Call for Summer Cooling Payment to Protect Vulnerable Elderly
In response to a report highlighting the unprecedented European heatwave and its deadly impact, a letter to the Guardian suggests the UK government should introduce a summer cooling payment for older people. Lynn Malloy from Crouch End, London, argues that the cost of running fans, air conditioning units, and other measures to keep seniors safe from overheating is significant for many. She questions whether the existing winter fuel payment should be complemented by a similar scheme for summer months.
Memory Tests and Prime Minister Recall: Anecdotes of Impeccable Judgment
Shelagh Hubbard from Nottingham recalls her mother’s memory test in late 2019 when asked to name the prime minister. After a pause, her mother guessed Margaret Thatcher. When shown a Guardian front page featuring Boris Johnson, she remarked, “Oh, him – he’s a clown.” Hubbard notes that while her mother’s memory was not great, her judgment was impeccable.
In another anecdote, Graham Harrowell from Addingham, West Yorkshire, shares that his uncle John, when asked by a doctor to name the current prime minister, immediately called a passing nurse and requested a different doctor, saying, “This one doesn’t even know who the prime minister is.”
Bus Driver Humor and Political Satire
Tudor Owen from Manchester recounts his first bus ride on the 85 at Piccadilly. When he asked the driver, “Do you go to the university?” the driver replied, “No, I’m a bus driver.”
Philip Clarke from East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, references recent letters about the rapid turnover of Roman emperors in a single year and asks if it is too soon to talk about the year the United States got its first emperor.
