The Observer from London, Greater London, England • 3

NEWS 3 The Observer 4 November 2001 Story of tormented teenager driven to attempt suicide spurs Prime Minister's wife to take up cause hi: I BaiiBP8! SIR RANULPH FIENNES, polar explorer bullied at Eton I was an attractive boy, and it was the norm Pa for any boy considered a. pretty boy to be wolf-whistled at. They'd sit on their window ledges above, whistling and shouting "tart, tart." Such remorseless nasti- ness squeezed every last trace of self-con- fidence from me. At one point, I stood on Windsor Bridge and contemplated throwing myself off. KATE WINSLET, tormented at school because of her weight I became shy because I was overweight.

At 16 1 was I3st and was called It was pathetic and childish, but girls are so catty. It lasted for about two years. Eventually, I Cherie's crusade must have told my mother, and she took it up with the masters.They dealt with the situation without exposing my identity. I think that's very important FJ today in cases of bullying. TESSA SANDERSON, Olympic champion javelin-thrower.

Subject to racial abuse throughout her ainst ag school lite There was this boy Fm who we used to call the cock of the school who'd boss everyone around and push in front of the queue. The abuse was stuff bullies like'Hey, nigger! I'm talking to you, blacky." Guys would call me things like "coon" and In those days, golliwogs were on the jam jars and we black by Kamal Ahmed kids hated them. Political Editor MARTYN LEWIS, terrible term at school in Northern Ireland The fact that I was bom in Wales ence on bullying organised by the charity Childline. The conference will hear that for the fifth year running bullying has been the major problem among the 20,000 calls received by the charity. 'In some schools sadly there is still a tendency to claim "It doesn't happen or to adopt an approach which forces the problem underground rather than out in the Booth says.

'That is in spite of a government requirement on them to adopt strategies to minimise bullying. It is surely not acceptable for parents to feel they have no alternative to move schools to escape, IT WAS JUST one letter of thousands the Prime Minister's wife receives every year. Julie Oakley told the story of her 15-year-old daughter and how her life had been blighted by school bullying. Death threats, physical abuse and insults left Emma so low she took an overdose and nearly died. Mrs Oakley, a mother from a small town in south Gloucestershire, is revealed today as the person whose words left Cherie Booth so angry she may have playeda part.

My tormentors were a clannish group. Ididn'ttellmy family. For felt ashamed that it should be happening to me. It lasted Cherie Booth, above, vfntes in The Observer today about the letter she received from Julie Oakley, seen with her daughter above left after Emma's recovery from a terrifying experience of bullying. Photographs by Ian WaldieReuters and John LodgeSWWS started her own self-help group, Bully-watch.

'They are worried they will get a bad name, but I would think more of a school if they were honest and said they would tackle the problem It was suggested Emma move schools. 'I said, "why should she move, she's done nothing Mrs Oakley recalled. agreed to that rare occur there was something wrong but didn't know what it Emma, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was put under pressure by friends to take drugs. When she refused she was called names, was pushed and shoved around the playground and suffered from the latest form of bullying, text messaging. A message sent to her mobile phone said: 'Aren't, you on the slab meaning dead.

The full extent of Emma's problems dawned on her parents when, last spring, friends found the teenager col rence a move into the only a term. I developed a dreadfuhstammer, which, alerted my parents. 9 www.childline.org. ul which happens in all too many cases. That is a victory for the bully.

'Bullying will not stop if it is tolerated or ignored. We have to be reminded bullying doesn't have to be an inevitable part of school Mrs Oakley was delighted to have had had such an effect on the woman some describe as the deputy Prime Minister. 'I have public arena;" Writing in today's Observer Booth reveals her disappointment with the way many schools deal with bullying. She says too often teachers claim it is not a problem, despite Government policies to tackle the issue. 'Last week I received a letter from the mother of 2002 lapsed on the street outside her home.

'She was brought back in a car by a friend, she looked terrible, she couldn't her mother said. 'I thought at first it was drugs but then I had an instinct that she had tried to kill Emma was taken to hospital where she stayed for three days. Doctors discovered she had taken over the preceding 72 hours, 41 paracetamol and 15 prescription painkillers called Tylex. When Emma arrived home her mother slept in the same bed as her daughter for a week to comfort her 'I didn't sleep a Mrs Oakley said. They then went to the school where the reaction was the one many parents complain of, and Booth raises in her article complacency.

