17 September

ALFRED - SATURDAY. 17TH.SEPTEMBER.

I am expecting a change in routine: weekends!
Toast and teabags is called about 8.0am. And the storeroom does not get opened until about 8.30. I collected my disposable razor, as the call for those who have visits is heard, too late to use it. I have had a ‘catslick’ when I got up, in the dark, so at least I have a sort of wash. After the usual search at the wing gate and at the entrance to the visitor's hall, I go to my allocated seat, and I await Una's visit at 9.0. Sometimes she is one of the earlier visitors to come in, and sometimes a whole lot come in before she does. She is seldom one of the last. Nor was she to-day. After greeting each other, I apologised for not having shaved. And once the shop that serves tea or coffee, and biscuits, is opened, Una got some for us both. She has written what she wants to say on the palm of her hand. How she manages to cope with every thing, telephone, post, press and media, as well as looking after herself, I just do not know. She is a terrific example of vigour for a lady in her 70s.
She asks if I have had delivery of a change of clothes. Not yet!
The prison officers are patrolling the aisles. I suppose they are looking to see if drugs are being passed to the prisoners. But I do not see how drugs could get this far after the very stringent searches to get in; but apparently they do. Hence the searches of prisoners on the way out, including the strip searches. Anyway Joel is coming on his own, to see me tomorrow. I do not think he likes the thought of his father, a prisoner, sitting among a whole lot of other prisoners. I wonder what he is feeling; but he is brave to do it on his own. So it is with some trepidation that I am looking forward to seeing him. I want to thank him for his great help to his mother during this time.
When I got back to the wing, a warder comes to me and demands the return of the razor. When I explain that I have not had time to use it, he tells me to be sure to return it by lunch time. When we do that, they then say throw it into a bin that they have in the office. Ones mind boggles at what possible use such a small bit of metal could be used for, especially as it is so blunt.
We actually get an "association " time, during the afternoon. I am sitting in my cell with the door open, and another inmate and I are having a cup of tea. How civilised! Suddenly there is a loud commotion out in the hall. We could hear the metal of one the chairs being dragged on the floor, and another being overturned. Looking out, we can see two inmates of the same ethnic background about to fight. Immediately other inmates round about moved in to separate them, two or three to each one of them, and another takes away the chair. After a short while a prison officer comes out of the office on the first floor, comes down the stairs, and tells the two opponents to go to their cells. And that was that, as far as I know. All in a minute or so. If the officer had intervened, the consequences for the two and the rest of us would have been very great. If he had been the one to step in between the two, the alarm bell would have been rung, and officers from other wings would have rushed in an we all would have been confined to our cells, possibly for the rest of the day and maybe for the rest of the weekend. The officer in charge must have had some experience in these affairs to read the situation so calmly anyway in a moment the other inmates returned to their pool and table tennis tables as if nothing had happened.
After supper we are 'banged up' for the day, so it will be TV for the rest of the evening. Usually there is a drama programme, on either BBC or ITV, that I would be watching with Una, at home. I very much enjoyed Una's visit, and I hope she could live the rest of the day in a relaxed way.





