Caroline Baker, Barrister at Law: scripted by my Dad Willie Patterson; on #BearAlley blog

Bear Alley: Caroline Baker, Barrister at Law part 1: 

Caroline Baker, Barrister at Law part 1 

"Caroline Baker, Barrister at Law" is an almost-forgotten romance/adventure strip that appeared in the Daily Express in 1962, drawn by Jose Ortiz, who was one of the finest Spanish artists to work for British comics.

As the strip originally appeared in the Daily Express I tried asking them about it some years ago, but they appeared to have no record of it whatsoever. It was said to have been written by a "famous barrister" but the real author was Willie Patterson, a favourite scriptwriter of mine who also wrote Jeff Hawke for the Express. Ortiz is said to have come over to the UK especially to draw sketches at a magistrates' court.

This particular adventure was reprinted in the Action Book for Girls (1967) and I'll run the whole thing over the next few days.


Caroline Baker, Barrister at Law part 2

Further adventures written by Willie Patterson and drawn by Jose Ortiz. If you missed yesterday's opening episode, scroll down the page.

Caroline Baker, Barrister at Law part 3

 
Part 3 of a story by scriptwriter Willie Patterson and artist Jose Ortiz. You can catch up on earlier episodes by scrolling down the page.


Caroline Baker, Barrister at Law part 4

The penultimate part of our adventure serial, written by Willie Patterson and drawn by Jose Ortiz. If you've missed any of the episodes so far you can catch up by scrolling down the page.


Caroline Baker, Barrister at Law part 5

The final episode of our romantic adventure, written by Willie Patterson with artwork by Jose Ortiz. Scroll down if you've missed any of it.


(* © Express Newspapers Ltd.)

Creative Writing Support Group – Glasgow Women's Library

Creative Writing Support Group – Glasgow Women's Library

"Creative Writing Support Group

27th March at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Free - £2

As requested by Creative Writing for Fearties participants, we have created space for writers to meet each other, share work in an encouraging atmosphere, support each other to hone writing skills, try out ideas and develop new projects.


Get a cuppa, get creative and get support from other writers in this friendly group. At first, the sessions will be facilitated by GWL until the group is established. 

Creative Writing Support Group, Tuesdays 27th February, 27th March, 24th April, 22nd May, 2pm to 4pm, £2/Free, Women only 

To see more information, or to book, for all upcoming Creative Writing, and Creative Writing Support Group sessions, please see here. 

Booking

This event is women only and we prefer for tickets to be booked in advance whenever possible. This event costs £2 full price. Select the number of tickets you want to book below, or come in to the Library to book. We offer subsidised free places for students, people on a low income, unemployed or those in receipt of benefit and Friends of GWL. If you are eligible for a subsidised place select the subsidised ticket below, or come in to the Library to book.

If you have booked a place and are no longer able to attend please let us know so that we can make your place available to someone else"

another FOI request trying to find out about NHS Fife Psychology in Psychosis

Another Email FOI request sent today about Psychology in Psychosis, NHS Fife:

"Dear Mr Kellet

I am writing to ask for further information about Psychology in Psychosis (PIP). 

This year I am continuing to research safe haven crisis houses in the UK and Ireland, to find out the benefits of avoiding psychiatric inpatient treatment, how this may achieved, developed in Scotland, for people coming through psychosis.  For my family since the 1950's our treatment when experiencing psychosis has been coercive, retraumatising, disabling, painful, taking away our human rights, in every decade since then, until now.  I want to see better, humane, person-centred support for my family in the future when they happen to find life traumatic and require help through psychosis or altered mind states.  Avoiding stigmatising and discriminatory diagnoses and labels which dehumanise.

