By Tony O’Reilly-
Mps With Mental Health Illness and additional Employment are prone to wider differences in risky drinking than other Mps , which can make them prone to irresponsible conduct and potential law breaking, the evidence of a prominent researcher has been used to conclude.
Comprehensive research by Dr. Rao found that Mps as a whole, mentally ill and mentally healthy, drink more excessively than general members of the public. The research conducted in 2014 did not determine how much the excessive drinking affects their mental well being of Mps , but the correlation between excessive drinking and mental health illness was established from the research.
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Mental health analyst Hannah Byers, said: ” the excessive drinking of many Mps makes their judgement less reliable if they already suffer from mental health illness. Yet those who wanted him to stay were the majority, mainly motivated by personal gain, no doubt.
Most worrying is the fact we know from research that many Mps suffer from some form of mental health illness, and consequently drink too much or overindulge in drugs.
A number of Mps are known to to take class A drugs- a fact notably exposed after cocaine wa found outside in toilets outside Westminster.
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”The polarized voting by Mps during the vote of no confidence illustrates how confused our Mps are.
”You had a very high number of Mps wanting Boris Johnson out of power over lockdown breaches, but an even higher number wanting him to stay. The issue being voted about was very serious, and obvious to many”.
Widespread excessive drinking among Mps has sparked further questions about the sanity of our Mps, many of whom act like petulant children in parliament. Mps who drink heavily do so because they cannot match the demands of their jobs. In some cases underlying family issues exacerbates other tense issues or imbalances associated with the duty of the Mp.
Mental health must never be a taboo subject, but concerning when widespread amongst Mps
Analysts are worried that five years after the initial online survey in 2016, the poor mental health of many Mps has led to excessive drinking and compromising their performance. The mental health of Mps is crucial to their effective functioning.
The suggestion of mental health illness among Mps is a deeply worrying aspect of his research because of the immediate potential consequences. The idea of Mps making our laws at the same time suffering mental illness is a troublesome idea, but the reality is that one in four people in the Uk suffer from mental health illness of some kind.
Yet, if many Mps find the job so tasking that the regularly resort to heavy drinking , it is no wonder a number of ministers readily broke lockdown rules during the pandemic.
Having mental health illness does not always equate total incompetence. Mental health illness can exist at different levels and in many cases affect the effectiveness of a professional in their field, but not necessarily to a notable degree.
Triggers of mental health issues include domestic abuse, excess workload, stressful relationships, and other factors.
Mps have the duty to identify and address any mental health illness they may have . The research study which claims that Mps are three times more likely to ‘drink riskily’ and down an entire bottle of wine on a standard day than members of the public presents many Mps as being in a poor mental state of mind as they go about their day to day professional engagements.
The finding that parliamentarians with extra engagements outside the Commons are more likely to drink excessively drinking and rank amongst the Uk’s heaviest boozers, poses serious questions about their oversight in occupying a position of important standing yet without the required level of discipline to adhere to the guidelines provided by one of their own arm of government.
Regular Indulgence In Alcohol
PHE recommends sensible drinking throughout the week for all citizens. The research concluded that Mps were also more likely to indulge in alcohol at least four times a week, drink a minimum of ten units a day — equivalent to five pints, ten shots or a bottle of wine — and binge drink six or more units in one session.
.’The overall rate of risky drinking was higher than in the English population but did not differ significantly from groups comparable in both socio-economic and occupational status.’
MPs were more likely, however, to partake in ‘drinking at least four times per week, drinking at least 10 units on a typical drinking day, six units or more in a single drinking episode, and feeling guilty about their drinking.’ Risky drinking behaviours have the potential to escalate into more serious alcohol-related harm, Dr Rao explained.
Mps who exceeds the limits of moderate drinking risk damaging their health, but also blurring their judgement on important matters of consequence; most likely at the expense of those they are meant to protect.
RATIONALISE
In an attempt to rationalize or mitigate the troubling levels of alcohol consumption by Mps, Dr Rao made reference to the existence of ‘six bars open most evenings when MPs are voting or waiting to vote.’
He said it would be reasonable to assume most alcohol is consumed on the parliamentary estate, given MPs late working hours. ‘Although beer and wine are provided free to members of the Belgian parliament, we are not aware of the availability of alcohol within other parliaments – but this is not generally a feature of the modern workplace,’ Dr Rao added.
Of the l650 MPs in December 2016 invited to take part in the anonymous online survey, there is no way of knowing what percentage of them suffer with mental illness. 37& of the 146 who responded were women, and around half were over the age of 50. Alongside this, he added, there are ‘six bars open most evenings when MPs are voting or waiting to vote.’
He said it would be reasonable to assume most alcohol is consumed on the parliamentary estate, given MPs late working hours.
‘Although beer and wine are provided free to members of the Belgian parliament, we are not aware of the availability of alcohol within other parliaments – but this is not generally a feature of the modern workplace,’ Dr Rao added.
Excessive drinking among Mps is a reflection of stress and inadequate balancing of conduct, responsibility and accountability.
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