Brave MP over his 'Whistleblowers' Stand made Sir Richard Shepherd for his long and distinguised parliamentary career
Brave MP over his 'Whistleblowers' Stand made Sir Richard Shepherd for his long and distinguised parliamentary career

A poor night considering my Council candidature and anticipating a key stock market date today with Sterling down 5c in the dollar and then off to Bedford with Diana and home to pay The Hewitt’s wages and carry on working on transcribing the last history tapes. The news is of a massive Tory revolt and defeat in The House of Commons over Richard Shepherd’s Private members’ Whistle-blowing Bill and of the Sunday Times being able to publish more of the Spycatchers book.

Had a poor night, trying unsuccessfully to get to sleep, until I eventually dropped off in the early hours. My mind was full of the Alliance Party tribulations and of a key day in the stock markets tomorrow. Then awoken by Diana and Della with my morning tea, but slow to rise. Eventually showered, dressed and ready for breakfast, but only Daniella remained at the table to eat with me. A large mail to read along with my morning paper. Daniella ‘helped’ me open the letters before going off with Diana to Bedford shopping and then being taken to St Neots Library story time later. I worked at my papers, scanned my teletext, and paid the Hewlett’s wages for the week.

I had to point out to Pete that he is working more than the requested 20 hours and, when going out to see later, I noticed that he is very slow to achieve a poor result, making as much mess as progress! I worked for a while on part of tape V, but broke off at 12.30 to make my own salad lunch and watch the TV news. As I finished, the US trade news broke, but I decided to sit tight and not act for the moment. All afternoon transcribing the end of tape V and start of tape VI, breaking off for half an hour to drink a mug of tea and go out to feed the ducks and doves. Tea at 5pm and a chat to the children. Debbie survived a school lunch – now no children may have an alternative cheese roll! Dan is much better with his sore throat, but he has fought shy of attending Little Paxton Vicar Pete Lewis’s invitation to meet next Sunday to form a confirmation youth club group. He seemed to revise well this evening. Tonight I struggled and finished the last tape, which was a relief. Time to watch the news, relax and write my journal. The news today is of the biggest back-bench rebellion against Mrs Thatcher since she came to office in 1979. Twenty voted against her wishes and some abstained. 270 to 234 was the result on the vote over Richard Shepherd’s private members bill, despite the Tory Party’s 3-line whip calling on all Tory MPs to vote against it. The Sunday Times has won relief from the Courts to publish over 2/3rds of ex-MI5 Officer, Anthony Cavendish’s memoirs. Israeli police fired tear gas into Palestinian Mosques today and caused chaos. The Muslims holy day had been in memory of martyrs and now they have another event to remember. The riots are getting worse. The US trade deficit fell for the last period to $13.2billion and the £ sterling fell some 5c down against the dollar. The US and UK stock exchanges rose by some 50 points, which led to another speech of Reagan complacency. He was today having a ‘routine colon cancer examination’ (?!?) UK inflation has fallen to under 4% due to the affects a year ago of increased mortgage rate. A crisis today in Germany, as first nuclear waste had been shipped around in defiance of regulations and now enriched material, used for bomb making, has been illegally diverted to countries such as Pakistan. Another setback for German nuclear energy policy, as emergency debates in parliament and riot demonstrations follow.