'They wanted to brush it under the said Mrs Oakley, who has now a teenage girl. Booth says, referringto Emma. 'Her 15-year-old daughter was the sort of girl we might all feel proud to be the parent of. She didn't smoke, drink, go out late and was motivated and hard working at school. 'But her mum wanted my help.

The girl had recently tried to commit suicide. Why? Because she was being bullied at school to such an extent that she felt worthless enough to want to take her own life and was too scared to tell her sent letters to a lot of Mrs Oakley said. 'I just hoped that the Prime Minister's wife would be able to Like many parents, Emma's parents at first missed signs their daughter was being bullied. Emma was staying away from school, was argumentative and withdrawing into herself. It was not until she broke down that her parents realised the torment she was suffering.

'You feel like you have let them sa parents until it was almost too late she said. 'As a parent you are sup- Tomorrow, Booth will chair a confer- posed to protect your children. We knew book now for the lowest fares Centre party move breaks Ulster peace deadlock Hardliners opposed to the party's acceptance of IRA decommissioning exploited a loophole in complicated voting rules to reject Trimble -even though 70 per cent of all the assembly's members backed him. He also needed a majority of unionists to back him but lost by 30 votes to 29. Alliance leader David Ford led a delegation of party members to a crucial meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid at Hillsborough yesterday to try to break the deadlock.

He also met Sinn Fein and SDLP leaders. With a midnight deadline looming for the election of new First and Deputy First Ministers, the Alliance's members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) came under severe pressure to redesignate as unionists to help Trimble and Durkan. Reid, who also held lengthy discussions with the other pro-Good Friday Agreement parties, was faced with the decision to suspend the institutions or to call an assembly election if a compromise was not reached last night. Earlier, as he left Stormont following a round of intense telephone negotiations with the Government and other Northern Ireland political leaders, Ford had shinted at a breakthrough. He said: 'We have had lengthy discussions this morning.

We have been in contact with colleagues, we It's never too early to book your summer holiday booking now means you have the best chance of getting the lowest fares. Three of our best sunshine beach destinations are now on sale for summer 2002. We don't stop at low cost flights. You can also get the best deals on hotels, car hire and insurance at www.go-fly.com 0 from London Stansted and Bristol have been in contact with other parties and the British and Irish governments, and it is quite clear that there is a possible way through this Ford said his party had focused on how the Government intended to hold a review of the voting system in the Northern Ireland Assembly that he had wanted changed. The party's deputy leader, Eileen Bell, confirmed the decision to designate its members as unionists would only be a short-term remedy, and in the long term there needed to be a 'fundamental review' of the assembly's cross-party majority voting rules.

She said: 'Otherwise we would still be in the same position after an assembly election or any other sensitive Under the cross community voting procedures, assembly members have to designate themselves as unionist, nationalist or other. But non-aligned MLAs tend to have been ignored in the outcome of crucial votes requiring cross-community consent. by John Hunter Belfast NORTHERN IRELAND'S faltering political process was back on track last night after the Alliance Party voted to change the designation of its Assembly members to unionist, allowing David Trimble's re-election as First Minister. The move came after a frantic negotiations called in the wake of a leadership vote on Friday in which dissident unionists narrowly defeated Trimble's attempts to enter office for a second time. Alliance party sources said they were planning to change the affiliation of their five Assembly members to help Trimble and his nominated deputy Mark Durkan of the SDLP return to the power-sharing government.

An Alliance source told the Press Association: 'We have decided to redesignate as unionists for a The future of the fledgling assembly and Executive had remained in the balance as pressure mounted on the cross-community party to redesignate its members in a bid to save the institutions. By doing so, it has forced a second leadership vote -which could be held tomorrow to ensure Trimble has enough support to overturn Friday's decision. the UK's best low cost airline 2001 or call OB 70 00 'fOM 1 (it''. i 0 less on ihe wob) pay by SWITCH or DELTA and avoid a 3 credit card Ice insurance surcharge may apply conditions apply 'Sjjhi ti-nes i i-c- subject to chaige see website for full details (lights between 3 1 0302 and 1 40902 Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid is desperate for a solution. wwww.observer.co.uknirelantl Northern Ireland special report Alliance leader David Ford has offered to be a unionist for a day..