The Week
The American election proved the cliffhanger that wasn't : after last-minute poll forecasts that President Ford might after all come back, the ghastly, grinning Governor Jimmy Carter pulled away to become the next President of the United States.
He won most of the traditional Democratic voting groups, including the blacks despite an embarrassment : his local baptist church said that it would ban all `niggers and agitators'. The election was covered by BBC television but not by ITN because of a journalists' dispute. Mr Carter said, 'I see a nation which has a new vision.' Others could at least be thankful that the whole thing was over.
The United States was not the only country with leadership changes in the air. The seventh congress of the Albanian Communist Party met at Tirana, hoping to find a successor for the ageing giant Enver Hoxha. In China wall-posters proclaimed Li Hsiennien as new head of the Chinese government. He was not officially confirmed, but he was quoted as saying that war with Soviet Russia was inevitable.
The notable Soviet figure Mr Boris Pononlarev ended his British tour with a visit to Marx's grave. He said that Mr Callaghan had told him not to worry about the demonstrators who had accompanied him. Another Left socialist, Mr Bob Wright, was elected as assistant general secretary of the AmalgaMated Union of Engineering Workers. Mrs Maire Drumm was given a gala republi?an funeral in Belfast, with mourners including Vanessa Redgrave. The IRA issued comical photographs with beards painted O n their members' faces.
The talks in Geneva dragged on in no Particular direction. One of Mr Mugabe's advisers, an American-educated academic, said that the talks were 'a load of crap'. Mr Smith left for Rhodesia, saying, 'I have nothing to do here.' In Rhodesia troops crossed the border into Mozambique in Pursuit of terrorists, killing large numbers Of them. At the first meeting of the Transkei Parliament a tribal chief was ejected at spear-point He said in Xhosa, 'Your backside. The President of Burundi was over thrown.
, The House of Lords continued to incite t.ahour wrath. The peers removed shiprePairing from the Bill to nationalise shipand aircraft-building, and held up the Dock r,Lahour Bill. Mr Gerald Kaufman of the "ePartment of Industry met his French opposite number, M Cavaille, to discuss the snPer-Concorde'. , As the rate of inflation in West Germany ,s'ovved down to 3.8 per cent the British reasury forecast high inflation and slower growth for the next eighteen months. It was announced that the number of civil servants in the United Kingdom had risen to 744,000 this July from 708,000 a year before. Civil servants at the Department of Employment began an overtime ban.
The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mr Tom Williams, claimed that he had uncovered a plot against him. The Iranian cultural attaché in Paris was shot and wounded. Mr Patrick Hillery was nominated by Fianna Fail for the Irish Presidency. A revolt was put down on the north-west frontier of Pakistan. Miss Helen Hayman, Labour MP for Welwyn and Hatfield, said that she would be bringing her new-born baby to the House of Commons, as she was breastfeeding. The Evening Standard was fined £1,000 for contempt of court after publishing a photograph of Peter Hain.
Seven employees at the Rover plant at Solihull resigned after allegations of corrupt dealings over the odds in Range Rovers., Lord Lucan's creditors were told that they would receive 70p in the pound: £14,000 to the Clermont. J. Lyons sold its hotel interest to Trust Houses Forte.
Italy had its worst floods for ten years: Venice was badly hit. British Rail announced new price rises. The British Naturalist Association said that street-lights were affecting the sex-life of glow-worms. And Cameroun played the Congo at football in Yaounde: after the referee awarded a penalty against the home team Camerounian troops invaded the pitch and beat up the visiting side.
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