Hectic trading in Sterling on the first day the UK was in the ERM
Hectic trading in Sterling on the first day the UK was in the ERM

An early start hosting Derek Giles and then Percy Meyer with alterations and corrections for the late-night Focus editions which had to be fitted in between my chores and the work of the decorators all morning. Then the resultant press release followed, until it was all done and sent off.

News of first the pound and shares soaring but then falling back to record a gain that was useful but not decisive. Israel has killed 22 Palestinians in the occupied territories in a use of force that was in excess of that needed and the West have now to be seen to be fair handed when such troubles occur

A little bit of lay in this morning but not much. I had hoped to sleep in and had left a note for Di accordingly, but I woke up on time in the end. Derek Giles had come round early as I had not left a copy of his own FOCUS back page. I was still in my dressing gown after eating breakfast and he had to take me as he found me. Once I had got dressed and was tending the swimming pool, Percy came round with his alterations, but he had to wait until I had completed my chores before I could sit down with him. We worked together all morning, correcting the text, and taking calls from our colleagues with their suggestions and improvements. We also prepared and issued a press release about the hardship of local house-owners and businesses to counter the ERM news from a local point of view.

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All this time, the decorators were working away at my windows, including that of my office, and they were getting in the way with the dust from their sandpaper and fumes from their paint but the work had to be done. The press release sent, and the FOCUS artwork safely on its way to Cambridge, I could then concentrate on other things this afternoon. I worked on a whole host of paperwork- financial administration and correspondence, until I had a heap of envelopes to post by the end of the session. The news today was of the currency. First the pound and shares soared but then fell back to record a gain that was useful but not decisive. Israel has killed 22 Palestinians in the occupied territories in a use of force that was in excess of that needed and there has been widespread concern amongst world leaders. The problem has been that, with the USA acting so precipitately over the Kuwait invasion; but not with equal vigour in the past over Israel's occupation of Palestine; the west have now to be seen to be fair handed when such troubles occur.