The Guido/David Hencke smear attempt on my qualifications yesterday is beginning to fall apart. This issue is important to me because I have worked hard for my professional standing as a psychotherapist and to cast my qualifications into doubt could have consequences for the often vulnerable patients I see each week. To attack my political views and activities is one thing, to attack my role as a therapist is another, and I will fight very hard to protect myself if that happens.
Today the Guardian publishes a correction, stating:
"Yesterday we stated that Derek Draper attended the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, and said that the institute did not offer full-time degrees. We would like to clarify that Mr Draper did attend the institute full-time from 2001 to 2004 (Ex-spin doctor admits error on qualifications, page 11)."
Guido Fawkes also removed an inccurate post about the college I did attend in Berkeley, the Wright Institute. To clarify this I attended the Doctoral programme at the Wright Institute that lasts, on average, five to six years. Within that programme students qualifying receive an M.A. at the end of the third year. At that point I had completed a training that was very intense compared to UK psychotherapy trainings, and had undertaken many hundreds of supervised clinical hours, so returned to the UK to set up my practice. I always describe myself as a psychotherapist, have never claimed to be a clinical psychologist, although my degree is, in fact, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology.
The matter is not fully resolved, though, as the wider issue is being considered by the Guardian reader's editor. In addition, having consulted my lawyers, Schillings, I am reserving the right to make a complaint to the PCC (Press Complaints Commission) or take legal action. In particular the Guardian headline was inaccurate and not supported by the story.
However, it now seems clear that this episode was a clumsy attempt to smear me, concocted by Guido Fawkes and fed by him to David Hencke at the Guardian. A journalist I have hitherto always admired and respected. I think he was led astray by Guido Fawkes and made a genuine mistake. I did, however, as the Independent reports today, give him a bit of a rollocking when I saw him yesterday.
To recap: I have never said to anyone or written anywhere that I attended U.C. (University of California) Berkeley. The fact that Hencke himself wrote a "fact box" stating I had, which I never saw, was his mistake not mine. I attended the Wright Institute, a well respected graduate school for clinical psychology where after 3 years of full time study, I received an M.A. in Clinical Psychology. I have always said I studied in Berkeley not at Berkeley.
UPDATE
10.15 am Luke Akehurst has posted on his blog about this...
10.30 am So has Tom Watson...
11 am Kerry McCarthy is also having trouble with offensive right wingers
Not really been following this, but seems a rather bizarre and personal way to make a political point that does little service to politics in any way and just makes it all a bit petty and childish in the same class as 'my dads bigger than your dad'. I guess it is part of a wider agenda of discrediting the credibility of key players within the Labour Party, not sure why it is necessary to go to these lenghts however when those who are elected are doing such a fantastic job themselves. Hopefully the dirt-digging apparachiks will be found something more productive to do.
ReplyDeleteDerek, the post is still there. Just a reference to the ranking of the Wright Institute was removed.
ReplyDeleteI have asked for verification of your credentials from the Wright Institute. I will also be publishing more evidence of your spinning on the source of your credentials. A former colleague of yours has told me how irritated he was when people learnt that he was going UC Berkeley that people would say "like Draper".
Where is my writ you bullshit artist?
Can you demonstrate one instance of you publicising that you went to the Wright Institute rather than having an MA in Clinical Psychology after studying in Berkeley, California?
ReplyDeleteummm...Guido/Paul, I never said I was serving you a writ, I said I was consulting my lawyers and considering appropriate action. And indeed you then took down some of your accusations. Your pathetic vindictive smear campaign is collapsing all around you and you are now reduced to quoting random people who have got my educational record as wrong as you and Hencke, which is not my fault. I repeat: I have never said that I went to UC Berkeley. I went to school IN Berkeley, which I DID. If I have ever said I went to UC Berkeleky or written that I did produce the evidence. See, you can't. As I said, pathetic. You need to do better than this Paul, no wonder people are saying you're past your prime. After all when did you last have a real scoop? This one was rejected as inadequate and flaky by a newspaper diary two weeks ago, as you know. This episode will go down in history as the moment Guido jumped the shark. PS When the Wright Institute confirm my M.A., will you retract and apologise?