Here are some questions which I hope the Psychology Service NHS Fife can answer so as to help with my understanding of what PIP in Fife consists of:

• what types or approaches of psychological therapies are practised by clinicians in Fife who work with people coming through psychosis? eg CBT, IPT, mindfulness, ACT, psychotherapy, psychodynamic
• when does a person experiencing psychosis engage with a clinical psychologist in Fife? eg does this, can this happen in NHS Fife acute wards before patients are given any neuroleptic meds? are there any patients experiencing psychosis in the community who engage with psychology services in NHS Fife? I am trying to find out if anyone experiencing a psychosis can be helped through without becoming a psychiatric inpatient
• I would like to know what the different psychologist "roles" are (apologies if I'm not very clear about terminology, I'm not sure what's on offer in Fife, having only engaged with Clinical Psychologists since 2003) eg are there Counselling Psychologists, Psychotherapists; Psychodynamic Counsellors, Cognitive Behaviour Therapists? Or other therapist job titles.  I'm keen to know if psychologists employed by NHS Fife have experience in a wide range of approaches and therefore can be flexible in working with, alongside people/patients experiencing altered mind states, psychosis and extreme emotional distress who still have insight.  [I came through another psychosis in 2015 avoiding psychiatric treatment, had insight, reasoned through altered mind states.]

I'm copying in Doctors Cheshire and Baty, for their information, hoping that they can help enlighten me as to the choices available in Fife for people experiencing psychosis.  In my family's experience it was neuroleptics first, coercively given if we resisted, and we only were offered Clinical Psychology when on neurotoxins, sedated by drugs, meaning that listening therapies were mostly ineffective.  

I want to see a turnaround in the treatment of psychosis, in Fife and Dundee where my family live, to begin with.  I do believe that psychosis is transitional, a journey, an escape, which, with the proper support and help for the person to understand their journey and what led them into a psychosis, can be life enhancing and strengthening.  That was my experience in 2015/16 and far less traumatic when avoiding coercive medications/neurotoxins.

I look forward to hearing a response to my FOI request.

Regards, Chrys"

I've forwarded this Email on to DClinPsy academics in an attempt to rattle their cages, make them care about people experiencing psychosis who don't want to be drugged with neurotoxins, and their Mother Carers.

------------------------------

26 January 2018: FOI request: Step on Stress; Psychology in Psychosis; NHS Fife

Harris Academy Dundee Boys Hockey Winners presentation Glasgow 16Mar18

Cats In The Cradle #HarryChapin

in solidarity with Peter Gordon's #SunshineAct for Scotland protest @ScotParl 22 March 2018

Two years of no sunshine: Hole Ousia blog post, Dr Peter Gordon:

"On Thursday 22nd March 2018 I will be standing outside the Scottish Parliament with this banner.

This will be a peaceful, one-man protest, two years to the day that my petition for a Sunshine Act was closed. My petition closed on a most positive finding: that the Scottish public, in an official consultation (by the Scottish Health Council) concluded that declarations of competing interests should be mandatory and recorded centrally in an open register.

I was hopeful that the campaign on Realistic Medicine might have encouraged some action before now as the issue of competing interests has been part of a number of health inquiries

• Mesh scandal,
• Prescribed drug dependence and withdrawal
• Dementia screening and research
• Antipsychotic prescribing

However it is now two years on and the Scottish Government has provided no meaningful update. This is the reason for my protest."

-------------------------

I've supported Dr Peter Gordon and his Sunshine Act Petition since September 2013 when first submitted:
 

Sunshine Act Petition link

Here are blog posts I wrote in support of Dr Gordon's Sunshine Act for Scotland, I also spectated at Public Petitions Committee Meetings when his Petition was being discussed:

24 March 2016: #SunshineAct for Scotland: mandatory publication of payments to healthcare professionals from industry 

17 March 2016: Dr Peter J Gordon's feedback @ScotParl on his Sunshine Act for Scotland Petition: closed 8Mar16 

8 March 2016: Sunshine Act for Scotland Petition closed by @ScotParl 8Mar16: passing the buck @scotgov 

29 January 2016: at Public Petitions Committee Meeting @ScotParl 26Jan16 to hear Sunshine Act for Scotland PE1493 

22 January 2016: A Sunshine Act for Scotland Petition PE1493: 26 January 2016 Robert Burns Room @ScotParl 

9 February 2016: "it is impossible for anyone to establish the scale of competing financial interests" #SunshineAct for Scotland 

9 January 2016: A Sunshine Act for Scotland Petition@ScotParl: Why no reference to Scottish Health Council Consultation?

9 June 2015: Dr Peter J Gordon's Sunshine Act for Scotland petition considered 9Jun15: @ScotParl to write to @scotgov

"I attended today's Public Petitions Committee meeting to hear the Sunshine Act for Scotland Petition PE1493 by Dr Peter J Gordon being considered by government ministers, for the 5th time."

