Category Archives: Society

Britain, Government, Society

Britain: A Revitalised Royal Household

THE MONARCHY

IT was not so long ago when the monarchy seemed to be struggling for its very survival.

In the space of just two decades there have been two messy divorces, an explosive book about the infidelity of the heir to the throne, Camillagate, and the exploits and shenanigans of the Duchess of York. The perceived lack of emotional reaction from Buckingham Palace over the death of Princess Diana capped the turmoil of the Royal Household which looked to have lost its way. There was no doubt that public esteem for the Royal Family had hit a historic low.

 

HOW different the picture looks today. Prince Harry’s wedding to the thoroughly modern actress Meghan Markle has done far more than simply place a seal over a fairytale romance. It has symbolised the monarchy’s evolution into a contemporary institution fit for the 21st century.

And what a glorious day it was. A day in which tradition and modernity were fused in perfect harmony. We had a mixed-race divorcee bride being led down the aisle by our future king, a black Episcopalian clergyman officiating, and gospel singers complementing a traditional choir. On the hymn sheet were the soul anthem Stand By Me and that great Welsh and stirring hymn Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer.

Of course, the rehabilitation of the House of Windsor is about more than this one event. It has been a slow and gradual process.

Much of the transformative changes owes a great deal to Prince William and his own bride, who with their three children are blossoming into a modern family.

Prince Charles himself has also changed from a rather haughty, sometimes petulant royal into a more rounded and contented soul.

Above all, it has been the fortitude and selfless hard work of Her Majesty The Queen – supported in rock-like fashion by the Duke of Edinburgh – which has kept the monarchy on the rails. Through the tumult she has remained a shining example of how a sovereign should act.

If the Duchess of Sussex needs any advice, she should seek counsel from the Queen. Over the course of 65 years, she has proved herself to be the greatest royal diplomat of all.

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Medical, Research, Science, Society

Research reveals a healthy diet helps to stave off dementia

RESEARCH

Dementia fighting foods. Research reveals a diet that is rich in these foods can lead to a bigger brain which reduces the likelihood of contracting dementia.

EATING healthily could ward off dementia and make your brain more than six months younger.

Researchers say people who eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts and fish have bigger brains.

The findings are the latest evidence that ‘what is good for the heart is good for the head.’

A healthy diet, long known to protect people from heart problems, was found to add to brain volume, boosting people’s grey matter and the volume of their hippocampus – the brain’s memory centre. Across more than 4,500 people aged 45 and older, eating well was found to give people an average extra brain volume of two millimetres.

That is the equivalent of a brain being more than six months younger, as it shrinks with age. Having a larger brain is thought to ward off memory loss, which can often be followed by dementia.

Dr Meike Vernooij, co-author of the Dutch study from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, said: ‘People with greater brain volume have been shown to have better cognitive abilities, so initiatives that help to improve diet may be a good strategy to maintain thinking skills in older adults.’

He called for more research to ‘examine the pathways through which diet can affect the brain’. A healthy diet is believed to strengthen connections in the brain and ward off inevitable age-related decline.

The latest study, which was first published in the journal Neurology, involved people with an average age of 66 who were dementia-free. They were questioned on their diet, which was ranked with a score of zero to 14. The best were judged high in vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains, dairy and fish.

Participants then had MRI scans to determine their brain volume. Even considering brain-shrinking activities such as smoking and failing to exercise, those who ate well had an average of two millimetres more brain volume than those who did not.

Dr Sara Imarisio, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said brain size was a useful indicator of brain health but the study did not allow any ‘firm conclusions’ about how diet quality relates to the development of dementia.

But she added: ‘Research suggests a healthy diet may help to reduce the risk of dementia, and Alzheimer’s Research is supporting pioneering research into ways we can encourage people at risk to adopt a Mediterranean diet.’

. You might also like Research reveals that walking is better for the brain than cycling

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Britain, Government, Politics, Society

The treacherous House of Lords that betrays 17.4million

BREXIT

THE House of Lords is out-of-control. This week peers inflicted their 14th successive defeat on the Government’s Brexit legislation and is exercising political grievance and gerrymandering on a grand scale. The Upper Chamber was never devised to inflict such an appalling level of embarrassment on the ruling government of the day. Even many Remain voters are appalled by the way this anachronistic chamber is over-stepping its powers.

For though most Remainer peers peddle the fiction that they are only performing their duties as a revising chamber, their aims are starkly clear: to overturn the result of the 2016 referendum.

Just look at the amendments so far. These are not adjustments in line with the Lords’ constitutional role of ironing out legislative anomalies. They are bids to derail Brexit.

Take the vote to rule out a ‘no-deal’ withdrawal. This would ban our negotiators from walking away from lousy EU terms and diktats. Yet this robs us of the most powerful card in Britain’s hand and removes any incentive for Brussels concessions. It could also postpone Brexit indefinitely.

Then there are the amendments aimed at keeping us in the customs union and the single market – the latter passed by 29 votes. Both represent assaults on the will of the electorate.

Remainers seek to justify their conduct by saying voters were too ill-informed to understand Brexit. Others claim there’s no contradiction between honouring the referendum result and remaining in the customs union and single market.

But as the Europhiles are aware, both sides in the EU campaign spelt out that withdrawal would mean leaving its two principle institutions.

 

THE REFERENDUM was authorised by a Sovereign Act of Parliament, passed by a majority of six to one in the Commons, with politicians on both sides agreeing the outcome would be binding.

In 2016, 17.4million voted Leave, giving the biggest democratic mandate for any party or policy in British history on a turnout exceeding 72 per cent.

Parliament then began the two-year countdown to Brexit – this time by 498 votes to 114 in the Commons.

The pretence that the Lords is defending the constitution is a cynical sham and is utterly disgraceful.

One might be inclined to ask who are these wreckers who believe their views should carry more weight than those of 17.4million of their countrymen?

If they were distinguished elder statesmen or giants of science or business, their opinions might command respect.

After years of being stuffed to the rafters with third-raters, this bloated legislative chamber has become an object of scorn and derision. Here sit around 100 Lib Dems, one in eight of the total number of peers, representing a party so at odds with public opinion that it boosts less than 2 per cent of elected MPs.

Others owe their ermine to no greater distinction than having shared a property with Tony Blair or by putting vast amounts of cash into party coffers.

 

AT this crucial juncture in our history, the House of Lords has violated its constitutional role. In so doing, it has surely set in motion its abolishment.

If the Conservatives are wise, they will enter the next general election on a pledge to swiftly clear this rabble who have abused the trust placed in them – and ask a Royal Commission to come up with proposals for an elected second chamber.

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