Peter Clifford
BIOGRAPHY: One way and another I have had a very interesting life – and continue to do so.
I was born in Windsor in the U.K. in 1948 and grew up and went to school in the County of Suffolk in Eastern England. On leaving school at 18 I went into business working for the Paints Division of I.C.I., an international chemical company.
Deciding after more than five years that this really was not “me” (though no learnt skills are ever wasted in my view), and that I wanted a lot more out of life, I left to start a journey of discovering what I was really capable of and that continues to this day.
MORE THAN 50 JOBS:
Over the next 15 years I did more than fifty jobs and learned a great deal about myself, including that there are not many things that I cannot turn my hand to if necessary. My experiences included living in four countries besides the U.K. and in addition working in another five countries as well.
My jobs have been as varied as a hospital stores porter, a zoo keeper and a cutter on a banana plantation. I also crossed a large part of Africa overland and walked 500 miles through Greece.
Somewhere along the line, all of this experience came together and I discovered alternative medicine – first healing, then counselling and eventually psychotherapy, having a good dose of therapy myself along the way.
For over thirty years I have used my skills in these areas to help others to overcome painful and debilitating childhoods, to re-build confidence and to motivate and empower them to be the best that they can be.
WORKING ABROAD:
I have also given talks, run workshops and seen clients not only in the U.K. but in the U.S.A., Barbados, Austria, Germany, Australia and notably Japan.
I visited Japan two or three times a year for seven years helping people to understand themselves more clearly, including working with Buddhist monks and Shinto priests (male and female) at a 1,000 year old monastery in Kyoto, enabling them to work through the problems created by their own childhoods.
Yes, Buddhist and Shinto priests have problems too! – and if I have learnt one thing it is that pains, restrictions and emotional damage are universal and worldwide and are common to all of us, including myself.
Working through it all seems, in my view, the reason why we are here, to learn and grow spiritually and emotionally and to move on at the end of it to whatever is next with a better understanding of our spiritual selves in particular and the universe and how it works in general.
WORKING AT HOME:
These days I travel less but have been very much more involved with my local community as a result, using my skills to support issues as diverse as the development of a new local health facility, chairing a parish council, encouraging the creation of new wildlife habitats and a long distance biodiversity trail and the planting of trees.
Over the years I have learnt that although it is problems in our early childhood that hold us back most as adults, even give a loving supportive experience in our early years, no-one can attain their full potential if they grow up in suppressive, restrictive, sectarian dominated and unequal societies.
During the last couple of years I have therefore used my skills in writing and promoting to advance the cause of human rights, equality and democracy worldwide – learning a lot about new technology on the Internet along the way!
Time allowing I use a great deal of it to expose lies, distortions and double -speak and to undermine and debunk despots, dictators and authoritarian governments wherever they may be.
I have tried to be open and candid here and that is the ethos which I would like to bring to my website. More of what I intend to do and what I think and feel in general about life can be found under Welcome and occasionally, when I have time, on the Home – Blog page.
Information on specific campaigns in Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen can be found by clicking the news buttons at the top of this page, though bear in mind that I only have time to concentrate on one campaigns at any one time!
There must be also life away from the computer!
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Sincerely, Peter Clifford.
P.S. I welcome your comments and suggestions and if you like what you see and read on my website or any part of it, please click on the Like or Social Media + Share buttons below and tell your friends. That would be very much appreciated!
I’m interested to know, after reading this biography, why you are focusing on the Middle East/North Africa here? Whereabouts are you at the moment?
UK. though I have travelled widely lived in 4 countries and worked in 7. PC
Have you lived in the Middle East as well? Why are you specifically writing about Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and Libya?
Best wishes, Katy
Just human rights issues which I found interesting and current.
There is no formal (accurate) census regarding the % of Shiites to Sunnis in Bahrain. The Shiite population may be slightly higher but they are certainly not the majority as promoted everywhere in the West by our own Human Rights activists.
