Boris Johnson’s book about his premiership is published in October. Whatever he writes in his own defence, one thing is clear: he clearly didn’t have the self-awareness to be alert to his own failings. He should have known he was incapable of staff control. If he had been aware, he would have authorised a tough cabinet secretary with the disciplinary authority to ensure that the staff at Downing Street were under proper control. If he had done this “party gate” would never have happened. It’s not that difficult. When I was in the Scots Guards, an Adjutant’s job was to ensure discipline. The commanding officer’s job was to command. That’s all it would have taken. Simple. Very sad, really.
Of course, Boris’ failings ran deeper than that. Glad he isn’t my son-in-law. I never liked the idea of a mistress in Downing Street. Sad that his wife left him for it seems that she left with his moral compass – if he ever had one- when she kicked him out. Such a golden opportunity wasted.
Variety is the Spice of Life
Many of our friends and ZANE supporters are “of an age”.
Jane and I have friends and loved ones who are suffering in the iron grip of dementia. Richard Restak’s book, How to prevent Dementia, is catnip to me. I learned lots. Common sense tells us that what’s good for your heart is good for the brain – daily exercise, not smoking, moderate booze, plenty of fruit and veg, reasonable sleep and going easy on the junk food.
What else is new? Well, Restak reckons that the more we know, the more tools we can muster to prevent the onset of dementia. He thinks that we concentrate too much on the memory loss aspects of the disease whilst overlooking the need to consider the disturbance and emotional changes that occur. Dementia can “start with speech problems… disorders of emotions and behaviour, unreasonable anxieties, hoarding, impatience, sudden flares of temper, delusions and hallucinations.” Restack concludes that “there’s a continuum of dementia in us all, and that we will travel through periods of memory loss, disordered thinking and emotional disturbance”. Sometimes these symptoms reverse, often they worsen.
Restak has interviewed many thousands of creative and successful Americans thriving in their eighth and ninth decades to establish the basis of healthy brain functioning. The following are all key: (a) education, (b) curiosity, (c) energy, (d) keeping busy, (e) regular exercise and physical activity, (f) acceptance of unavoidable limitations, (g) the need for diversity and novelty, (h) enjoying our own company, (i) the maintenance of friends and other social networks, and (j) the establishment and fostering of links with younger people.
Phew! Inevitably, this is a limited exercise because Restak’s research was bound to be constrained by the fact that only those without dementia could be involved. But Restak tells stories of those whose lives have been enriched by learning new tasks, and by having a reason and purpose to live as we age. We need plenty of social connections across the generations.
All these things may – we hope – delay the onset of dementia. At any rate, they’ll certainly make life more rewarding.
Moderation in All Things
And, oh yes, Restak claims that we shouldn’t get hung up on getting eight hours of sleep per night. What we need is enough to feel refreshed and alert – and to just take a nap when needed. Alcohol may be good for our social lives but is bad for the memory. Moderation is clearly important.
Restak suggests we should drop activities that we don’t really enjoy – parish council meeting anyone? – and we should spend time in “green spaces”. And he’s an evangelist for lifelong learning.
Finally, our attitude of mind is more productive than we think. What do you think of the statement, “The older I get, the more useless I feel”? In a study of cognitive impairment, 65 per cent agreed. Bad news!
Restak claims we should be positive. Here’s his final lifestyle suggestion: “Stop obsessing about whether you may come down with dementia at some time in the future, for life’s to be lived and not constantly fretted about.”
Perhaps this quote from philosopher Kieran Setiya sums things up: “What’s needed to live a good and satisfying life is the courage to hope well.”
To hope well is to be realistic about probabilities, and not to succumb to wishful thinking or to be cowed by fear. We should “hold possibilities open”.
Cheer up – and if you can find the bottle, have a (mild) gin and tonic!
Obese City
My buddy and I share a friend who’s grossly overweight. Recently, we discussed which of us should tell him we’re concerned about his health.
Thankfully, my buddy volunteered. But then I discovered he’d told our friend, “Tom’s worried about your weight!”
Good having friends you can trust, isn’t it?
A few weeks ago, I was sitting on a bench in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens. As people walked past, I decided to count just how many were overweight. Out of 100 passers-by, 76 looked obese and only five were slim!
Obesity has long posed a threat to public health. It’s a risk factor for a range of chronic illnesses, including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver and respiratory diseases and 12 different cancers. NHS statistics for 2022/23 show there were 1.2 million admissions where obesity was a factor, up from 617,000 in 2016/17.
When compared to smoking, obesity is responsible for three times as many hospital admissions.
It’s estimated that last year, the cost of obesity to the NHS was 19 billion so it’s hardly surprising that weight loss drugs are in high demand.
Perhaps Wes Streeting might acknowledge that the real crisis facing the NHS isn’t the lack of funding, but obesity. Unless the nation slims down, we’ll bankrupt the NHS.