13 September

ALFRED - SEPTEMBER 13, 2005


I am thinking about those I have met and who have told me their stories. One has to remember that I only hear their story, and not the other side. I shall not mention their names as they have not given me permission to share them. They are three Romanians with whom I went to Chapel. The two younger ones were students and illegal immigrants. The older one was about to return for this fourth year at University. He was very concerned that he might not get back in time to start the year which would mean he would not finish the course, and maybe would not be allowed to. I asked him why he was in prison and not in an immigration centre. He let me understand that he had forged the papers. As yet he and his companions had not been to court, and he had not heard when this was likely to be. If a person is going to court they just seem to disappear. One day they are in prison and the next day they are just not there. I believe that they get a slip under the door, just like those who are going to get a visit. But in this case they are taken out of their cells at about 6 a.m. and then transported to court. On another occasion, I said to an inmate that I had missed him yesterday and he told me that he had gone to court.
As Woodhill Prison serves a large area from London up to Nottingham, prisoners may be heard anywhere within that area and kept in the court cells until their case is called.
Another Romanian, an older man between 40 and 50 years old, had been working as a waiter in Bedfordshire. He told me that he had come to England to support his elderly parents at home. In Romania since their Dictator had been overthrown, middle class people had suffered greatly. Their incomes had been greatly decreased and it was very hard to get reasonably well paid work. He could not keep his own family and his parents on what he earned in that country. What troubled him, now that he was in prison waiting for his court hearing, was that he could no longer send any money to either family. He was particularly upset because Romania would be entering the EU in a year or two.

An Italian, who had lived in England for a good number of years was in prison for a crime but he did not tell me what it was. However his sentence was soon coming to an end. Then one morning two police officers came for him at 6 a.m. and charged him with two other crimes. It was devastating to see how this affected him. Beforehand he had been a smiling, charming and friendly man. Now he seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. There were several men who must have had bad news because they looked so sick.
To counteract these grim stories, two black men that I spoke to were into music, “rap and that”. They were performers and were an exuberant couple. During a social period one afternoon, one came up to me and said he was going out tomorrow. “At 6 p.m. man, I am off!”
Many of the inmates seem to have been to several prisons and knew which ones were better than others. I do not know in which way they were better or worse. Others have been to a prison or two. Many, and maybe most prisoners, will not stay at Woodhill for the whole of their sentence. Their local prison could be too full to take them. But if their crime is a lesser one, that does not require them to serve their time in a category A high security prison, they may be sent to one closer to home when there is a vacancy.

I received 129 letters and cards today. It took me three hours to read them all and I finished at 9 p.m. Many people, and not only pensioners, are suffering from the burden placed on them by the abusive council tax. They all say they approve of the stand I am making and hope it will get through to the Government to do something about it. Some sent me copies of their letters to Blair and his wife, who is a Human Rights Lawyer, as well as to Prescott and their own M.P.s.

I shall have to ask for a bag in which to put the 200 letters and cards I have received so far.



UNA - SEPTEMBER 13TH 2005

Because we had failed to get fresh clothes and money for Alfred to spend at the Prison shop, on Joel's suggestion I put postal orders in the post worth £20. I had enclosed a covering letter but had left the postal orders blank. As soon as possible I phoned the Prison because I noticed that the Information Pack advised name and Prison number to be written on the postal orders, which had not done. It was important to see if they had reached Alfred, and to check if clothes due in the next day would be accepted this time. All this was checked and verified very easily and left me feeling relieved that there were no real problems. This contact with Prison staff proved again their readiness to help.

Today's post brought another big pile of letters and cards. Among them was a newspaper cutting from The Times showing two letters in support of Alfred's stance. They showed real understanding of his motive for being where he is. One of them I quoted in today's letter to Mr Blair from Mr Bernard Parke from Guildford, Surrey: " Sir, The council tax is perhaps the most unfair tax in our history.
Today many householders are living in properties that have appreciated greatly in value. These homes have been paid for over many years, from income that has itself been heavily taxed, to provide a haven for the purchaser and as a means of helping their offspring in later life.
Now the Government is considering a plan to allow this tax to be deferred until the householder dies when local government will step in and take its pound of flesh. The robber barons of old could never have thought up such an unjust scheme".

Christine Melsom phoned in to check that all was well.
Today was special. The Ashes had been won by England's cricketers and London was celebrating. On the ropey TV that Alfred shared with his cellmate, he was probably seeing more than I did!

Neasa MacErlean from The Observer was writing an article about Alfred and phoned to make arrangements to collect a photo of both of us together. It was easier to agree and much harder to find such a photo. The only one in our collection had been taken together was on King Charles' Bridge in Prague some years ago. An alternative could be separate photos with the same background, the Eden Project, also from some time back. The reporter thought this could work by having these each side of her article to emphasise our present separation. I was to expect the photos to be hand collected later.

Clive Lewis, a BBC TV reporter, phoned while I rustling up some lunch, to ask for an exclusive interview when Alfred left Prison. He let me know that the Leader of South Northants Council, Sandra Barnes, was publicly disagreeing with the Council Officers over their statement about remitting our Debt. This was the second time I had heard of her doing this. I decided to write to her for an explanation.

During the day the Richard and Judy Show made contact about their future interview with us, a local reporter wanted to visit Alfred, and Christian Gysin from the Daily Mail text me to say he had given our address to an old friend of ours who had written to him asking to send on her letter. This was Joy Wootton coming back in our lives from the time we had lived in Prittlewell. I felt moved that she had made this effort and looked forward to reading her letter.

Later, after the afternoon teaching session, I was pleased to hear my daughter Anne's voice chatting about other things. She had interrupted her letter writing to her Dad to say that Christmas was going to be a working time for her this year. Her plan at half term was to drive from Devon with Jake and spend time here. Really something to look forward to, because Alfred's time in Prison would be over. He would be home!

The biggest shock of the day was Joel's dramatic entrance at 7p.m. He was dancing on one leg on the patio trying to get through the door. He had slipped at work and damaged his foot but managed somehow to drive himself home, from Thame in Buckinghamshire to Towcester in Northamptonshire. He was now in obvious pain but not keen to go any further. The bag of frozen peas treatment helped to keep the swelling down. After an exhausting day neither of us had much energy to go anywhere. We decided that an early start in the morning to the A&E Department at Northampton General Hospital to have a proper check, was the best thing to do’.