Section:GDN 1J PaGe:6 Edition Date:190808 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 7/8/2019 17:50 cYanmaGentaYellowblac
- The Guardian Thursday 8 Aug ust 2019
6 Letters
Polly Toynbee’s column ( Only a
government of national unity can
deliver us all from no deal , 6 August)
was a joy to read, bringing clarity
to the obfuscation surrounding
whether or not there can be an
election in time to prevent a no -
deal Brexit following a vote of
no confi dence in this arrogant,
undemocratic government.
But Polly’s route asks an
enormous amount of character
and steel from a small number of
MPs. Some will feel that voting no
confi dence equals voting no Brexit
which, in turn, equals voting no
career. For many this will be an
agonising dilemma. T hose who
wish avert the disaster that is
Brexit should consider how best
their elected representatives can
be supported to do the right thing.
David Lowndes
SouthamptonMatters of life and death,
faith and suff ering
Show some unity for MPs facing
no-confi dence, no-job dilemma
It is refreshing to see an article
about the eff ects of social activity
in preventing dementia on the front
page of the Guardian ( Social life
may lower the risk of dementia , 3
August). The sad fact is that this
has been known for many years,
including examples such as the Nun
Study , which examine d the eff ects of
ageing on a group of Roman Catholic
nuns in the United States.
So much research on either the
cause or the prevention of dementia
is too narrowly focus ed; too much
attention is paid to the brain and
not enough to the whole person.
Research in the arts has already
shown how meaningful cultural and
social activity keeps people healthier
for longer. What we need now is
not more research on brains, but
increasing investment to maintain
and develop our cultural resources
and encourage wider participation
in the arts. This would help to buildHolistic approach to
dementia is needed
Colourful
horseplay
Sailors’ horse
at the Watchet
carnival on
27 July, North
Somerset. A
version of the
‘Obby ‘Oss
tradition
JOHN OATES/GUARDIAN
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these pagesdying (MAID). But her focus on the
still-enormous infl uence of Christian
fundamentalism in US politics
underlines the inappropriateness
of campaigning for US-type MAID
legislation to be adopted here. It
excludes many people with slowly
progressive fatal illnesses such
as motor neurone disease and
dementia , and patients with stable
but intolerable conditions like Tony
Nicklinson’s locked-in syndrome.
After the Voluntary Euthanasia
Society became Dignity in Dying,
it reduced its original ambitions,
promoting Oregon-style laws instead.
Many DiD members think restricting
MAID to people expected to die
within six months is inhumane.
Oregon-style laws may be the political
limit in a country where Christian
Scientists can legally let their children
die from treatable conditions , but
something like the Canadian model
better refl ects Christianity’s status in
the non-US Anglosphere and western
Europe. My Death, My Decision
(MDMD) campaigns for these more
compassionate and inclusive options.
Colin Brewer
Convener, MDMD Medical Group- As far as anyone can tell, I am
likely to face a persistent decline in
my condition, becoming increasingly
dependent on my ventilator and
losing the upper limb mobility I still
maintain some of, with a period
of deterioration leading to death.
During that period, I will become an
increasing “burden” on my loved
ones, as my 24-hour needs increase,
and I can do less and less for myself.- You report that in its eff orts to
force through a no-deal departure,
Downing Street regards the 2016
Brexit referendum as overruling
parliament ( Gove accuses ‘wrong
and sad ’ EU of refusing to negotiate
new Brexit deal , 7 August).
However, The European Union
Referendum Act 2015 sa ys “because
of the sovereignty of parliament
referendums cannot be legally
binding in the UK and are therefore
advisory ”. Whil e the Cameron
government said they would
implement the referendum result,
they were not legally bound to do so.
Nor was the May government, and
neither is the Johnson government.
Parliament is still sovereign.
Philippa Cowling
Ilkley, West Yorkshire - Any leader of a short-lived
government of national unity to
see off a no-deal Brexit needs to be
non-partisan. Step forward Caroline
Lucas? She has integrity and is
respected across the house.
