguishable. To my office to start work; opening mail and reading and updating both my electronic and pocket diaries for my latest appointments and speaking engagements. News from John Lamb of the relative IBM prices in the UK and US and, after checking with Graham Clifton, we calculate that they are selling the IBM PC AT (basic) for some 30% more in the US and the enhanced version for 33% more. This amounts to predatory pricing in the UK and will be good ammunition against IBM. Reuters phones just before lunch and I brief them on this fact and others affecting the problems in the UK micro industry. Prism and Oric are in receivership, talks of LSI being up for sale, Acorn’s shares are suspended, and the Sinclair Research flotation is put back, yet again, to summer at the earliest. Lunch with Diana’s parents and then back to complete some correspondence. Letters in private to Tom Fitzpatrick and Herman Houser offering support and help, then several on behalf of the BMMG. Phone calls from Martin Isherwood who I brief on events and from Barry Gamble, with whom I discuss my forestry investment. I also touch base with Owles Hall. Helen Gibbons has learnt that Broubster is fine for forests, but to watch out for periodic gales. The land was freed by the knock-on effect of the local Sheriff going bankrupt recently! At 4.30pm I had to stop and rush back to wash and change. Daniel did the ducks and I drove off towards London and ICL.
A good journey, though the barometer has fallen rapidly and rain fell most of the way. Straight to the ICL head office at Carlton Gardens and no problems parking the car in an adjacent square. First to arrive, but Mike Watson, ICL’s Technical Director, was next, and we chatted about the STC/ICL merger problems and the present role of Rob Wilmott. It seems Rob is spending his time 1/3 on ICL’s Chairmanship, 1/3 on planning the ICL/STC future product convergence and 1/3 on encouraging co-operation on a European scale. I recommend that they explain and publicise these developments because, to the outside world, it looks as if Rob has retired from the field. It seems the publicity gap is due to plans to allow new ICL MD, Peter Bonfield, to flourish and get a chance, but later in the evening they accept my view. Alan Roussel phones in with a crisis and so only Roger Martin joins us and a good evening spent dining in the executive suite as a threesome. I brief them on my side of the summer’s events and the success of the IBM/BT opposition as example of how the British computer industry can succeed if it combines its forces. Then on the BMMG/DTI LAN standards proposals, where I secure their support and undertake to brief them on their ICL representatives who attended the seminar. Then we talk trade associations and agree that ICL’s OPD division should join the BMMG as an active member, somewhat autonomous of ICL’s main board regime. Lastly we agree to interchange and communicate initiatives – me to Mike Watson and his Alvey/European round table colleagues, and Mike to groupings of micro manufacturers. Lastly Sir Ken Corfield’s invitation to ‘senior members of the Computer Industry’ on Feb 25th at the Dorchester comes as a surprise to them and they will now make sure it’s covered internally. A good evening. A fast journey back listening to the news, financial news and parliament report. NUM and NACODS are making a joint approach to the NCB for negotiations, which has been initially rebuffed; gilts are up by a point and the pound has followed the dollar up, as other currencies have fallen back. The government win the vote to increase water charges amongst 18 Tory MPs votes against, many more abstentions, and charges that they are imposing an indirect and deceitful tax. Home by 12.00 midnight, but I ignore a call to phone Nigel until the morning.