12 September

ALFRED MONDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER

I saw myself on a News Programme. It must have been a regional programme on ITV, as the BBC tends to be too proper to refer to someone in prison or for holding out against the council tax. As soon as the doors of the cells were opened it was time for toast and tea bags etc. Other inmates told me they had seen it as well. I believed Una had been interviewed and they had shown a previous cutting. It is amazing. I thought it would be a one or two day wonder. If this goes on, we will have had a week of coverage.

I had delivered to me over 40 letters and cards of encouragement, complimenting me on my bravery. All the envelopes had been opened, as everything has to be censored. Some prison officer had to read them all.

If one is going to have a visit in the afternoon, a slim piece of paper is slid under the cell door during the night. There is no slip this morning, and I was not expecting a visit. Una had undertaken to arrange these visits, as she had made contact by phone with the proper authorities. She herself cannot come as she teaches her piano students on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. But she has told me of a number of people who wish to do so, including the Suffragan Bishop of Brixworth who has oversight of the western half of the Diocese of Peterborough.
The Rural Dean of Towcester Deanery, also wishes to see me. The Rural Dean, Mike Burton, is Chairman of a group of Parishes round Towcester area. His own group of country parishes is a little closer to Northampton.
Another clergyman who wants to come is Tony Bryer, who is the Priest in Charge at Towcester. A Priest in Charge until a pastoral scheme comes about, when one or two more Parishes will be added to his collection, thus completing a new Benefice and he will then be called Vicar.
John Hall would also like to visit me. He was my successor at Blakesley, with Adstone, Maidford and Farthingstone. He is also a Priest in Charge until the Parish of Litchborough is added to the Benefice
John had been Assistant Curate in Towcester until he went to Blakesley. So over the next few weeks these will be entering the Visitor's Hall.

All is not lovely in the cell. It feels strange that when one's world is reduced a problem you could normally put right is not so easily put right in prison. Our television set is not receiving a good signal. The picture is spotted because we have an indoor aerial, and between us and the outer world are thick walls and wire fences which must interfere with the reception. The present aerial is stuck in a plastic bottle. To get it as high as possible we can rest it on the window sill.
I must also grumble about the food. There are plenty of potatoes and vegetables, but they are cooked in a separate prison kitchen, and trollied to the wing and reheated, so rather tired by the time they get to us. The food is very well served by the prisoners. However, I wish to lose a little weight, so I only have small portions.
Another thing I miss very much is not knowing the time. I did not bring my watch with me. I understood that I would have to hand it over when I processed on arrival. The only clock is in the office, and one can only see it when out on association. Otherwise one has to wait until the next activity is called out.

I soon become like so many of the inmates. I run out of tobacco. At night after bang-up there is a lot of banging on walls, or calling a cell number through the windows for cigarette papers, matches and tobacco. And if you have any of those you swing it on a make-shift rope until they get it. Or you can have a word with an inmate at meal times or association. I must say they are exceedingly kind to me in that way.

Usually in the mornings or early afternoons, there is exercise in the yard for nearly an hour. It is exactly like the films or TV if it includes a prison scene. You walk around the yard until you have had enough, and you can join any of the groups standing by the fences. When walking one can chat to others.
I chose to go to prison, and even if the courts sent them, the inmates have wives or girlfriends and children. They are very concerned about their welfare. Some of them took the opportunity to talk about these. I think just talking out loud helped them to come to terms with these worries, and I must say that I learned an awful lot about life I had not experienced. I found many of those from overseas had most need to talk. The friendliness of the black inmates did most for me. They would come up to me with big smiles and touch knuckles. As I have seen on TV, and talk about their wives and families. They seemed more able to accept their present situation. I think they were very curious about a clergyman preferring to come to prison rather than accepting this monstrous council tax system.



UNA - SEPTEMBER 12TH 2005

The information pack supplied from the reception desk at Her Majesty's Prison Woodhill, Milton Keynes was open at the page explaining how to arrange visits. The hardest part, when booking visits, was being patient when the phone lines were busy.
All visits had to be booked by phoning between 9a.m. -3p.m on Mondays to Thursdays and on Fridays the time limit was 2 p.m. I read that three visits could be booked at a time.
The information pack also said only if an inmate has put in a property application in advance of a visit, could any property be accepted. Now I could understand why it was taking so long for Alfred to receive his own clothes. He possibly did not know yet about the property application.
Money can only be received by sending cash in by recorded delivery, or cheques that take 14 days to clear. We had succeeded here and cash had been sent so that Alfred was able to use the canteen.
He never mastered the procedure for making phone calls. "Pin credits " could be bought from the canteen on his canteen day. He could have 20 personal numbers and 5 legal numbers, according to the rules.
I had no idea how easy it was for him to make phone calls or how many phones were available. People later sent him biros, writing paper and books of stamps“. Their thoughtfulness moved him very much.

