PPlog

Hi all, I knew John well and miss his passion and commitment to highlighting the plight of people damaged by psychiatry and the system. He was a larger than life character, well known, and respected within the Irish mental health scene, loved and admired by many for his charismatic spirit, and disliked by some too because he never let an opportunity pass by to challenge psychiatric hegemony. He was a great warrior for the forgotten people in back wards. he was a warm loving, compassionate, big hearted man who never ducked the limelight. He was very active on Irish media, and was strategic about contacting all the journalists he could to get his message out, as Fhiacra said frequently appearing on radio and tv and often calling phone-in radio about the 'normality of madness'. He spearheaded a campaign with Pat Bracken and others to try to get section 59 of our mental health act removed, which permits ECT on unwilling patients, merely on the psychiatrist obtaining a second o

If you read this you'll need tissues to hand. I met someone today (Joshua Castellino) who was talking enthusiastically about an Irish survivor poet and campaigner, John McCarthy. Joshua talked about John's enthusiasm and the way he would start public speeches with his mad hat on. (Obviously a pal of Mike Lawson!). Joshua thought I should contact John for some history, but when I searched the Irish newspaper archives I found only obituaries. This one moved me, and I thought I would share it. It is from the Irish Examiner 13.1.2012 http://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/matt-cooper/john- mccarthys-love-of-life-should-be-an-inspiration-to-us-all-180020.html It should carry a "weepy warning"! John McCarthy´s love of life should be an inspiration to us all By Matt Cooper Friday, January 13, 2012 YEARS ago one of my best friends told me that "all people are mad, it´s just a question of degree". It has stuck with me ever since. What

NORFOLK COALITION AGAINST THE CUTS Please network this message to all your friends and colleages Saturday 20 October 2012 - join MANY THOUSANDS more... MARCH FOR A FUTURE THAT WORKS Book your seat NOW on coaches (£5 or free) from across Norfolk. Click here for coach details: http://norfolkcoalitionagainstcuts.org/ Details of the demonstration: http://afuturethatworks.org/ The cuts are hurting: here's some of the views we collected in Anglia Square, Norwich on 13 October http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7bazyNZTbA&feature=youtu.be * Want to help? 1) Email friends: Send a personal email something like this: Dear...................Hello, On Saturday 20 October I am supporting Norfolk Coalition Against The Cuts and going on a coach from Norfolk to the massive, national demonstration against the cuts in services, benefits and jobs - the March for a Future that Works (http://afuturethatworks.org/ ). Hundreds are going from Norfolk. It's time we fought back and t

Parliamentary "Written answers" 1st October brings us this: "Employment: Work Capability Assessment Question Asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people are employed by the Department for Work and Pensions as decision makers for the purposes of the work capability assessment; and how many of those decision makers have so far received additional training as recommended by Professor Harrington in his independent review of the work capability assessment.[HL2126] The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): There are 937 (2011-12 full time equivalent*) people employed by the department as ESA WCA Decision Makers. Professor Harrington’s recommendations in respect of the training needs of decision makers in relation to the work capability assessment have been implemented in full. New learning was made available for decision makers on the WCA process and specifically on how to