 

8 June 2015: A Sunshine Act for Scotland PetitionPE1493 by Dr Peter J Gordon: under consideration 9 June 2015 @ScotParl 

23 April 2015: my#BMJ Response: 'Sunshine Act for Scotland: transparency, independence andaccountability' 

31 March 2015: A Sunshine Act for Scotland petition at Scottish Parliament 31 March 2015 

18 March 2015: 31 March 2015: Sunshine Act for Scotland Public Petition PE1493 @ScotParl.Again. I'm looking for action.
 
16 March 2015: Reblog: 'A Sunshine Act for Scotland' posts by Dr Peter J Gordon with Petition history, written Submissions & #omphalos Films 

28 January 2015: my tweets after watching #SunshineAct forScotland petition being discussed on @ScotParl video 27 January 2015

24 January 2015:Reblog: 'NHS Boards are not following existing guidance' by Dr Peter J Gordon #SunshineAct

23 January 2015: Sunshine Act for Scotland Petition GoesBefore Parliament a 3rd Time 

10 January 2015: Scottish Parliament Petitions? I wouldn't bother. Government ministers have not acted in respect of the Sunshine Act Petition. They don't have the nerve.

13 November 2014: Sunshine Act for Scotland petition Dr Peter J Gordon, Public Petitions Committee 11 Nov14 Scottish Parliament (outcome? ask Scottish Government)

"I was there to hear the proceedings, punctuated by a Remembrance Day commemoration in the Garden Lobby of parliament at 11am, and then at around 12 noon the topic came up.  It took two minutes mention of contacting Scottish Government to ask about the NHS Circular HDL (2003) 62 (Registers of Interest) progress.  My thoughts?  Swingball.  Pass the buck."

Waverley Station, Edinburgh 11Nov14

on Scottish Parliament building Royal Mile

17 April 2014: Public Petition PE01493: A Sunshine Act for Scotland - date cancelled, to be rescheduled

Rebecca Ferguson - Superwoman

"I have declined your request to attend (Mental Health event)" #KennyMurphy, CEO Fife Voluntary Action

Emails received late afternoon from Fife Voluntary Action:

"Dear Chrys,

This is an automated e-mail from Fife Voluntary Action about your request for a place at the following event/session:

Help us shape mental health and employment services in Fife, Cupar, 15/03/2018 - Volunteer House

Unfortunately we have had to decline your request on this occasion.

This is normally done when you don't meet the criteria (for example, if the event is only for board members, or third sector staff, or there's a limit to the number of bookings from each organisation). There can be a range of reasons for declining booking requests. Sometimes, people accidentally book more than one place, so we decline any duplicate requests. If you'd like more information then please do contact us.

Thank you once again for showing an interest in one of our events.

Thank you,
The Team at FVA."

and from Kenny Murphy, Chief Executive

---------------------------

This raises a number of questions about Fife Voluntary Action in respect of governance, management, leadership, transparency, inclusion, equal opportunities, discriminatory practices, monitoring and evaluation of funding awards in relation to processes and outcomes etc.

I have Emailed Dr Margaret Hannah, Director of Public Health, NHS Fife, to ask for information about FVA funding and governance, as it was Dr Hannah who informed me of this event and recommended that I should attend.  And have copied in relevant others, including Fife Councillors who I know, my MSP and MP.

I plan to attend the 'Help us shape mental health and employment services in Fife' event in VONEF, Cupar, disregarding the unreasonable response from Mr Murphy. 

welcome fire alarm break at Prof McLeod's "innovative" event 13May16 Lighthouse Glasgow

disruptive innovation

Email sent this morning to Dr Jack Aitken, Senate Office, University of Glasgow, copied in to relevant others: