European Diary, 1977-1981 (93 page)

SATURDAY, 18 OCTOBER.
Belfast and East Hendred.

Drove through a rather attractive Northern Ireland dawn for the 7.30 plane to London Airport. We had Gordon Richardsons,
Harlechs, Ann Fleming and John Harris to lunch. In addition, the Ginsburgs arrived unexpectedly. High confusion between them and Jennifer and me, but eventually we fitted them in. The lunch then went very well. Afterwards I played good croquet with both Richardsons and David Harlech.

SUNDAY, 19 OCTOBER.
East Hendred.

Lunch with the Owens at Buttermere, the first time we had been there for four or five years. They were on agreeable form, David tough, and in some ways extreme. He definitely is not very enthusiastic about Healey winning; it would not amaze me if he abstained. He foresees a danger of Healey being in substance if not in manner a rather weak right-wing leader, particularly while he has his eye over his shoulder on the electoral college. Owen would now I think in many ways like a split, though he still firmly wants a Socialist International-affiliated new party. But how much he will do about it—he is certainly inhibited from saying some of these things in public—I do not know. He would also quite like to see a position in which the left brought forward and carried a motion that the leadership election should be postponed until the new electoral mechanism is in place in January, in order to avoid what he regards as a dangerous hiatus of weakness for a new, allegedly right-wing leader. In the course of a half-hour walk after lunch I had some serious talk about what the future policy of a new grouping might be.

MONDAY, 20 OCTOBER.
East Hendred and London.

Crispin and I went to visit the National Radiation Protection Board at Harwell, where we were received by the Director and by Sir Fred Dainton,
⁶⁷
the Chairman. Quite an interesting talk with them for about an hour and a half, Fred Dainton on the way out expressing strong and sympathetic political interest. We then had Tom and Joy Bradley to lunch at East Hendred. Tom again very tough and firm, but, perhaps because he likes to be in a fight, slightly more inclined to support Healey than is Owen, but at the same time saying
absolutely firmly that what he really wanted to do was to go with me.

At 6.30 I had a meeting with Clive Lindley, Dick Taverne and David Marquand at Kensington Park Gardens to discuss the setting up, as a sort of half-way house to a new party, of an enlarged Radical Centre Institute, possibly under a new name, and with trustees. We thought we would try to get some politicians as well as some academic figures; Bullock,
⁶⁸
Dainton were agreed as obvious names here, Shirley if she would do it, and indeed Bill (Rodgers) or David (Owen), David Marquand himself, Dick Taverne, with me I suppose as President, funded to the extent of about £50-£ 100,000 a year, and producing policy statements.

Then to the Jim Cattermole retirement
⁶⁹
dinner at St Ermin's Hotel. Very good attendance of about 130, a lot of MPs, all very friendly.

WEDNESDAY, 22 OCTOBER.
Brussels.

Lunch with the Nanteuils for Olivier Wormser,
Directeur Economique
at the Quai d'Orsay when I had first known him in the late fifties, then Ambassador to Moscow, Ambassadorto Bonn, Governor of the Bank of France. I was pleased to see him as always. He is a man of such exquisite refinement, though not at all bogus, that he always makes me feel slightly gross and vulgar. I feel I must not eat or drink much in his presence! However, I had a good talk with him for twenty minutes or so after lunch—he had come to Brussels to find out what was happening to the Common Agricultural Policy, he said, but on whose behalf or for what reason was not clear.

After the Commission meeting I had Enders, the US Ambassador, for forty minutes. He had nominally come to deliver a
démarche,
which the Americans were also sending to all the Community countries, in effect telling us to keep off the grass in the Middle East. In fact he did not deliver it, and merely asked what I thought about it, to which I said not much. It would have the effect, undesirable from the American point of view, of pushing the item on to the agenda for next weekend, whereas it had not been intended to
discuss it until the Political Cooperation meeting on (American) election day, 4 November, and therefore effectively after the American elections. He then raised the more general issue of how best the US could deal with the strengthening reality of Political Cooperation. It was not easy to tell him exactly what to do. The strengthening is to some considerable extent a reaction to the weakness of American leadership, and is bound to create some additional problems for them.

FRIDAY, 24 OCTOBER.
Brussels, Rome and Brussels.

