27 September 2005

ALFRED - TUESDAY. 27TH. SEPTEMBER.

It is just great to be dressed in all my own clothes again. I feel less of a prisoner. I take my prison clothes into the hall, and throw them on a pile of other prison clothes and bed clothes, of those who had left, or changed them. A little later the store keeper, a prisoner, and his helper will sort them out, and load a trolley to be taken to the prison laundry. The storeroom is full of shelves of bedding and clothes of every description and size. It is kept very neatly, as the keeper is a very thorough man. But should one need anything, and he is in the store, he is very willing to hand out what is necessary, and even suggest one might like to have a change of towels, pyjamas or anything else, and he is a good judge of size.

While I was collecting my razor and two rolls of toilet paper, the warder said I had an enormous pile of post to collect from the office. I met a lady warder there who took me into a room next door, complaining that she worked in the next Wing but had been sent over to censor my post. There were 46 letters and post cards. I had a cheer from the inmates when I carried them to my cell.

A great deal of these and a good number of the previous post has been sent from Devon. I have two or three letters offering accomodation to Una and me after my release. How generous1. I also had a card from South Africa, from a lad who had been at school with me, and who later joined the Royal Marines soon after I did. We both were Commissioned as Acting Second Lieutenants, and served together in The Royal Naval Rhine Squadron at Crefeld, Germany. I heard that he had become a Regular. And much later, on the news, I heard that he was a senior officer, and the Beachmaster at the landings in the Falkland Island War. Here was a card from him in South Africa where he was now living.
There was a letter from Australia, where a lady who once lived in one of my Parishes, now lives in Australia. Another letter came from Canada.
So the news of our protest was not just limited to the UK, but had gone worldwide. What must people around the world think about the present Government in this country? In many other countries pensioners are better treated.

I am reminded of Tony Constable and Brian Jay who have taken the case to the European Court on Human Rights in an attempt to prove the present council tax system in this country is illegal. The first hearing went extremely well and the Court added some other crimes to the list. They have to prepare the case for a second hearing.

My visitor to-day is Mike Burton, the Vicar of Roade, Ashton and Hartwell, and is Rural Dean of the Towcester Deanery. Mike has come into the area since I retired, and I have only met him once or twice. But I have taken a service for him when he was unable to do so, when his wife had to go into hospital for emergency treatment. He came into the Visiting Hall in mufti, a service term for civilian clothes. He wore a sweater, with broad horizontal stripes! He had tried to visit twice before, but was unable to get in. Permission to visit is a complicated business. We had a very pleasant time getting to know each other and talked about the Church and Council Tax.

When I got back to the Wing, association was still in progress. Ali invited me into his cell to see the final draft of his letter to the judge. I will not go into any details as it was not my business, but it was a good letter.
I had a cup of coffee with Dev and another Muslim. I learned how Muslims were catered for during Ramadan. During this period they do not eat in daytime, so the prison provides flasks of food, the equivalent of three meals which they eat at night.

After bang- up this evening, there was great deal of shouting and banging on cell doors and walls, and some very big sobs. Someone was having a very bad time. I never did find out who it was. One does not ask.

I am beginning to realise that in a week's time, I shall be released. I am still seeing Una on TV being interviewed. This time it was the BBC. It is funny that the 'Beeb' will not have anything reported about the Government. As I learned later, they cut out most of what Una gave them. I wonder if they are in league with the Government, and if they are, it is getting more and more like the USSR during Stalin's time. I do not think I will have anything to do with them in future. They are just not worth it.

I am beginning to wheeze heavily, and my bronchial burble noisily. If I remember correctly, I usually do in October. Never mind, on release I am due for the winter flu 'jab', and that usually sees me through the winter. But I have brought my chest inhalers with me, and they help.

Just think of it, in a week I shall out of here! Was it worth it? Most certainly it was, and if others do the same, action will have to be taken to reform this infamous council tax system; if not immediately, then eventually. The Press and the independent media have been marvellous in their continuing interest and support.




UNA - SEPTEMBER 27TH 2005

Christine finalised her arrangements for Thursday. She is speaking in Litchfield on Wednesday evening and would drive here to arrive about 11 a.m. the next morning. It will be good to see her.

Jeremy Vine Show wanted me on air for 12 p.m. and a taxi would fetch and carry me to a studio, there and back. When these arrangements were being made with Martin Heath at Radio Northampton I asked him to announce, during the next few days, that Christine Melon was visiting Alfred on Thursday at Milton Keynes Prison. He told me that yesterday they had run a live phone-in on the Council Tax subject with listeners contributing their views. Most had agreed that reform was needed.

The post dropped a heavy load through the letter box including a letter from Alfred. He always wrote in capital letters because he feels his handwriting is unreadable. It was a crisp account of what was happening in his prison world. He obviously gets on well with his cellmate Angelo. I thought that there must be a really special part in him to write poetry to his girlfriend. Alfred settles for prose.
He reminded me that he had suggested to the Bishop of Brixworth during his Saturday visit that he might try to contact me. Bishops clearly have better ways to spend their time because we did not hear from him again. After all he had done his duty by visiting Alfred.

