Climate Who?

Where is climate change in the UK general election campaign, as it enters its latter stages? Apart from occasional mentions by Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, our greatest collective threat is conspicuous by its absence.

According to The Guardian, Climate change is not so much the elephant in the room, it’s the elephant in the cellar, stuffed as far away as possible from the debate and ignored by the politicians and the pundits who follow their every  soundbite.

Both are taking their lead from a wider public silence. In no poll does climate change, or even the wider issue of ‘environment’, make it into the public’s top 10 electoral concerns.

So far, so depressingly predictable.  But the authors go on to claim that there’s still the potential for Politicos to score points, even though their audience doesn’t appear to care.  Studies appear to show (oh yeah, ‘studies, right?) that even in the US, where climate denial is perfectly respectable, nay obligatory (consequently, we’re all doomed, but that’s another story) candidates are deemed more statesmanlike and become more popular if they speak up on the need to address climate change.  Does this give you hope that someone will pick up the challenge?  Not really.

You’re boring me, Prime Minister

I know how she feels.  This election campaign has been in full swing for just a few days and I’m already losing the will to live.  I particularly despair at the insistence of commentators to analyse the quality of the commentary, rather than anything to do with the politics.  The story – sorry, the narrative – is very much the story.  You know when you see and hear journalists interviewing other journalists that things have gone a bit circular – and not in a good way.  Hrumph.

Now I’ve seen everything

I’m struggling to keep track of things that are deemed bad for me.  Perversely, I’m also wrestling with some weird stuff that’s now meant to be good for me.  I’m being told that bacon – until now the epitome of heart attack on a plate – is the ideal food for long distance runners.  It must be true because I saw it on ‘The Running Bug’ website.

They’re telling me that bacon is the new super food because it’s:

1. High in protein – essential for maintaining high energy levels.
2. Low in fat (what?) well lower in total fat and saturated fat than some cuts of beef or chicken (what does that even mean?) and also high in lovely oleic acid (like olive oil).
3. It protects your heart (I’m going to scream) and by the way it might also improve memory and brain function (will it stop me being gullible?)
4. It prevents cancer.
5. It keeps you happy (fair enough).
6. It’s packed with vitamins (lots of B-vitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc and potassium).

So there you have it.  Bacon; the perfect health food for runners everywhere.

It’s official. Bacon is good for you.

This may have been an April Fool

I’m charmed by the news that Amazon’s best seller list is this week dominated by…. not Zoella, nor Harper Lee’s much awaited thirty year old follow up to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’… Nope.  It’s colouring books for adults.  How delightful.

It fits with the emerging trend we talked about a few years ago – the appearance of young at heart grown ups we started calling ‘kidults’.

It also fits with the desperate need we all have to escape from the stress of our everyday lives.  One of the most popular books on the list is a colouring version of Mindfulness.  A visual meditation. We probably need more of this sort of thing.