Rome by avion taxi. Twenty-five-minute speech of substance on the present state of the EMS, which was well-reported, to the Association of European Journalists at 11.30. After lunch we drove round the Campidoglio, looking at the statue of Marcus Aurelius for the last time, as it is crumbling gravely and is to be put in a museum and replaced by a copy. Back in the Berlaymont by 6.15.

SATURDAY, 25 OCTOBER.
Brussels and Luxembourg.

Motored with Crispin through pouring rain to Luxembourg from 7.00 to 9.00. Council on steel from 9.30 to 2.15, which cleared a lot of points, but Lambsdorff stuck, after telephone calls to Bonn, on special steels. We did not wish to push him too much into a corner and run the risk of the Germans, for the first time, invoking the Luxembourg Compromise, and we were not sure whether they would or not. I was inclined to the view that they would. We agreed to have another Council next week.

Drove to the Hotel Bel-Air at Echternach for the Foreign Ministers' informal ‘Schloss Gymnich' weekend. All the others had nearly finished lunch, but at least I was there before Thorn, who was the host. Lunch from 3.00 to 4.00 and session from 4.00 to 7.15. This was quite good, but not riveting, mainly Political Cooperation, and I did not say much.

At dinner I decided, perhaps because of the afternoon silence, that I would give them all several farewell pieces of my mind, which I did about a variety of issues from the seat of the European Parliament, to general relations with the Parliament, to the fact that the presidents of the European Council (i.e. heads of government
and, more relevantly, of state, for it is particularly Giscard who resists going) certainly ought to go and address the Parliament, which François-Poncet tried to wriggle around rather ineffectively: altogether a rather enjoyable bashing about for a few hours.

I had half an hour with Peter Carrington afterwards, which was also quite enjoyable. The only thing on which he was disappointing was Crispin's knighthood, which he says the lady is against, as she for some reason or another is not very pro-Crispin.
⁷⁰

TUESDAY, 30 OCTOBER.
Brussels and East Hendred.

12.45 plane to London. Motored to East Hendred with Jennifer. An evening of television: first an enjoyable programme by Ludo Kennedy about American transcontinental trains, and then had the pleasure of seeing both Foot and Healey on different channels. Foot in a way not bad on ITN, Denis on a programme on which I cannot help feeling it was a deep mistake for him to appear, which was the Robin Day television version of
Any Questions
and is certainly not a ‘prime ministerial' forum.
⁷¹
He was good on defence, not very good on anything else.

SATURDAY, 1 NOVEMBER.
East Hendred.

To Sevenhampton on my own, where Ann had the Levers, and two Marks (Boxer and Amory), Joe Alsop, my old Washington friend, and Aline Berlin without Isaiah. Curious lunch -1 actually enjoyed it very much, though Lever and Alsop do take a long time to tell their stories. However, I found it rather encouraging on the threshold of sixty to seem much faster than some other people!

A little serious talk with Lever after lunch about future political developments, particularly the projected (Radical Centre) Institute to which he was favourable. Basically his view is not too unsensible: yes, he would like to have a great political initiative in the direction I want, but he thinks we have not got enough obsessive
people. I think what he really means is what Woodrow (Wyatt) and one or two other people have said, that I have not got the obsessive political interest to be able to stump round the country, fight bye-elections, and create something out of nothing. Alas, he may be right.

SUNDAY, 2 NOVEMBER.
East Hendred.

Tavernes, who had organized James Meade
⁷²
to come over from Cambridge, to lunch. Meade is a slightly other-worldly, very nice, distinguished man, who is extremely anxious to be helpful to some new radical party, particularly in the formation of economic policy. He is also very keen on electoral reform and pretty close to the Liberals, saying that if the new party did not come off he would almost certainly join them.

MONDAY, 3 NOVEMBER.
East Hendred and London.

With Crispin to what was, in effect, the first of my farewell visits: to Mrs Thatcher. An hour and a half's conversation—not I think of particular note. She showed little desire to look forward and discuss the European future beyond the end of my term. Justin Cartwright, a television producer who wants to do a dialogue between David Steel and me for
Panorama,
to see me in the early evening. I am not too keen to commit myself to do this early on my return. David Steel himself to dinner. I found him very good and sound, not unduly discouraged by continuing hesitancy, and understanding of my desire to wait some time, but not indefinitely, for the Gang of Three.