Caroline Spelman had sent me a handwritten letter to explain some of the Tory policy for Council Tax. They intended to redress the balance on local councils and stop the inspection routine of " Best Value" which cost the taxpayer æÃ1 billion per year." This was worth knowing. Yet, with second thoughts, it is essential Councils should have an impartial valuation of their standard of service because the elected members of our Council for instance, had an inflated opinion of what they were worth. The Leader of the Council thought they ranked " Very Good", but the Independent Assessment ranked them" Fair."" Perhaps an inspection could be carried out at less cost though.
The Tories clearly had no intention of changing the base of council tax to the ability to pay from income.

Other mail was encouraging and supportive. Everyone else but politicians could see the need for thorough council tax reform and cheered us on for bringing the issue into the forefront of the news, not forgetting the help from the media.

It was time to travel to Radio Northampton. Once there I sat alone in a small studio hunched over a microphone with headphones over my ears. It was a complete waste of time. I spoke briefly in response to someone checking that I was there and then it was over to two others locked in debate. I tried joining in but no one took any notice. I yelled at the microphone, took off the headphones, found the taxi waiting outside and came home.

On the answerphone I found Albert Venison's message that Sylvia would be home on Friday. The Prison who held her, did not release anyone on Saturdays and Sundays. This meant a shortened sentence then.
"You and Yours " were interested in interviewing Alfred when released. This was a prominent programme and reached many listeners.
Radio Oxford wanted to interview me tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. This was with Anne Diamond.
Another message was from the " Today " programme interested in Alfred being interviewed by John Humphries. We have great respect for John Humphries who in our view is a Supremo.
The BBC are perking up perhaps.
With all the media contacts today, I tried to let them know the details of the Press Conference prepared for October 4th

During the three hour teaching session I remembered about cancelling lessons for Tuesday, October 4th, one week away exactly from Alfred's return home!

Afterwards, Christian from the Daily Mail and I tried to think through the details for next week's release from prison. If Alfred appeared at 10 a.m. his family would be there to greet him. Probably a few questions would come from any media present. There would be plenty of time for Alfred to come home for a shower and to relax before the Press Conference at 2 p.m. Christian would drive us there. Alfred would make a short statement, after which the media would ask a few more questions. Christian would then drive us away to wherever had been arranged so that Alfred could be interviewed at length. I would drive back home the following day to teach and then return to wherever at 6.30 p.m. Joel was included in these plans. This rough outline was in place and I looked forward to discussing them with Alfred.

Later that evening there was a surprise call from Jan Hind, who shared a school practice time with me when we were training as teachers in Putney. She has a son -in -law called Ian Botham. Jan was showing an interest in what was happening to us and I assured her we were coping well.
Jan was recovering from a knee injury caused by a motorbike cyclist failing to avoid her while she was crossing a road on her way to buy a treat for her husband's tea. It turned out that the rider was a schizophrenic patient known by social services who had approved of him riding a motorbike! One blessing, he had stopped riding since the accident, but there was no compensation for her.
Soon, she said, the family were off to South Africa to celebrate Ian Botham' 50th birthday. Compensation enough?

After a cooked meal of salmon I had time to read part of today's papers containing articles about Sylvia Hardy's experiences in Court yesterday with photographs of her being driven away to Eastwood Park Prison in Gloucestershire. Like us, she had written letters lobbying M.P.s and contacting Councillors and Councils, which seemed to have made no impact of any value, leaving her with no choice but to take direct action.
The Mail and the Daily Express gave front page reports.
Her Court address had been reported in full. Sylvia drove home the fact that those living in the margin above the Benefit line were being robbed. We too had made this a main point.
There was a list covering the wastage of taxpayers' money by Exeter City Council and Devon County Council. This included the fact that £1 million had been spent on a High Street regeneration project which did not impress the shoppers when trees were uprooted to make way for modern sculptures.
£24,000 was spent on an advice centre for elderly Moslems when only 10 of them had used it. A stress-management post, for getting council workers on sick leave back to work, was advertised for £26,157 - £29,958 a year.
Another job was described as a benefits team leader, police and fire, for
£22,512 - £24,000, to help interpret pension regulations and calculate payments for retired police and firemen.
I am sure all councils have crazy waste of money schemes that make struggling taxpayers weep. Using kitchen scissors I cut out the articles to add to others I had collected over the last three weeks. I decided to sort these into date order planning to show them to Alfred.

Christine phoned in the middle of this activity with the startling news that Sylvia was on her way home! Someone had paid her fine!
I wondered if she felt as disorientated as we would have done. I am certain that she must be feeling furious at this unwanted interference.
The Press would be humming round to find out the identity of this person

Life twists and it certainly turns.