Charles Walker

[LunaHeather]

I wrote to him last week and got a reply, which he seems to have personally addressed and signed, which surprised me.

He isn't my MP.

I didn't realise that this week he's actually asked people to write, I was worried in case I was bugging him.

But he has asked...So I thought I'd flag it up in case other MNers wanted to write.

mobile.twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1362406296390164482

There's just something comforting in knowing they're not all lockdown fanatics in there.

Good for him. It’s hard standing against collective madness. I appreciate him.

Glad he's speaking up

@Downriver

Well he is a twat, isn't he? Does he understand the situation with the virus or is he deliberating being an idiot?

Sorry but you are the twat ... I know 2 people liked themselves many many others suffering severe mental health , he ha talking sense you are not !!

@amicissimma

"Well he is a twat, isn't he?"

There are 650 MPs. One, just one, stands up in The House and describes the struggles that some of his constituents (and, this OP suggests, those beyond) are having with a year of lockdowns and restrictions. And you call him a twat.

If you are coping with the current situation OK, that is wonderful. But there are many, many who are not. Some have already killed themselves in despair. Many are taking drugs, prescribed or not, to try to handle the situation. Some are harming themselves or those around them. They are entitled to representation in parliament too.

Well said

Well you hide then people are dying of other illness your arrogance is utterly disheartening

@LunaHeather

I wrote to him last week and got a reply, which he seems to have personally addressed and signed, which surprised me.

He isn't my MP.

I didn't realise that this week he's actually asked people to write, I was worried in case I was bugging him.

But he has asked...So I thought I'd flag it up in case other MNers wanted to write.

mobile.twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1362406296390164482

There's just something comforting in knowing they're not all lockdown fanatics in there.

If it helps his career it's worth any number of deaths.

Catering to the hard-of-thinking who can't follow the reasoning behind taking precautions is just too easy isn't it.

Last "Catering to the hard-of-thinking who can't follow the reasoning behind taking precautions is just too easy isn't it."

There are hundreds of steps between lockdown and taking precautions.

I don't think lockdown is simply "taking precautions".

I think the impacts of restrictions absolutely should be discussed in parliament. The Guardian is reporting today that the number of destitute households has already doubled with an additional 220k households or up to half a million individuals.

Surely we need to understand and discuss the consequences of lockdowns/tiers and ask the difficult questions? Has driving half a million people into destitution been an acceptable price to pay to reduce covid deaths? I expect some will say yes and others will say no, but we can't just pretend it's not happening.

www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/20/call-for-new-beveridge-report-as-number-of-destitute-uk-households-doubles-during-covid

@TravellingTilbury

My MP is similar Luna. Usually v good but during the last issue, completely off the mark with her responses. And certainly not raising issues in parliament.

Interesting.

I do realise it's much easier for Sir Charles Walker KBE to speak up than it is for my local MP who is not in that kind of position. Possibly your MP is the same - got to toe the line.

@Dolciedolly

Well you hide then people are dying of other illness your arrogance is utterly disheartening

You think those same sick people would have been better off if the government had said "oh let's just ignore covid. Someone on youtube says it's not real anyway"

How were you planning to eat and drink if so many people were off sick that the water stopped coming out of the taps and the supermarkets stopped getting deliveries?

Would you have treated those same sick people yourself had the hospitals been overwhelmed?

I see some have swallowed the suicide claims. I don't like to bring the subject up but they have been thoroughly debunked of course. Just fake news shared for kicks.

Did he care about mental health struggles before? People have been shouting about it for years.
I didn't notice the Conservative party doing anything to help. 2yr wait for 6 weeks of useless CBT with a trainee .

Last so this is fake news?

www.itv.com/news/2021-01-28/increase-in-suicide-related-calls-at-half-of-englands-ambulance-services-over-lockdown

That makes me feel better. I was stopped by a neighbour so am not in the paramedic reported numbers.

@megletsecond

Did he care about mental health struggles before? People have been shouting about it for years. I didn't notice the Conservative party doing anything to help. 2yr wait for 6 weeks of useless CBT with a trainee .

He's been open about his own mental health issues since 2012 I think.

Thanks for the heads up OP, I will be emailing about my mental health. Its suffered greatly working as a teaching assistant. The pressure of not knowing whats happening until last minute, being scared that I'm at risk because all we have is hand gel, masks and open windows, the working through all the holidays (except summer and oct half-term), the extra hours I'm doing every week unpaid, I could go on.
It works both ways...

Charles Walker is absolutely the voice of reason and is standing up for people suffering due to lockdown. Nobody else is. I agree with his statements 'We cannot cancel life to preserve every life' and that the government has robbed people of hope. Good for him.

@LastTrainEast first of all I don't agree with anything you say
I agreed with lockdown at first but after a year we have to live with it and suicides/mental health are up 250% I have 2 friends who hung themselves , I have had a breakdown and my private therapist is getting calls all the time and I can't even get in and pay for it ... people losing jobs = depression with have a vaccine now enough is enough

@LunaHeather

Last so this is fake news?

www.itv.com/news/2021-01-28/increase-in-suicide-related-calls-at-half-of-englands-ambulance-services-over-lockdown

That makes me feel better. I was stopped by a neighbour so am not in the paramedic reported numbers.

I know last is talking shit it fking annoys me people brush of mental health that is getting worse maybe tell that to my friends 2 year old son who he left as he was dipping into depression

I'd like to add the increase in referrals for anorexia into the costs of lockdown too. A number of specialists have said they are seeing this is a result of lockdown and they are receiving up to four times as many referrals as the previous year depending on the area.

www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/news/paediatricians-warn-parents-be-alert-signs-eating-disorders-over-holidays

I just had a look at Q3 figures for referrals for eating disorders in England (the data I could find), looking at complete and incomplete pathways and the numbers are as follows:

2019/20 Q3
Complete - 1812
Incomplete - 532
Total - 2334

2020/21 Q3
Complete - 2554
Incomplete - 1214
Total - 3768

For urgent referrals the numbers went from 377/22 (complete/incomplete) to 700/86 (complete/incomplete) in Q3.

So that's 2,220 additional referrals for children and young people suffering eating disorders in just one quarter, in England. The numbers will be higher than that overall as not included Scotland, Wales or NI.

www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cyped-waiting-times/

Dolcie

He's my MP, And I recently wrote to him asking for his support to the UK Hospitality 10 point plan that they have laid out to the Gov as a way to reopen our industry quickly and safely. I also shared with him the difficulties my family face (financial as well and emotional) as a result of being able to only open our restaurant for a maximum of 19 out of the past 52 weeks. His reply was well thought out, sympathetic and supportive.
His recent interview on Ch4 news 'we cannot cancel life to preserve every life' was very interesting and he voiced what many of us are thinking.
He will get my vote again next election

Before anyone jumps on me, I know anorexia and EDs as a whole are not the same thing, but anorexia in particular is extremely worrying as it has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric conditions in teenagers. The stats don't break down which ED people are being referred to, but the specialists in the article from RCPCH were talking specifically about referrals for anorexia.

Well done to him. There are good people on both sides of this divide although since March 2020 I have been against all the compulsory measures.

You have not even been able to get married in London even with zero guests since 19 December. We have lost leave of our senses, not just here but abroad. What is life without liberty?

Meh.

Dolcie
I'm sorry about your friend (and I'm sorry too if that seems hypocritical coming from me).

sitting that makes sense. Food is one of few things we can control at the mo. Also easy to abuse.

Thunder how nice to have him as your MP.

Xenia i heard today that lockdown countries are now just 10, I don't know which 10 but I fear Johnson wants to play "who can have the longest lockdown".