O’Reilly faces up to reality in battle against expanding waistlines
It was an interesting question given that Reilly’s predecessor was Mary Harney. She is someone who can be described accurately as large in size. She was also quite sensitive as to comments about her appearance, as is her right and is common with many other people. But are we allowed to mention that? Is it offensive to her and/or to Reilly to make any reference to their physical appearance? Or is it relevant when that person is the minister for health and supposedly in charge of encouraging healthier lifestyles as part of the overall remit of the job? Or is that part of the job at all? The piece that offended Flanagan had appeared in the Sunday Independent. A journalist had decided to “talk about the elephant in the room…our minister for health’s waistline”.
She argued that at the beginning of 2012 Reilly had said that he was “leading by example” by tackling his own weight issue. She argued that there was little evidence of success. She pointed out that the budget had not introduced a “fat tax”, special levies on unhealthy foods and sugar laden drinks, despite pleas by doctors and mounting evidence of an obesity crisis, especially among our children. She cited the addictive nature of fast food and linked excessive weight to a range of illnesses, including diabetes, heart attacks, stroke and many cancers.
These are all strong arguments. Processed foods and drinks are doing substantial damage to the health of people in this country.
What she didn’t do was contrast Reilly’s approach to this issue with the strong line he has taken in relation to tobacco smoking. Reilly has spoken of making Ireland tobacco free by 2025 (which means bringing the number smoking down to 5%) and has cited personal family experience of illness caused by smoking. He is on a crusade and this is to be welcomed because he is advocating and introducing a range of measures that have the potential to curtail smoking.
We comment about a politician’s mental capabilities to do the job all of the time so why not their physical abilities?
Most prominent businesspeople that I know, no matter how busy, make time for strenuous exercise at least three times a week and often more, no matter how long the hours they work.
It is a great pity that Brian Cowen, for example, during his time as taoiseach, didn’t cut out his drinking and make time in his schedule to visit the gym. Any arguments that he didn’t have the time don’t cut it; he had time to go to the pub on many occasions. You can argue that he was entitled to his spare time — and given the stress he was under needed time to relax — but it would have done him more good to have exercised instead or as well as going to the pub. He might also have benefited from going on a strict diet.
This, by the way, is how politicians in other countries behave. Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barrack Obama, no matter how busy their schedules, all found time for exercise. Clinton has had his heart problems it is true, but how much worse might things have been for him had he not exercised? I imagine that some people might regard such comment as to the recommended behaviour of Irish politicians as a step too far, an invasion of their privacy, if nothing else. Others might regard it as offensive to judge people according to their weight. But that is not the issue.
As it happens I write this as someone who struggles to keep my weight down to acceptable levels. I have not been disciplined over the years in my intake of food, often eating the wrong things, especially with sugar, in excessive portions. I’ve been fat at times, as a result, as a recent look at some old and not too old photographs has emphasised to me, to my shame. And, in retrospect, I realise now that I was sluggish mentally at times when I needed to be razor sharp, found myself getting tired far too easily, seeking sleep or a pint of stout to “relax” when exercise was what I really needed.
I could still lose more weight, not for reasons of appearance but for maintaining good health. But I’m reasonably fit now, exercising five days a week for close to an hour each time, and for considerably longer if my choice of exercise is cycling. I have also become a lot more careful about what I eat and when and in what quantities. It is merely the exercise of some common sense.
I’m not seeking any praise for this and I suspect that more than a few of you are now sneering at what you’re reading. Which is fair enough. It may not suit some people, but while many illnesses are the result of random bad luck or fate others are brought upon people by their own lack of effort when it comes to attempts at prevention.
The cost to the State of a result of that, both at present and in the future, is enormous.
And if you are minister for health you should be seen to set this sort of example, to be seen as an example of attempted prevention. And you can’t complain, or someone else can’t get offended on your behalf, if somebody else makes a public issue of it.
Which, in fairness to Reilly, he hasn’t. Considerable credit is due to Reilly for addressing the issue publicly, as he did last Monday morning at a press conference to launch Safefood’s childhood obesity campaign. He was asked about the Sunday Independent, but instead of taking offence addressed the issue directly.
“I’m not happy with the profundity of my rotundity and it’s been an issue that I’ve been concerned about since I was way back when, in the IMO... it’s an area I’ve had a long, long interest in for obvious reasons and one that I continue to struggle with myself, but I’ll keep struggling and I’d like everybody to be aware of the fact that it’s not just…that you are well padded for the winter,” he said.
“It does have an impact on your health status and will impact in so many ways, not just diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, but osteoarthritis, and interfering with your ability to enjoy your later years in life,” he said.
“We want to live long and live well. There’s not much point, as happened in my own family, of living to be 80 if you spend the last 14 years of your life with no vision… it’s not the best way to spend your last 14 years. Obviously we all want to live as long as possible but surely we want to have a life that’s a quality life as well.”
REILLY said obesity left a “detrimental legacy lasting decades and which will undoubtedly lead Ireland to an unhealthy and extremely costly, if not unaffordable, future if action is not taken now”. Reilly is having more than his share of problems in managing the budget for the Department of Health and cannot be exempted from criticism in that regard. But his background as a medical doctor puts him in a strong position to recognise what sort of example he needs to set. And instead of pretending that a problem doesn’t exist — or insisting that others don’t mention it for fear of causing offence — it is good to see him deal on a personal level with a problem that is ignored by too many.
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