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Dr Charles Shepherd give BBC Radio Interview

Roy S

former DC ME/CFS lobbyist
Messages
1,376
Location
Illinois, USA
That sounds like a heartwarming experience. I wonder how he would classify a fellow psychiatrist with this curse of the disease.
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Yes Roy - I'm still trying to get over being "the worst" - should I see a psychiatrist perhaps !!
 

currer

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Should we set up a PR poll?

Would you rather have a retrovirus - or - be treated for ME BY A PSYCHIATRIST!
 

max

Senior Member
Messages
192
Can I join in as a 'carer' please? I mean, I would have to accompany my mrs so I should get a say too!

I promise I will try not to be too fanatical.
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Interesting response of Prof Hooper's on the the thread "Wessely Words Revisted" posted by dasiymay on the Today programme.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
A completely irrelevant, pointless and not-so-interesting little twist on the story, in the Sunday Express:

BBC TURNS THE AIR BLUE AT 8.10AM
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/262205

It's a full front page splash in the Sunday Express, but they completely fail to discuss ME.

If that was the extent of Wessley's "torrent of abuse" and death threats, it seems to me his mail scanning and police protection are ridiculous responses. I see worse than than in user comments on news articles. He's going to have to provide better evidence than "bull$h1t", "you will pay", or "evil bastards" before I'm going to buy his story of abuse that requires extreme personal protection methods.

That isn't to say I approve of sending nasty letters to people. It is nearly always counter-productive (to say nothing of obnoxious and ill-mannered).
 

Roy S

former DC ME/CFS lobbyist
Messages
1,376
Location
Illinois, USA
"Actors used to read the e-mails from sufferers put strong emphasis on the offensive words."

They went to the trouble of paying actors to come in and do this?
Sometimes when I think of how bad the situation is for us in the United States I think of how much worse it is for people in the UK.
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
The Media Circus - who does PR for W - he does seem to pull them into his little web of ignorance. And this a respectable journal carrying such trash. Looks like intentional provocation - best beloved by the psyche lobby (they have no science to "fight" with).
 
Messages
646
Personally, I'd rather that we focus the media's attention on the harm that Wessely and his colleagues are doing to the ME community, than to pander to Wessely's hostile media campaign.

Wessely is a creep, he has caused so much suffering, he has benefited hugely from others misfortune. Why help him?

There are two problems with whats being asserted in these quotes. The first problem is that the accusations against Wesseley are not sustainable in terms that anyone outside of an M.E/CFS affected perspective will take as being valid, and the more that such accusations are vocalised the more fanatical the accusers appear, further questioning the validity of their position. The second problem is that it is impossible to mount a campaign against Wesseley without confirming the now established proposition of unjustified attack in effect the battle is lost even before it could be begun. In a such a circumstance the only sensible thing to do is withdraw and embark upon a different strategy. In this case there is the very obvious opportunity presented by the costs of PACE stop attacking individuals and focus on a good old fashioned UK media obsession (not sex or house prices but still a goody) Government expenditure - 5 million for what ?

IVI
 

Enid

Senior Member
Messages
3,309
Location
UK
Firestormm - I wonder if you've managed to read Prof Hooper's clarifying letter (Bob's post 109 here). Just puts the whole thing in perspective rather than the usual ignorance picked up by the tabloid press. "Shoot the Messenger" in your post 115 from the Sunday Times sounds too biblical for me - well some humour needed.
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
There are two problems with whats being asserted in these quotes. The first problem is that the accusations against Wesseley are not sustainable in terms that anyone outside of an M.E/CFS affected perspective will take as being valid, and the more that such accusations are vocalised the more fanatical the accusers appear, further questioning the validity of their position. The second problem is that it is impossible to mount a campaign against Wesseley without confirming the now established proposition of unjustified attack in effect the battle is lost even before it could be begun. In a such a circumstance the only sensible thing to do is withdraw and embark upon a different strategy. In this case there is the very obvious opportunity presented by the costs of PACE stop attacking individuals and focus on a good old fashioned UK media obsession (not sex or house prices but still a goody) Government expenditure - 5 million for what ?

IVI

I totally agree with you about the PACE Trial. But to prove that it was a waste of money, we have first got to convince people of how poor the results were, and that's a work in progress.

With regards to Wessely, I believe that his negative media campaign gives ME patients the chance to have our voices heard. The BBC is likely to be overwhelmed with so much correspondence from indignant patients, that I think they are likely to do a follow-up, which might look at the injustices that ME patients face, and the lack of resources and lack of funding etc. I think this might help us.
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
Shoot the medical messenger see if thatll cure you, Rod Liddle in The Sunday Times, 31 July 2011: http://www.meassociation.org.uk/?p=7373

And some of you might have thought the worst was over...

Health Warning: Please Do Not Read That Article if you are feeling fragile today!

I think that I can safely say that it's the worst article that I've ever read about ME.

It's aggressively dismissive, disrespectful, arrogant, ignorant, partisan, unscientific to the extreme and quite honestly, it's abusive. And it's not journalism. It's a cheap and shoddy tirade of abuse, aimed at a vulnerable patient group.

I'm glad that the Times is behind a paywall so the article isn't widely accessible.

I have to say though, that if this article was designed to provoke a reaction, which I'm sure it was, then he's succeeded, and I fell for it!

If Simon Wessely has suffered abuse from patients in the past, he's really not helping himself here!
But it seems quite obvious that he actually revels in the controversy that he creates anyway.
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
Rod Liddle used to be an editor for the Radio 4 program that interviewed Wessley on Friday morning.

He's had a busy week (RL). Fresh for abusing disabled benefit claiments in the Sun newspaper earlier.