TUESDAY, 4 NOVEMBER.
London and Brussels.

Home to rue de Praetère at 7.00 to hear the result of the Labour Party first ballot. A remarkable result: Healey in the lead but not at all strongly so, and a real possibility of his being beaten by Foot on the second ballot. A rather exciting prospect. A bitterly cold day.

WEDNESDAY, 5 NOVEMBER.
Brussels.

Listened to the news of Reagan's landslide victory as we drove to the Bois (for my run). No newspapers, however, for some reason or other. Dined with Jennifer with the Dick Leonards: an agreeable conversation with them, mainly reminiscence about Tony Crosland, on which subject Leonard is easy to talk to, because, although he was so close to Tony, and therefore very well informed, he is also objective without being at all cold either towards Tony, or towards me. He is a very nice man.

FRIDAY, 7 NOVEMBER.
Brussels.

Ivor Richard,
⁷³
newly appointed to be the next British junior Commissioner, to lunch rue de Praetère. Found him intelligent and agreeable but somehow slightly detached and complacent, and rather misconceiving his job I think, seeing it as far too much a propaganda job to be done in England with the object of reconciling the Labour movement and the trade unions to Europe. This admittedly would be a wonderful objective, but not I think achievable, and certainly not by a Brussels-based Commissioner.

SATURDAY, 8 NOVEMBER.
Brussels.

Hayden, Laura and John Harris arrived for the weekend about noon. Crispin came in to settle the
placement
for his great party—or our joint great party—in the evening. We lunched at Ohain, and then walked on a beautifully fine clear cold day in the grounds of the Château de la Hulpe on the way back. At just after 8 p.m. we went to Crispin's for his dinner and dance for sixty-four people, which went on until about 3 a.m. I enjoyed it a lot. It was certainly a success, and as good a way as any of celebrating (?) one's sixtieth birthday.

MONDAY, 10 NOVEMBER.
Brussels.

An official visit from Nordli, the Prime Minister of Norway, for nearly four hours from 11.45.1 liked him, as I had in Oslo in July. I
went home at 6.40, eager to hear the Labour Party election news, which came through at 7.00. Sensational result: Foot elected by ten votes. I cannot pretend that I was other than elated, as it clearly opened up a much greater prospect of political realignment. Dined with Jennifer at home, discussing this urgently and excitedly.

TUESDAY, 11 NOVEMBER.
Brussels.

My sixtieth birthday has arrived at last; like so many things discounted in advance it did not therefore seem as bad as it might have done. Went into the office, not intending to do too much work, at 10.30. Saw Roland de Kergorlay (head of our mission in Washington) at 12.00; a brief drink with the immediate staff at 12.45 or so. Then with Jennifer to lunch at the Villa Lorraine. Excellent lunch and enjoyable occasion. Office from 3.30 to 4.45. Tickells and Michael Jenkins' to dinner.

WEDNESDAY, 12 NOVEMBER.
Brussels.

At 4 o'clock I addressed a meeting of about 120 senior staff (Als and A2s) on the Spierenburg Report—what he had done, what we intended to do, and what they had to do if they were to improve management, etc. A good speech, written by Nick, which I delivered firmly and forcefully, and they took with a mixture of enthusiasm (fairly limited), resignation, and some complaint; but worth doing, although a lot of them (not all) hate doing anything which in any way shakes them out of their ruts.

FRIDAY, 14 NOVEMBER.
Brussels and near Amsterdam.

Bob McNamara to lunch rue de Praetère. Crispin and Caroline were the only others there. Very enjoyable conversation with him; I find him rather a spectacular man, and it was well worth having changed my plans and stayed in Brussels in order to see him. I don't know what we talked about exactly—but all a great pleasure. Drove to Holland in the afternoon for an Amsterdam visit the next morning. Stayed at the Waterland Hotel, which was in fact only about twenty-five kilometres from Amsterdam Airport, but they
took us about two hours. We got constantly lost in drenching rain, had a drink at some extremely sunken café, which looked as though it was in Tennessee. We were then stopped by the police for going too
slowly
on to a motorway. They began extremely aggressively – very odd for the Dutch police—as though they thought we were smuggling drugs, but then quietened down a good deal. However, eventually we arrived at the hotel, a tiny and extremely elegantly furnished château in a little park at Velsen; roaring fires in all the rooms.