Purgatory

DAY 87 – SATURDAY 13 OCTOBER 2001

2.00 pm

Visit. My son James and our mutual Kurdish friends Broosk and Nadhim have driven up from London to see me. The talk is mostly political, and they describe how it feels to live in London during the present crisis. Nadhim adds that he attended the Conservative Party conference in Blackpool (he’s a councillor for Wandsworth) and he couldn’t help comparing the gathering with his first conference in Brighton twenty years ago when Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister.

‘Same people,’ he tells me, ‘they’re just twenty years older.’ ‘You included,’ I remind him.

Nadhim’s a great fan of IDS, but admits his conference speech wasn’t inspiring.

James is still enjoying his new job in the City and takes me through a typical day. We then discuss my appeal which doesn’t now look as if it will be scheduled before the new year. The law grinds slowly…

Broosk is full of news, having just landed two big contracts to decorate large homes in London and Nice. I first met these two young Kurds twelve years ago – ‘Bean Kurd’ and ‘Lemon Kurd’ – when they helped me organize the Simple Truth campaign, and they have remained friends ever since.

8.00 pm

After a few games of backgammon with Darren and Jimmy I return to my cell to be banged up for another fourteen hours. I’ve become hooked on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. I would have failed to make more than PS2,000 this week because I didn’t know the name of the actor who plays the barman in EastEnders. However, I was able to answer the PS4,000 question, ‘Who is the current leader of the Conservative Party? a) Michael Howard, b) David Davis, c) Iain Duncan Smith, d) Kenneth Clarke.’ The father and son contestants picked David Davis. Hmm, I wonder if this is an omen or a prophecy?