’Others were keen to visit Alfred. I was trying to fix this week's visits this morning and feeling frustrated because phones were not being answered.
I had been waiting for the local Vicar to decide between Tuesday or Wednesday to visit Alfred and I knew the Rural Dean wanted to visit on Wednesday but I needed a definite decision before booking them in. At one point it looked as if three clergy were going to turn up together on Wednesday! Ideally one on each day would work well.
Phoning was not producing results. Frustration grew. I had waited three days to hear decisions.
I thought of another way to solve this. I went ahead and made the bookings for Wednesday before time ran out and left messages on their machines.
At the same time I made a booking for Thursday when a journalist from The Glasgow Herald who planned to interview Sylvia Hardy beforehand, was coming with me to the Prison.

When the phone rang a little later I was sorting out the post that had tumbled through the door. A voice said it was the Bishop of Peterborough. We had the following conversation:" How is Arnold?"
"That is not my husband's name, Bishop."
A short pause.... " Arthur?"
" You're not doing very well, Bishop."
Long pause.............." ALFRED!"
He went on to ask for Alfred's address to inform him that because of his imprisonment he contravened some ecclesiastical law, which threatened Alfred’s licence in being able to continue taking Services when asked. Bishop Cundy intended to recommend to the Archbishop of Canterbury that this should not happen.
I knew that it would be like a knife in his back if Alfred's Church life was changed in this way. With great care I suggested to the Bishop that his letter did not carry this news at the beginning of it, but figuratively would he put his arms round Alfred first of all to lessen the shock. On a stressful day he could be devastated. The Bishop agreed to be tactful and said he would send me a copy of his letter.
The difficulty the Bishop had with Alfred's name showed he had not prepared himself before making that phone call.
When he wrote to Alfred a week later he did better as his letter ended like this: " May I wish you and Una well as you both face the weeks ahead and reiterate my hope that the Government will listen and address the issue you have highlighted."

My daily letters to Mr. Blair continued. One was copied to the President of the European Parliament to let him know that Alfred's stance was being given high media coverage, and to remind him that in January or February 2006, Tony Constable and Brian Jay would be at the second Hearing in that Parliament to prove that our Council Tax is illegal.
Another letter included a quote from Peter Hitchin: " Mr Ridley has defied the law that really matters to this Government - the law that says you must pay your taxes however unjust they are. Such defiance is deeply dangerous."
I hope Mr Blair took notice of this!

At 1p.m., before the teaching session began, James Blatch from Look East, our local BBC TV news programme, called to interview me with his cameraman in tow. We went into the garden on this perfect September day. To his question about the Christian motive behind Alfred's action, I repeated Alfred's answer, the story of Zaccheus, found in the Gospels, that explained the situation. Jesus was keen that only the right amount of tax should be taken by tax collectors. Zaccheus, who was one, had robbed people unmercifully. After meeting Jesus he had a great change of heart and gave back what he had wrongly taken. That's what our tax system should be based on today, fair and honest takings from the people.
I mentioned the retired Baptist Minister, Mr R Armstrong from Clevedon, who wrote a letter to us saying that Alfred was "following the noble line of believers who suffered imprisonment for conscience - John Baptist, Jesus, Paul, Peter, Mandela, Huddleston, Luther-King. We salute you."
When watching the coverage later I was not surprised that this was left out.

During the evening I caught up with the phone calls. The first, I made to Bee who was 91 years old today. If I say she is the Mother May Queen of a John Ruskin tradition begun at Whitelands College, now moved to Roehampton, few would understand how special she is. Some people, mainly Whitelanders, would understand completely.

Among the wealth of letters and cards delivered today was one from our bridesmaid Katie Logan who, with her sister Kirstie, were such fun on our Wedding Day when they were little girls, and Holly of the Richard and Judy Show left a message saying they still wanted to interview us when Alfred comes out of prison.

It will be so good when Alfred is back with me and he can see, as I can, that in every part of our sitting room: window-sill, bookcase, tables, shelves, stand cards offering warm and strong support to both of us. They also give us the energy we need to live each day so that we make the most of our opportunities. I certainly never expected such abundant goodwill.

“The highlight of the day was the phone call from Christopher, Alfred's brother living in Busselden, Australia. His deep clear voice boomed across the airways right into my ear. We were both delighted to make contact after several attempts had been made by him. Immediately he wanted to know how Alfred was feeling and how very proud he was of his brother. He said, " I am very proud of him, “ over and over again sounding more and more emotional. Afterwards I felt so moved by Christopher’s enthusiasm that I knew that there would be no need to write a biro memo on my hand when I next saw Alfred. “