Half the population are bullied ... most only recognise it when they read this

Tim Field's commentary on current events and how they relate to bullying and PTSD

Most recent events come first. Page last updated 26 November 1998.

  26 November 1998: Japanese court rejects WWII PoW compensation claims
  6 November 1998: Shot WW1 soldiers suffering PTSD remembered at last
  3 November 1998: Ron Davies reveals brutal beatings in childhood
  30 October 1998: redundancies threatened at Rover's Longbridge plant
  18 September 1998: homework may be bad for you after all
  18 September 1998: OFSTED chief pockets 34% pay increase with impunity
  17 September 1998: Fat cats and greedy b*****ds
  24 July 1998: Soldiers shot for desertion in World War I
  23 July 1998: Judges urged to declare whether they are Freemasons

26 November 1998: A Japanese court has rejected requests for apology and claims for compensation by former WWII UK prisoners of war in Japan. Torture, starvation and forced labour were commonplace and the Japanese war-time lack of regard for human suffering is almost without parallel. The legal claim, on behalf of 20,000 ex-PoWs and their surviving families, would have amounted to around £290 million, probably a lot less less than UK government grants to Japanese companies to set up factories in the UK over the last few years. Incidentally, how many of these factories have subsequently closed down due to recession in the Far East? The court's decision, and the Japanese government's support for the decision, demonstrates that the mentality of barbarity and brutality which characterised the Japanese nation in World War 2 is still prevalent in today's Japan. As such it is a betrayal of Japan's commitment to human rights, and is also a betrayal to the ordinary people of Japan who remain tarred with the sins of their fathers. The PoWs have repeatedly stated that they are looking for compensation and apology, not revenge; once this is forthcoming, everyone can at last begin to let go of the past and look to the future.

6 November 1998: a service of remembrance for soldiers shot for alleged desertion and cowardice in World War 1 is to be held at the Cenotaph in London this year for the first time. See item below.

3 November 1998: Former Welsh Secretary Ron Davies and his brother have revealed the brutal beatings they received in childhood. Abuse, especially beatings in the guise of "corporal punishment" are revealed as sexual assault on my abuse page. The abuse page also explains the different ways children are abused. It makes disturbing reading.

30 October 1998: BMW put pressure on unions this week to accept downsizing at Rover's Longbridge factory (initially 2400 redundancies, or 14,000 if the plant is closed). The plant, say the management, needs £1 billion of new investment to make it competitive. Longbridge hasn't suddenly become uneconomic: becoming uneconomic is a process which has happened over many years. During that time, management have continued to pay themselves high salaries whilst deliberately choosing to allow the plant to become uneconomic. So how about asking some of the fat cats to donate half their income from the last ten years towards either updating the plant or contributing to workers' redundancy payments? Incidentally, have you noticed how the government has sold off (or encouraged the sell-off) of all UK motor manufacturers but that no British company has bought a foreign motor manufacturer? How many other UK industries have been sold to competitors abroad? What's the ratio between UK industries sold to foreign owners and the number and size of foreign companies taken over by the British? How much taxpayers' money has been pumped in to persuading foreign companies to locate in the UK, only for them to shut these factories down as soon as their own economic circumstances take a downturn?

18 September 1998: the Institute of Education today claimed that compulsory homework could be counter-productive and cause added stress at home. The Government is keen on homework because it will allegedly produce better exam results which will look better in league tables etc etc. For an in-depth exposé of the true state of education in the UK, click here.

18 September 1998: Still on the subject of fat cats, OFSTED Chief Inspector Chris Woodhead is about to pocket a massive 34% pay rise, compared to teachers who received only 3.8% phased over time. Mr Woodhead has been blamed for making teaching one of the least desirable professions with a string of infamous statements including "15,000 incompetent teachers" and "3,000 incompetent heads". (Incidentally, anecdotal evidence from the UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line suggests many of those incompetent teachers and heads are now working for Chris Woodhead as inspectors). Academic results are one of the poorest indicators of a person's potential, but OFSTED inspections and exam results make excellent statistical data that the government can use to claim success in its education policy. A recent study by the Prince's Trust for Volunteers indicated that nine out of ten employers take little or no notice of grades anyway. For more information on the iniquity of OFSTED, click here.

17 September 1998: Fat cats and greedy bastards are lambasted at the TUC annual conference in Blackpool this week.  John Edmonds, known for his outspokenness on excessive executive salary increases, described a company director who takes a pay rise of £50,000 when the rest of the workforce is getting a few hundred as being "not part of some general trend. He is a greedy bastard.". He added,   "We have little chance of creating a fair society unless we insist that people with great power act with a similar level of responsibility." When interviewed, directors always use the fallacious argument that "so-and-so over there is earning such-and-such so that means I'm entitled to earn just as much". Greed and self-interest remain the new virtues in post-Thatcher Britain.

24 July 1998: Defence Minister John Reid today decided not to pardon 306 British soldiers shot for desertion during World War 1. Many of these soldiers were suffering "shell shock", or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as it is known today.The passage of time, declared Reid, means that grounds for a pardon on the basis of unsafe conviction "just did not exist". So if you can get away with criminal incompetence for long enough, it's OK to write it off. Those who ordered their shooting were often incompetent and ignorant officers, themselves under orders from even more incompetent desk-bound top brass and government ministers. Reid's decision perpetuates a cover-up of the incompetence by officers, defence chiefs, and politicians throughout this century. To offer a pardon would be to admit incompetence, ignorance - and liability. More importantly, a pardon would enable the soldiers' families to sue the MoD for millions of pounds for damages - the real reason why no pardon is forthcoming. The lack of a pardon is a stain on the British Armed Services and the UK Government. For commentary on the shootings click here; to see Tim Field's insightful study of PTSD caused by bullying, click here. To understand shell shock (PTSD) and learn strategies for recovery, see David Kinchin's book Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: the invisible injury or see David Kinchin's web page.

23 July 1998: The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, has invited judges and other members of the judiciary to disclose their membership of Freemasonry. Several cases reported to the Advice Line have a strong feeling of undue influence and possible collusion between the employer, the employer's legal representatives, and the judiciary, especially with a view to preventing the case from proceeding. If you believe you've been obstructed from gaining justice or you suspect collusion, email me.