ReplyDelete"This episode will go down in history....."
ReplyDeleteGeez - you do rate yourself. Some would call it delusional.
I have been shark jumping for years according to most of my targets. That is probably why I am the most successful political blogger with a readership you would die for.
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of a CV you sent out Derek. I'm going to publish it. Nowhere does it mention the Wright Institute, it does misleadingly mention Berkeley, California.
Your advice to the Labour Lords caught taking cash was, based on your experience of coming crashing down once before, to come clean.
Come clean, admit that you hid the fact that you went to some minor non-university that nobody has heard of and impplied you went to a more prestigious academic institute out of vanity.
Why did you never mention the institute you shyster?
Honestly, this is an embarassing spat gone public, something more appropriate in a children's playground. Guido, is it really necessary to use that tone at the end of your post? Are there not more important issues you could be dealing with?
ReplyDeleteSorry Derek but you lied about your qualifications.Why dont you just take it like a man and admit it.
ReplyDeleteMaking stupid threats about suing and threatening other people with violence is pathetic.You seem to be suffering from little man with chip on his shoulder syndrome (look it up in your psychotherapy for dummys book).
Guido is living proof why the Government should not downgrade Ecstasy; it obviously causes mental and emotional instability in later life. Or is it a personality disorder Paul?
ReplyDeleteWas there a problem with my response to Guido Derek? I didn't keep a copy but here is a comment I put on my own blog at around the same time:
ReplyDeleteOh come on anonymous, you brave creature you.
Guido is a contemptible little shit.
He's a personal bankrupt.
He's a drunk-drive criminal (repeat offender). The judge suggested he was an alcoholic which Guido apparently acknowledged but refused to do anything about.
He is a tax avoider spreading the good news of tax avoidance.
He is a serial defamer and distorter.
He refers to his own followers as window lickers.
He was shown up as a careless and irresponsible blabber by White and Paxman, naming a secret source.
He was a college drop out but not before he consorted with fascists, as a fifth columnist for all that is right and true.
He consorted with and raised money for the UNITA death cult.
He bigs up that Loopy Lu Beresford a "Psychologist" with no obvious credentials or connection with The Priory. She's "almost bordering on" a charlatan if you ask me. Like GuF.
And in this case he's engaged in a nasty personal vendetta based on a preposition. A correct one as it goes, which leaps off the page.
Anyone in the mainstream media who pays GuF any attention is asking for trouble.
Meanwhile Derek Draper is a human being and makes the odd mistake here and there. Including what might be called impression management in a sales spiel.
This is clearly a politically motivated ad hominem attack and GuF is clearly a complete shitbag.
Hencke is an idiot for joining in, spectacularly having made the biggest mistake of the whole episode.
13 February, 2009 11:02
PS I don't remember doing the word ver on the first comment ....
ReplyDeleteChris - shilling for Draper?
ReplyDeleteHave you no pride?
"This is clearly a politically motivated ad hominem attack"
ReplyDeleteSo what are Draper's rants against Guido, Dale and various others then?
By the way it should be "Guardian issueS apology". Singular noun, third person singular verb.
ReplyDeleteI doubt you've ever actively lied and stated you went to UC Berkeley. However, it appears quite clear that you routinely choose to state the geographical location of your site of study rather than its name as an organisation in your bios, leaving plenty of room for the casual reader to jump to a conclusion that you attended a somewhat more prestigious venue in the same locale. It shouldn't matter: the skills acquired should be broadly equivalent. But you obviously think it does or you wouldn't encourage the ambiguity so much. If you are exploiting anything it is the lack of critical thinking in your readers, which is their own fault. But I'd guess that you are now flagged by quite a number as someone who should be fact-checked thoroughly on any topic as a result of this, so you have to be perfect from now on, or you'll encounter another storm ina teacup like this every time you let something slip through.
ReplyDeleteDerek who?
ReplyDeleteSorry, that should have been Guardian IssueS correction. Obviously.
ReplyDeleteIf you are so honest, why does your CV still carry the more than slightly disingenuous claim to be "the MIND 2007/2008 Journalist of the Year"?