We too believed for a long time that the Shiites were discriminated against, that they were not treated well by the Government, that the Government had their own small circle of citizens (both Shiites and Sunnis) which were favoured for promotions, appointment to prestigious positions, receive grants and gifts of land and property etc etc. As a result of this belief many Sunnis supported Shiite recruitment, traning, promotion and gave them preferential opportunities in employment in public and government organizations or even provately owned businesses. It is a known fact that the majority of businesses that are owned by Sunni business people have both Sunni and Shiite Bahrains working for them. But you will not find Sunnis in businesses that are owned by Shiites business persons. It is a known fact that the Shiites discriminate and not discriminated against. It is a known fact that there are 100s of very rich Shiites in Bahrain and yet they continue to claim oppression and unfair treatment.It is a known fact that once a Shiite is in a postion of decision making that there is no chance in hell for anyone other than their own people to get employed or promoted. The discrimination that is practised by some goes beyond discriminating between shiites and sunnis. Some discriminate on the basis of the villages they come from or the religious leader they follow. Some of those who are now appearing as activists and Human Right fighters are simply jumping on the opportunity to get rid of the ruling family becasue of the historic hatred they held for this family. The Shiites consider themselves the ethnic citizens of Bahrain. All the rest are foreigners. This is completely and utterly not true. Many of those Shiites have originated from Saudi Aribia, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran. This is also true in the case of the Sunni population. Bahrain has been and still is a port and Island and as such movement of people back and forth was a natural way of life. My own Grandfather came from the South of Iran in late 1800s, my father was born in 1918 and died at the age of almost 100 in 2004. The Shiites still refer to me and to my grand children as Persians.
The situation is not as it seems. No doubt the Government has not acted very wisely in some instances but in general our Government is not as bad as it has been made to look.
Regards
Mariam
Mariam, I have had to edit this slightly as it was rather long. Was going to cut more, but decided in the end that viewpoint was balanced. Wikipedia quotes the Shia population as 70%, as agreed by most analysts. I am aware that there is a very large population of non-national immigrants,which make me inclined to think that the Government is determinedly trying to swing the population towards a Sunni majority. Nor do I think, by the way, that the Shia population always get it right. Their treatment of some Asians during the disturbances was appalling. Equally, the treatment of many middle class Shia who supported the protests has successfully alienated a generation of well educated Moslems. None of what you say however, gets away from the fact that the Al-Khaifa family is autocratic, probably corrupt and has been in power far too long for their to be any chance of transparency or proper accountability. The only real way forward is a democratically elected Government that protects the rights of all citizens equally. PC
Dear Peter
I read your various blogs about Bahrain with interest and respect the fact that you are entitled to express your views and opinion about the situation in Bahrain. However, you should be aware that your articles are annoying and very hertful to the cititzens who do not share your views.
It is fine to side with whomever you want but its not fine for you to speak in a tone that separates Bahrain into “Shias and Al Khalifas”!!! as if no one else lives in this country. No sunnis, no Jews, no Chirstians, no Budhist, no Bahaies etc etc
You are entitled to voice your opinion and side with whomever you wish with or without having real evidences. But you have no right to dismiss the existance of other citizens simply becasue they disagree or disapprove of the recent up rising. To disagree with the up rising methods and language, does not make me a supporter of tyrani or oppression but, like you, I have the right the have a view.
regards
Mariam Janahi
Dear Mariam, Thank you for your comments. I respect your views too, which is why I have published them in full. I only wish well for all Bahrainis, whatever their ethnic, tribal or religious backgrounds. However, human rights abuse in Bahrain has clearly been demonstrated to an extreme degree and it has mainly been concentrated against the Shia majority. That is why I have concentrated my ire on the controlling minority Sunni population and the Al-Khalifa family, for they are the key to all this. If they can move into the 21st century and share their privilege, power, land and wealth in a more equable and democratic way then all will be well. And I will write about somethng else. Best wishes, PC.
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