PRIME MINISTER DIARY Darlington by-election

---

PRIME

MINISTER

DIARY

Darlington

by-election.

President Prince

Kaunda

and

hosts

Princess

of

New Guatemal an President EC/ASEAN

Council,

EC Economic NATO Labour

Economic Party

state

banquet,

Wales

in

sworn

Claridges

Hotel.

Canberra. in.

Brussels.

and Social

Plenary,

Brussels.

Committee. NEC and

Shadow

Cabinet

discuss

draft

manifesto.

Publications: The Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission Report on the Medical Bill. Policy Statement on the efficiency of Schools Inspectorates for Scotland. Policy Statement on the efficiency of Schools Inspectorates for England and Wales. Ethnic Monitoring in the Civil Service - Vol II. HM Customs and Excise, Annual Report (year ending 31 March 1982).

Statistics: Trade Figures (Feb). New vehicle registrations (Feb). Capital expenditure by the m an ufacturing, distributive and service industries (4th qtr revised). Manufacturers' and distributors' stocks (4th qtr revised). Parliament Commons motions:

Treasury,

Prime

Minister.

Business :

Motion on the Easter Adjournment. Consolidated Fund (No 2),.Bill: All stages.

Select Committees:

AGRICULTURE: Organisation and financing of agricultural research and devleopment. (Witnesses: Massey-Ferguson Corporation; Professor B Crossl an d). ENERGY: Energy Research Development and Demonstration in the UK. (Witness: Mr Clive Grove Palmer).

-2-

Lords:

Ministers

Data Protection Bill: Third reading. Pilotage Bill(HL)(Consol): Third reading. British Fishing Boats Bill: Third reading. Debate on the 8th report of the European Communities Committee on Rational Use of Energy Industry. UQ on the fall in the numbers of library books for universities etc. and public libraries and on the Government' proposals to ensure a restoration and improvement upon the levels of 1978-79 etc. - see Annex

PRESS

DIGEST

Darlington -

D/Star quotes bookies quoting finishing strongly; SDP going

-

Newspaper telephone 36/34/SDP29.

-

Sun leads with

-

Express says Tories get a poll day boost but makes poll is generally felt to be less reliable.

poll

Tories

Mail says Tory Party's coming through to win.

gives

Labour 7-1 on to win; downhill. Labour

only 20 behind

260

Tory

said

to be

lead over Conservatives

- an amazing

face may yet be saved;

-

photo-finish. point

Fallon

a

claims

'phone

he is

Politics -

Foot accuses you of evil and callous ways; of turning into evil philosophy f orewor -to election document.

-

Express

-

Mary Kenny in Mail says Labour be seen as anti - family party.

-

Gallup

says

shows

left wingers

Tory

lead

of

in Brent

East

Party

111,o unchanged

have

turned

is increasingly

after

Budget.

Conservatism

against

Livingstone

allowing

itself

tc

-3-

Labour -

Economic

Manifesto

Morning Star attacks ideas which animated D/Star powers

new style pay curb - reeks social contract.

- a small piece - Worker power over running of industry. fire off pay warning

pledged;

unions

to be given

new

Sun - Unions

-

Mirror - New deal to get Britain back on its feet; but what will it mean in reality ? Geoffrey Goodman says Foot and Murray vague in details.

-

Express says it is an invitation to disaster policy which has already failed miserably.

-

Mail

-

Telegraph reports huge expansion of trade union power in return for vague promises of greater union responsiblity ; will not convince a single person and still has a great big hole in the middle - why have so m an y spent so much time producing something so absolutely valueless:

-

Guardian says Labour should expect its glass to programme , warts and all.

-

Times

says

FT feature

lead - Foot

Labour on "a

gives

sees revival deal

with

power

plan

snags

- don't

collaboration.

-

front page

to Foot

of class

try to curb wages.

- why

should

voters

to unions ; no guarantee

critics

to

put

buy a over pa

a magnifying

as vote winner.

attached".

Unions/Pay -

TUC refuse Council.

-

Centre for Policy Studies says strikers limbs at risk should be gaoled. Retail

Food Wages

TUC agrees unions. Scottish

to allow

by vote

teachers

Scargill

Council

bows

to give accept

unions wan t refusal arbitration.

NUM

to retain

,2 seats

who put people's 61 W- t

to Government

seats

just to

to split

automatically

under

make

on General

lives over

to moderate

8%. medium-sized

5%.

national

pay

offer

put

to

or

binding

-4-

Industry -

Aston-Martin running.

-

Security to other

-

Sun critical of failure to cut prices of oil based products with falling prices ; won't be any price will there? when oil price goes ur k

-

production

at stop over planned

pay freeze

for third

staff join Ford Halewood strike; Express says it could plants; Ford now not able to compete with BL as stocks

Government

has abolished

3,500

official

forms

£7.50

cut in bonus

and re-designed

year

spread dry up.

2,700.

N 28 workers at Blyth "'c eate 13 new jobs. -

2 Asians

-

Labour energy

-

Laker

take

join governing

body

of Institute

and change

shift

stud

farm

£0.5m

to

of Directors.

Party to consider report next month recommending programme - good chance of being accepted. sells

system

halt

to nuclear

to pay off debts.

Econo my -

£ down to yet another new low ($1.46) - could sink to $1.40 in next few months ; could lead to 77o inflation at end of year - Sun.

-

CBI Deputy Director General says confidence industry looks brighter. Mail says French set out to rebuild economy inflation.

II -

US inflation

down

is growing

Euro

Parliament

-

FT says OPEC may indicators.

of

your way - defeating

to 3.5%.