UNA - SEPTEMBER 17TH 2OO5

Today begins the second weekend in Alfred's Prison Sentence. I set off foe the 9 a.m. visit with a plan in my mind. I had an idea that it was possible to shorten the time it took to get through the stages of procedure. I was thinking of the locker area. Instead of locking away my handbag there, I would leave it in the car and carry my passport for ID and my car key and money in my jacket pocket. This meant I could move on to the screening area sooner. When I reached this stage I was told that the passport I had placed in the tray had to be left in a locker. There was no arguing. Off I went, back across the open space to the locker room and back again. I was prepared to take my turn in the queue once more but a Warder saw me and waved me forward. This time when I placed the car key in the tray the same thing happened. I made another journey back to the locker room. Attempting to shorten the system had resulted in lengthening it! The only plus from all this effort was the exercise between buildings.
Tension always increased as we waited at the final stage to be called by surnames to walk through the barrier in to the Visitors' Hall. People stopped chatting usually at this moment and began moving closer to the barrier to hear their names. Today a couple were far from silent. They made loud remarks about the delaying and wasting of visiting time. I wished they would shut up because they were making it difficult to hear. I was glad when the Warder raised his voice to begin the roll call and we could move on.
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The way Alfred and I were facing each other and holding hands across the table was not the way we usually behaved. We admitted that our lives had been opened up by these changed circumstances, and we have begun to talk to each other in a more direct way because of this more concentrated contact.
Although I knew that Alfred's clothes had been accepted by the Prison authorities, he still hadn't received them! It was hard to understand why not. They had been inside the Prison since Wednesday.
He had not been able to shave this morning but it did not matter to me. Alfred preferred to be as smart as possible. This was how he liked to be ready for each day.
At the end of my visit I looked back several times before finally going through the doorway. Today Alfred watched me go instead of cutting off sooner.
The couple previously making the loud remarks were much calmer on the way out. They told me they had seen their 27 year old son, recently brought here and waiting for his Court case to be heard. Many others seem to be doing the same. This Mum smiled when she told me that now she could sleep at nights because she no longer worried about where her boy was.

When I walked in at home Joel was talking on his mobile to his sister. He told me he had organised an ITN interview in twenty minutes time. This took place in the garden and I saw it later in the day. It was much better than the other garden interview. Perhaps I was getting into the swing of things.

Then came the most important news item so far. The Government had decided to defer their revaluing exercise on properties in England. The Welsh experience of revaluation had disastrously affected many people's Council Tax payments. When property values increased Council Tax followed suit. It seemed that Alfred's imprisonment had caused the Government to rethink the timing for their revaluation plans.

It became a Big Day. Council Tax had reached headline status which lasted all day.
Christine had been taxied to Southampton to do a live interview with Peter Sissons on News 24.
It was a hard-hitting interview with Christine strongly putting the case for the effect that revaluation could have on Council Tax levels. Those on fixed incomes would suffer if their homes increased greatly in value because Council Tax is based on property values and would also increase accordingly. Remember that the rise in property values had made this obvious.
When Peter Sissons mentioned our case, the wrong authority was named: Northampton County Council was not the Council involved. It was important to me that South Northants Council was named instead. I was amazed to hear him insist belligerently that our Debt was not wiped out, implying it would have to be paid by us. Here was another example showing the lack of full understanding of the Council Tax Law of 1992. Christine tried to correct him vehemently
Immediately following this interview I phoned News 24 asking them to correct these two mistakes.
This did not happen. Instead of rerunning this news item, which is what usually happens on News 24, it did not appear again.
John Burnett, an enthusiastic supporter, phoned to say he wanted to organise a rally for Sylvia Hardy's visit next Tuesday. He and I agreed to phone round to give people the opportunity of joining in.

The incoming phone calls and post brought other messages of support and encouragement to Alfred.
I was particularly pleased to hear from Janet, who has been a Nun at Burnham Abbey for over 50 years. Do any of us who live outside an Order realise the hard work that is part of a prayerful life? Her sense of fun and common sense is special. Over the years she has been a very supportive friend. I respect her because she not only works hard in her Community but she is so aware of what goes on in the world and cares deeply about it. How else can anyone pray for it?
I am glad we have been able to keep in touch.
I no longer go to church. I have not lost my faith but practise it in a wider way. Partly influenced by my children. Perhaps, as a clergy wife, I saw an aspect of Church life that I was glad to leave behind. It became harder to find peace in the Services and easier to find it elsewhere. In my heart I know the beauty of Evensong and Compline and would like to hear them more often.

Eventually, in the early evening the grass got cut and half the house was cleaned. It was on 8.30p.m. Alfred had been given a stone bowl from Maidford, one of his four parishes before he retired. He had converted it into a fountain. I switched it on to enjoy the spraying water sparkling in the sunlight, adding movement and sound in our garden, and missing Alfred more than I can say.

I was in bed when Joel came home from work. It was a good place to write my diary. I had already written to Blair.
I always begin by writing the number of the day. But I found that this process had become muddled and I1 was too tired to sort it out. This problem would have to wait until my head was clearer.