Post-Covid mental health crisis and Rishi Sunak’s heated swimming pool
A letter-writer, who said that she was ‘flummoxed’ by claims that the pandemic worsened mental health, has caused a bit of a backlash.
She has responded to criticism by declaring that she’s sticking to her guns, while more readers are arguing against her original comment.
Also, readers are airing their grievances over a revelation about prime minister Rishi Sunak’s heated swimming pool – before the spring Budget announcement.
Read on to see what other taxing thoughts people are wanting to write off…
■ I’m sorry Tom in Lewes (MetroTalk, Wed) is offended by my comment about mental health but I stand by what I said.
In MetroTalk on Tuesday, I wrote that Covid was an awful time but I was ‘flummoxed by all these stories of people’s mental health’ and that it seems ‘people can’t cope with life and the slightest upset leaves them with mental health issues’.
Today’s youngsters can’t seem to cope with life. We have all lost someone close to us or had a difficult time but life goes on. I find it a bit pathetic. Vicki, West Midlands
■ Vicki (MetroTalk, Tue) clearly doesn’t understand that there is a fine line between good and bad mental health. Even the most positive person can be affected by Covid in one way or another.
Her comments are not helpful to those who so desperately need to talk but fear the stigma attitudes like hers create. Amanda, London
■ If Vicki feels that people ‘can’t cope with life’, I can only assume that she and her loved ones have come out of the pandemic largely unscathed.
Had she lost a loved one to Covid after not being able to visit them, only able to watch them on Zoom, she may indeed have a very different opinion. This is what happened with my husband and my children’s father – he fought for his every breath before finally succumbing to Covid. Elaine, Leeds
■ Unless you know what someone is going through, then you have no right to comment on their mental health. What may seem like a tiny issue to you could be genuinely devastating to someone else. Everyone is different – remember that. Ash, Sussex
‘Why can the rich get richer while the poor get poorer?’
■ It is interesting to read reports that an electricity network upgrade was needed to heat prime minister Rishi Sunak’s swimming pool (Metro, Tue).
Sunak is extremely rich – he and his wife, Akshata Murty, are in the Sunday Times Rich List of Britain’s 250 wealthiest individuals and families, with an estimated net worth of £730million.
The fortunes of the small number of people on the List are valued at £711billion – up by £53billion from the previous year.
However, Sunak has said public-sector workers cannot have pay rises that keep up with the cost of living as this risks stoking inflation. To put things in perspective, the Institute of Fiscal Studies has estimated that a public sector pay rise of 10.1 per cent would cost £23.5billion.
Sunak needs to explain why it is that the very wealthiest getting much richer does not appear to cause issues, whereas workers striking, not to get richer, just not to be poorer, is somehow a threat to the economy.
Sunak also claims taxes cannot be put up, but it is clear who should pay more. It is little wonder that the strikes are continuing and that strikers have support from the public. Kevin, Watford
And another thing…
■ I was one of the republican protesters ‘greeting’ King Charles on his arrival at Westminster Abbey on Monday for the Commonwealth service (Metro, Tue). Although a Tory voter, I believe that every child in Britain should be able to aspire to be head of state rather than it be decided by an accident of birth. A referendum on the monarchy should be held to decide its future. Dominic Shelmerdine, London
■ Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce has been treated most unfairly after stepping back from her role as a Refuge charity ambassador following accusations she trivialised domestic violence on the show (MetroTalk, Wed). The people abusing her should be ashamed. I am a survivor of domestic abuse and fully support her. She was such an asset to Refuge. Amanda, Sheffield
■ I totally agree with David Atherton in Merseyside (MetroTalk, Tue), who says he feels uneasy about sitting on memorial seats and benches that relatives have attached a bouquet to. A plaque on a bench is a lovely way to remember a loved one but sitting on a bench with dead, dying or artificial flowers in cut-down plastic bottles makes me feel uneasy. Maureen Chadwick, Wirral
What you said...
On Wednesday, we asked you if you thought it was right that Fiona Bruce was forced to resign from domestic charity Refuge.
You said…
- No – she was doing her job by providing context – 50%
- Yes – what she said was not acceptable – 45%
- Neither – I’ll leave my comment below – 5%
Caroline left a comment, saying: ‘This has turned into a witch hunt, she only quoted what someone had said and it didn’t represent her personal feelings. Plenty of vile people have been quoted over the years without this outcome.’
Antony also commented, saying: ‘I do not know why anybody puts themselves forward to do anything in todays society. Who in their right mind would lay themselves open to hordes of those who would never be able or willing to do it themselves criticising the tiniest things as if outrages.
‘I wouldn’t put myself forward to do anything given the toxic attack culture that we have both in the media and with the public. Who needs to do any of present question time, head up a charity or do anything else head above parapet – I certainly don’t.’
■ I concur with David – sometimes the benches are overloaded with tat, which would have me spinning in my grave. Stephen, Edinburgh n Regarding Sir David Attenborough saying we all must do our bit for the environment (MetroTalk, Wed), I can’t understand why people buy plastic bags in supermarkets. When I was young, more than 80 years ago, everyone had a shopping bag – a cloth one. I carry a small cloth backpack when shopping. Why waste money and contribute to the disastrous use of plastic? Len, Barking
■ John Nightingale (MetroTalk, Tue) thinks it’s the BBC that created Gary Lineker’s Twitter following. His fame before his retirement from football might possibly have something to do with it. River, Manchester n The Board of Deputies of British Jews has expressed concern about new migration legislation. As a 75-year-old secular Jew who has never belonged to a political party, I nevertheless share its concern. The language used surrounding this issue has been inflammatory. Martin Grossman, London
■ If the government is sincere about its motivation being to eliminate the criminal gangs taking refugees across the Channel in small boats, undercut them by offering ferry transport at cheaper than what the gangs charge. This would reduce lifeboat costs and the revenue could improve the asylum system. Roger Mundy, South London
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