2.4.1976

Wrote a couple of letters later on in the evening and began to finalise some details of a public meeting. I’m really stuck if I can’t get a place to meet, that would be the one way in which the local bourgeoisie and it’s lackeys could stop the founding of a local branch.

Went to the Sewerby Ship in the evening with Steve. We got entrenched at our usual table until we noticed that the lounge had been opened. The atmosphere was much better in there and after I asked the barmaid if she was German, her and Steve spent quite a long time speaking the language. Two lots of uniforms came in, the Salvation Army and the Law. We were safe though, I somehow felt it inside me – probably a feeling stemming from the fact that I’ve never had any trouble with the law in the 18 months or so that I’ve been frequenting the pubs. Washed my hair then watched a satirical Western, “Cat Ballou”

by Elliot Silverstein 1965 star Jane Forda

– somehow its humour just didn’t come off. Still, not such a bad nearly-film.

Saturday 3 April 1976

Early this morning I came to the conclusion that a Friday night out seems to spin the weekend out longer – if you can survive the terrible ordeal of a Saturday night staying in! Took a few tons of books back to the library only to replace them with three more, equally weighty books. Despite her unscholarly approach and obvious lack of cerebral substance, I took Antonia Fraser’s biography of Cromwell – how characteristic that her name stood out by far over that of England’s greatest man, Oliver Cromwell. Recently I have developed an urge to read everything about Oliver, urged on by Christopher Hill’s inspiring “God’s Englishman”.

In the evening I was slightly disappointed by “The Fall of The Roman Empire”. Some of it was run of the mill American love story, disguised by a smattering of English actors, marvellously executed scenery, powerful special effects and – most importantly – the Legend that was Rome. Most memorable was the Roman legion marching through a forest awaiting a Barbarian attack, My God, were they savage. Ostensibly Vendels, their savage/heroic fighting left a really impressive effect on me.