Portrait of the week
Mr Kinnock accused 16 left-wing Labour MPs of 'utter self-indulgence and utter self-indiscipline' after they had disrupted the House of Commons, causing the sitting to be suspended for 20 minutes. They were demanding a debate on the miners' strike, which Mr Kinnock and the Government were agreed in wanting to avoid. The Coal Board said it had already achieved by 'natural wastage' 8,000 of the 20,000 job cuts which the NUM is striking to prevent, and pointed out that if miners continued to return to work at the present rate of several thousand a week, a majority would be back by early March. NUM leaders became more conciliatory in the tone, though not the substance, of their remarks, saying they were ready for talks. Talks about talks were held, fruitlessly. Pit deputies crossed a picket line for the first time, enabling coal to be produced at more pits. Aslef held a one-day strike in the Midlands in support of the miners. British Rail warned that the huge losses brought abOut by the strike, and by some railway- men's support for it, meant there would be little scope for a wage rise this year, but ample scope for job losses. Austin Rover took legal action against eight unions for striking last year without a secret ballot of their members. The 30-share index rose above 1,000 for the first time. Sterling steadied. Building societies raised their rates. It was announced that social security payments now amount to £1,350 per head of the working population, income tax to a mere £1,150. The White Paper on public spending to 1987-88 showed thatedive•Caler President Reagan was sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. In his inaugural address he reiter- ated his commitment to the development of space defences against nuclear attack, although Mr Weinberger, his Secretary of Defence, had earlier conceded that such a system would not stop bombers or low- level missiles, which would need separate, and very expensive, defences. General Arid Sharon made progress in his lawsuit against Time magazine. John Fairfax Lim- ited, publishers of the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age, bought the Spectator. M. Andre Fontaine was elected editor-in-chief of Le Monde. President Mitterrand visited New Caledonia for ernment intends to hold spendi' conshidiana
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over the next three years, an mbitious target judging by previous perfo ance, torr D make room for tax cuts. Consergative MPs' L' &P said they would oppose the lernment's plan to raise money for the easury by putting up water charges by farstmove•IIIP494**••••••• the industry wants. Mr Rajendra Sethia was declared bankrupt. He has record personal debts of £140 million. It is not known where he is. twelve hours. He was insulted by French settlers for supporting independence plans, and said France would strengthen its milit- ary base there. Part of the Ruhr was immobilised by smog so severe that the use of private cars was banned. In Delhi a spy ring was uncovered, and a French diplomat left for home. Talks held between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders at the UN ended in failure. Cholera broke out in some of the Ethiopian famine relief camps.
nritish Telecom said it would deter LP vandals by the greater vandalism of destroying its red telephone boxes. Mrs Thatcher having decided that the 40th anniversary of VE day should after all be celebrated, certain Tory MPs said the Archbishop of Canterbury should not preach, as he had been insufficiently trium- phant after the Falklands campaign. Bliz- zards were expected in London, but in- stead struck the West Country, after which there was a thaw, causing floods, except in Scotland, where there was more snow. Lord Wolfenden, who in 1957 recom- mended that homosexual conduct between consenting adults should no longer be criminal, died, as did Lord Balogh, the Hungarian-born economic adviser to Harold Wilson. England beat India in the Madras Test and need only to draw the last Test to win the series. Lester Piggott announced his retirement at the end of the forthcoming flat season. The House of Lords admitted television cameras. Sir
hi-ho, it's back to work we go.'
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