Jane Mardell
Woodbridge, Suff olk
- You report that in its eff orts to
Caroline Fraser brings good news
that Christian Science is in terminal
decline, here of course as well as in
the US ( ‘You don’t need a doctor...’,
Journal , 6 August ). One aspect that
she doesn’t mention is the life long
eff ects of early religious inculcation.
Asking for medical help when
you have been brought up to believe
that this is a failure to recognise the
“truth” (even if you know how to
when you have never had a doctor)
creates deep feelings of guilt and
betrayal even after years of apparent
intellectual separation from the
church’s teaching.
Sometimes, as in my sister’s case,
these feelings are so strong that it is
too late. My father died in mental as
well as physical pain because of the
confl ict he felt in fi nally receiving
hospital care. Nevertheless, not
dwelling on negatives, as we were
taught, has its positive side.
Alison Watson
London- I don’t imagine Caroline Fraser’s
deeply religious father considered
requesting medical assistance in- Polly Toynbee concludes that
a no-deal disaster “would see
the Tories render themselves
unelectable for a generation”, but if
this is Labour ’s long-term objective,
it is likely to go horribly wrong.
Jeremy Corbyn ’s plan appears to
be to win a vote of no confi dence
in Johnson, and force a general
election. His campaign would be
based on promising to “reopen talks
with the EU”, presumably with the
forlorn hope of a softer Brexit being
arranged. The rightwing media will
have a fi eld day.
If the election takes place after
31 October, as Dominic Cummings
plans, Labour will face the wrath of
the electorate for not standing up
for remain earlier; consequently the
anti-Tory vote will be divided, and
Johnson could well stay in power.
Bernie Evans
Liverpool
- Polly Toynbee concludes that
Am I to be off ered, or signposted
towards, assisted dying ( Letters ,
30 July), as if this period was not
capable of holding immense value for
myself and those around me? At any
time, I will have the right to refuse
continuing consent to ventilation,
and my palliative care team will make
me comfortable as I slip away. I don’t
need assisted dying to have that.
Instead of seeing terminally ill and
dying people as suff ering burdens,
why are these organisations not
campaigning to fund the palliative
and hospice care that could support
us best? Or the social care systems
that could meet our needs, allowing
family and friends to provide the
care that they feel privileged to be
providing, without being abandoned
to deal with all of it?
I hope as I enter my terminal phase,
that if I waver and request suicide,
my loved ones surround me with
support, comfort and resources, just
as we would hope should be off ered
to any suicidal person, dying or not.
Name and address supplied- Professor John Keown’s letter ( No
need to change assisted dying laws ,
5 August) does not state that he is the
Rose F Kennedy professor of Christian
ethics at Georgetown University, and
that he also is a vigorous opponent
of abortion. He misrepresents the
thinking of those calling for assisted
dying (for those who wish it),
something supported by over 80% of
the UK population , by suggesting it
would be extended to frail and lonely
elderly people, those with disabilities
or chronic illnesses. In talking to
people about assisted dying – many
with unpleasant illnesses who would
like to escape a prolonged and painful
death – I have never encountered
anyone with such a biased attitude
except, sadly, some Christians.
Gillian Draper
Sevenoaks, Kent
social connections between people
of all ages, and prevent a host of
diseases, including dementia.
Rhonda Riachi
Oxford- Such a dementia fund ( Barbara
Windsor calls on PM to tackle
UK’s dementia funding crisis ,
theguardian.com, 6 August) would
be unfair. There are 120,000 older
people living in care homes and
many more receiving care in their
own homes who need social care but
don’t have dementia.
Many of them are paying
considerable sums for care needs
caused by strokes, falls, frailty,
heart failure, vision impairment,
osteoarthritis, chronic lung disease
or Parkinson’s disease. Privileging
suff erers from dementia over these
others would merely shift the
boundary between the system’s
winners and its cheated losers. It
will take more to resolve the social
care crisis than special treatment for
suff erers of one condition.
Marion Shoard
Author of How to Handle Later Life
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letters-termsMy father died in mental
as well as physical
pain because of the
confl ict he felt in fi nally
receiving hospital careAlison WatsonРЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS