West of Centre

Although I have written before about the appalling legacy of the professional era, the post match press conference following the conclusion of the Ryder Cup was possibly the most unsavoury spectacle I have ever witnessed. Sitting facing the world press were two representatives of the American team. The captain Tom Watson faced the ire of the American press with the major winner, Phil Mickelson. The verbal attack by Mickelson of his captain seated well within punching distance just beggared belief. It speaks volumes for the dignity of Tom Watson that he was able to just rise above it. Mickelson ought to be thoroughly ashamed of himself. When the team has lost, it is the team who must stand up and be counted. When individuals start finger pointing, the finger ultimately closes in on themselves. This had shades of Kevin Pieterson. Mickelson epitomised all that is so wrong about players enough money to sustain the economy of a small African country. I can guarantee that no amateur player

The passing of Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire finally broke the magic of an inner circle which provoked just as much social commentary as the Royal Family. The Mitford sisters were a beguiling mix both politically and socially. While Unity became obsessed with Hitler, Jessica enrolled with the communists during the Spanish civil war. Diana, the socialite par excellence who numbered Evelyn Waugh among her friends, married first to Bryan Guinness (heir to the vast Guinness fortune) and then Oswald Moseley (leader of the British facist party). Nancy drew on the experiences of their unconventional background (they were all home educated on the insistence of parents who would be deemed eccentric even by modern standards) to inspire her very successful series of novels whose waspish social commentary carved out a new literary genre. To complete this remarkable sextet of sisters, Pauline became an expert on poultry keeping while Deborah, the youngest, became a Duchess when her husba

The speech today by Ed Miliband to his Party Conference was his last decent opportunity to establish his credentials and his plan to lead the country. On the evidence of his speech today he seems only to have cemented the votes of those who would have voted for him anyway. This will go down as one of the great missed opportunities. In truth, Miliband was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. So soon after the No vote in Scotland, he had no choice but to praise the one man from whose legacy he has been striving so hard to extricate himself. It's true that Gordon Brown probably did more than most to save the Union when push came to shove. It's also true that Gordon Brown will forever be remembered as the man who espoused prudence as he drove our economy in to the dust. Politics is a cruel game and although Tony Blair no longer comes up smelling of roses in the way he once did, it is ironically his faithful lieutenant Brown to whom most of the mud has stuck. Miliband

During the last few days of the referendum debates in Scotland, the subject of NHS funding inevitably and inexorably made it's way to the top of the agenda. It seems there are few subjects which can scare people more effectively than the NHS. In January, the Health Minister in the Welsh Assembly made a very important speech which was not afforded anything like the coverage it deserved. That is a great shame because for once, a senior Minister in the UK made a speech the content of which should be mandatory reading for everyone. In seeking to promote a new era of "Prudent Health Care", Mark Drakeford reminded his audience that "each of us has a duty to look after our own health - we must all become custodians of our own health". This is no less than the reality. Access to the NHS has to have some strings attached before the whole system just collapses under the strain.  "The NHS is free from charge but not free from obligation". If we all want it

The decision of the three leaders of the main political parties in Westminster to venture North of the Border today was rather more than closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. At best, the timing of their visit was rather less than genuine. At worst, it displayed the very arrogance which has brought Scotland to the brink of independence. Each of the Westminster elite had their own hidden agenda for going up North today. For Cameron, he at least had to be seen to be trying to save the Union although there are many who suspect that a Yes vote will secretly please him since this will make long term Tory rule in Westminster a very real proposition. Of the three stooges who went to Scotland today, it is paradoxically Cameron who stands to lose the least since the Tories only have one MP in Scotland anyway – and that was achieved contrary to expectation. As usual, Clegg watched the actions of the other two and sought to align himself. His stock might have risen had he displ

I have written previously about the remarkable achievements of Pat Pilkington but did not allude to the Bristol Programme Approach first advocated by the late Penny Brohn who stands as an indefatigable giant in the world of secondary cancer. http://betweendenbighandkeele.blogspot.com/2013/09/gulliver-among-lilliputians.html Penny was on the wrong end of secondary cancer herself and soon devised a programme which ought to be replicated in every corner of the country (and far beyond for that matter). Very briefly, Penny proposed a four point plan for people with cancer or recurrent cancer. Along the way, she was vilified by the medical establishment but finally received the apology she deserved. This is her four point plan. On the record, I believe strongly it should be widely available in the public domain where it undoubtedly belongs:- The approach should be holistic. There should be a place where therapists show as much interest in the heads and hearts of patients as in their

I have listed below some bullet points relating to a condition which is not convenient or comfortable for politicians, healthcare chiefs and society to talk about. Can you guess what I'm referring to? It cost the UK 70 million working days last year That figure is up 24% since 2009 It costs the economy between £70 and £100 billion per annum in lost productivity, benefit payments and absence from work It causes 28% of illness for the NHS but gets just 13% of the budget Three quarters of those affected receive no treatment Spending on this illness is going down in real terms 50% of affected adults have their first illness by age 15 75% of affected adults have their first illness by age 18 25% of adults suffer some form of this illness all of the time In my medical degree, this illness was granted 7 weeks in 5 years It is not a physical illness so is not thought of in the same way I hope by now you have guessed what it is because all health begins with mental health -

The recent news story concerning the five year old boy with a brain tumour has ramifications far beyond the law courts of Spain. True to form, the British media has jumped on a moral band wagon while the real story remains conveniently under-reported. The media always try to construct a solid dam to bolster their "story" behind which a torrent of truth is just waiting to escape. In time honoured tradition, the first cracks in the damn soon begin to show and the real story slowly begins to emerge. The facts are worth considering. Two parents have a young five year old boy with an inoperable brain tumour. Their local hospital in the UK has told them that they can continue to treat their son but they have no chance of cure. If you were the parents of a five year old child, how would you take that opinion? Yes, that's right, opinion. Let us take as a starting point that the parents love their child and want to explore every possible chance of him being cured. Although t