ReplyDeleteThe word "the" gives the very strong impression that you were the sole winner of the prize, when you weren't. You shared the prize with Cecilia D'Felice, did you not? Therefore, you should write "one of the MIND Journalists", to be absolutely clear.
As for your "2007/2008", that is again a disingenuous statement, as it was only for 2007 (according to MIND, anyway). You were not even nominated for 2008. For the sake of absolute clarity, you should change your CV to "one of the MIND 2007 Journalists of the Year".
Good grief, we really are scraping the barrel aren't we? How utterly pathetic. I run a website (see links) with Cecilia in which the joint nature of the prize is crystal clear, in other places I abbreviate it. What matters is winning such a prestigious prize not your nit-picking (why don't you post the prizes you've won in your life?). We were awarded the prize on 16th May 2007. The next winners were announced in May 2008, so we held the honour during 2007/8 - you know sort of like an academic year? As I say, utterly pathetic.
ReplyDeleteDolly, I think you need a second, separate personal blog just for your groupies.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Guido says he has "more evidence coming that Draper has misled people as to the source of his qualifications." and lays down the gauntlet with "Come on Derek, serve that writ or "you can just f--k off."
What fun!
You don't like it up you, do you Derek?
ReplyDeleteIt's also funny that you claim Guido has pulled his articles on you. Two clicks after reading your magisterial claim I found these two articles on his site:
=> http://www.order-order.com/2009/02/draper-i-didnt-go-to-berkeley.html
=> http://www.order-order.com/2009/02/draper-needs-anger-management-therapy.html
Presumably these must be about a different Derek Draper?
"such a personal matter should not be part off that website,"
ReplyDeleteof doesn't had 2 effs but f... of does.
Derek, you are what happens when you run out of barrel to scrape
ReplyDeleteumm.. jack. can you read? i don't say he's taken off all the posts...
ReplyDeleteGuido Fawkes also removed an inccurate post about the college I did attend in Berkeley, the Wright Institute. (Link above)
"An" not = "ALL" - you know a bit like "In" not = "AT U.C."
And you wonder why you come across as a complete tit?
ReplyDeleteMr Draper - are you suggesting that you have never read David Hencke's profile of you (with the incorrect reference to UC Berkeley) since it appeared in July 2008.
ReplyDeleteYou made a rather disingenous remark that you do not act as the Guardian's fact checker, but if you did read the article (which most people will find likely), it would have been very easy to phone or email a correction.
Well, justsurfing the line in question wasn't in the profile it was in a box (separate to the main article) which listed my age, where i was born etc. so now, why would i read that? i know my biography and cv, as i say, it was hencke's mistake, he wrote it not me, blame him
ReplyDeleteSo Derek, you did read the article and you did see the box listing your age and where you were born etc. but you didn't see the incorrect reference to UCB ?
ReplyDeletegood grief justsurfing you are too much of a fool for me to be wasting my time on so this is your last go: it was a box with stuff like that in it, you must have seen such things. i didn't read it because i assumed, unsurprisingly i would already know all the stuff in it. i did not count on hencke's sloppy journalism leading HIM to make a mistake
ReplyDeleteby the way, why is your profile hidden? something to be ashamed of ;)
ReplyDeleteim not taking sides
ReplyDeletebut a serious question for derek
what could you have to gain?
you wouldnt be the first to be smeared by guido, i think the majority of blog readers (of which Guido has more, im sure) would think a lot better of you if you just dropped it
Derek, I would just like to tell you that I think LabourList is excellent.
ReplyDelete...Only joking. It's a complete pile of shit. And you're a cunt.
Whilst the Grauniad may have apologised for its recent faux pas, Derek Draper has yet to ask it to correct an item from 2005, in which it is categorically stated that he attended UC Berkeley (http://cep.lse.ac.uk/textonly/about/news/170905a.pdf).
ReplyDeleteHow many have read this and been left with the erroneous notion that he attended an internationally recognised university? Probably as many as have read his CV, I would guess.
titus - once again i'm afraid that's the guardian's sloppy writing, i never saw it and i am not their sub editor. why don't you find a quote or article from ME saying i went to UC Berkeley? You can't because i've never said it or written it
ReplyDelete