Tuesday 16th March 1982
Paddie [Paddie Walters] heard from Arlington that her old job is waiting for her - but needs to apply immediately - Sept deadline - also suggestion of promotion - it looks as though we may have to part for a few weeks or even months!
E on Brit Telecom: P.J. [Patrick Jenkin] wants to turn it into AT+T
Very badly presented - not clear at all (Armstrong agreed lots of work to be done - task force to prepare legislation for next session. [round bracket not closed]
Heseltine wanted to spend money on Chatham Docks by UDA. Sat on by NT [Norman Tebbit], Brittan etc.
Lunch with Nigel Lawson - he was worried about MTFS for the same reasons that I am. He believes in almost unachievable targets, because it supplies the right pressure.
Esra [Bennathan, former AAW colleague at Birmingham University and World Bank] phoned to say my memo had been mentioned in the Journal of Commerce as a candidate for Chenery [replacement for retiring Vice President of World Bank, Hollis Chenery?] job (along with Robert Heller).
Ryrie meeting: Sterling Vulnerable etc. - but I agreed we should not press any interest rate reductions on the present market. Let them digest budget et al
Awful paper from TB’s [Terry Burns] shop.
PM met with Thorn EEC and got nowhere - Thorn wanted us to accept a worse budget and quicker
PM insisted on at least 90% of our contribution
- Everyone agreed that EEC had to go to brink