EC relaunches £60m investment in Ulster plan. Times says £ slide raises fears interest rates cause inflation to accelerate. -

and future

to inquire soon have

into how Britain to lower price

could

rise

is to spend

again,

again.

£231m

according

and

rebate.

to market

Transport Select -

Committee

Prudential

w an ts 10% increase

cuts motor

insurance

in spending

rates

on roads.

to try to win back

business.

-5-

Media IBA approves Jonathan Aitken's appointment to TV-AM for strictly limited period; "normally unacceptable as matter of policy" for sitting MP to be in post. -

Channel

-

Daily

4 aims to win back

and Sunday

Telegraph

viewers seek

by showing

repeat

after

repeat.

500 redundancies.

New BBC Chairman Sun presents Stuart Young as tough no-nonesense moneyman, virtually unknown; you are determined to take on trendy-left influence. -

Mirror says Labour with Tory party.

-

Telegraph "Unknown" is next BBC chairman; greeted at Westminster with mixture of hope, concern and ridicule: concern over his commitment to Zionism. Guardian

-

Times

Medical

speaks accountant

of

MPs on the

the

"quiet

appointed

attack

because

man" taking

of Young's

close

links

over.

chairman.

Welfare

BMA claims Government

3,500 policies

doctors could be out of work are ch an ged.

in a year's

time

unless

Education -

I

Andover parents club together can't get qualified staff.

to hire maths

teachers

because

school

i

Sun attacks Eu award to families because children threatened with strap - a grievous mistake ever to pass a law which allows a pack of foreigners to sit in judgement on us.

-

Mirror says scores of parents telephoned shock education issue - and Neil Kinnock "this Government of dunces and bullies".

its office yesterday after writes after issue about

its

-6-

Law and Order -

Boy of 14 from North London arrested in connection with sent to you at -No 10; omb in book sent to CND HQ.

a letter

bomb

-

Pictures of battered face of policeman attacked 5 years ago by man who died after incf ent at Coventry polic station "D Star says Davey won't be mourned by many outsi e his family but there must be a full inquiry into his death; Sun says Davey was hired for contract killing while in prison. Sun says, of CRE complaints that black mugging figures are unfair to ethnic minorities ,that truth is best n violence ; Labour MPs critical of publication ; Mirror leader says Tory MPs who exploit statistics about black crime but do nothing about conditions which help it to flourish only make matters worse. Mail says Scotland Yard has compiled another set of figures showing most of victims of coloured assailants in heavy street crime areas white; leader says these statistics should be taken seriously.

are

Telegraph says Harvey Procter MP says black and white vigilante groups will be fighting it out in London before long unless there is tighter policin of street crime ; leader says crimes by blacks are as great a prob em or ac s as or whites an d if they are known about they may be better dealt with ; report says police have made considerable progres in efforts to cut crime in Brixton. Keith -

Report

Sun, D /Star says tax fiddlers are costing Britain £4bn a year and doubled since you came to office; Keith wants no expense spared in hunting down moonlighters. Mirror reports taxpayer.

a move

to curb down tax raids

-

Mail says crackdown urged on black economy; leader says Whitehall warriors will never underst an d that oppressive taxation destroys far more wealth than it yields.

-

Telegraph stronger of tax traps.

-

Guardi an :action

-

FT says moonlighters

on tax cheats

for taxman ; would

urged

; fairly

Lord Keith

for

George Gale , Express, says too much tax means too man

urged

evaded

safeguards

-

powers

simple conclusion tax dodgers.

and more

like to see easing

straight

reporting.

' days may be numbered.

Defence -

Reagan pl an s super technological disarmament initiative expected

defence for next next week.

- that

century;

new

ANNEX

Ministers: Mr King finance. Mr Pym

chairs

meeting

attends

Mr Walker Minister.

of the consultative

EC/ASEAN

Foreign

and Mr Buchanan-Smith

Mrs Fenner speaks at Pet Food Tallow Ch an dlers Hall. Lord Avon

at the Lighting

Mr Waddington

meets

Mr Mellor

visits

Mr Sproat

opens

Mrs Chalker

the inner

visits

meet

launches

Lord Cockfield

London

awards,

for Voluntary

annual

lunch,

Organisations,

Victoria

25/3).

London.

and after-care

centre,

(until

Agriculture

Association

probation

information

Greek

government

London.

service..

Station,

London.

Devon.

"EEC

meets

Young

Bangkok

Mr Simitis,

of films

an d Third

Madame

Chen,

on BBC Question

and television

World:

Chinese

TV Radio: Sir George

meeting,

Federation

Council

Mr Fletcher speaks at festival countries, Glasgow. Mr Raison of London.

on local

Manufacturers

Industry

National

tourist

Ministers'

council

Time.

The Atlantic

Trade

in the Celtic

Rift",

Minister

University

(until

30 March).

-7Gua rdia n says US bows announce

next

Thursday

to NATO is

Euro missiles rovided Russia such weapons from region.

Reag an

line on missiles;

rea

mess

agrees

o see

interim

to eventual

expected

agreement

e imination

to on

of all

Sport -

Neil Macfarlane calls play in South Africa.

on British

sportsmen

to turn down

cash offers

to

International Poland:

Pope

will

not be allowed

Zimbabwe: Telegraph say when - wife; Australia:

Hawke

B. INGHAM 24 March 1983

to go to Gdansk,

Stetten,

says Nkomo is planning to return Mugabe bans Guardian correspondent.

sof tens his public

line against

home,

monarchy.

Lodz or Lubin. though

didn't