( Also cross-posted in Anna Raccoon – Cross posted from Anna Raccoon – original article by John Ward of NotBornYesterday)
The health denials that emanated from Downing Street throughout Autumn 2009 are now revealed in almost every detail as a tissue of cynical lies from start to finish. Following the Mail’s extracts from Peter Watt’s new book Inside Out, Guido Fawkes last night as good as confirmed our story of 4th September 2009, which had alleged that the evidence for Mr Brown being on anti-depressant drugs and going blind was compelling. Fawkes’ new piece openly headlines ‘He’s Bonkers’…..
Definitely a should read.
I was convinced he’d had an Eden-type breakdown in the summer when there were squabbles as to who was supposedly running the country.
It is very puzzling indeed – but these political bloggers and John Ward, who broke the original story, do seem to be precise and get their facts straight before publishing…. they have been blogging for a long time, after all…
If GB has had a breakdown or is seriously ill – it is hardly fair on the country, or himself, to continue.
We already have a 5-6 month election campaign when Cabinet Ministers are hardly likely to devote most of their time to running the country… they are going to be campaigning or attending endless party meetings?
There was a brilliant postman patel post where he likened Brown to Captain Queeg.
At the time, it didn’t raise much comment but then, my lord patel was always ahead of his time.
If Gordon Brown suffers from depression (a common-enough ailment, Churchill was a sufferer), it is highly unlikely he would be treated with MAOI drugs in this day and age, where many other suitable and less dangerous drug therapies are available. Because of potentially lethal interactions with diet, MAOIs are now regarded as the last line of defence in drug therapy for depression. One thing that those being treated with MAOIs must avoid is alcohol. If Brown had depression of such magnitude, it is highly unlikely he’d be able to work at all, let alone serve in government.
People who suffer from depression aren’t “bonkers” as the postings suggest. “Indecisiveness” and an “being unable to tell lies from truth” are not recognised symptoms of depression at all. I see Guido Fawkes alleges that someone has said Brown is a “manic depressive”, now generally referred to as bipolar disorder. That is somewhat different to clinical depression in that it is usually characterised by periods of euphoria in between low mood. Stephen Fry is perhaps the best-known sufferer. The main drug therapies for that disorder are Lithium Carbonate or Lamotrigine. It is highly unlikely that they would be combined with MAOIs, which would generally be used in acute unipolar disorders.