Melvyn appeals to us all to consider and listen to people who are not academics. People may not be as eloquent but they have passion and care

Hello, it’s Melvyn here on a Sunday morning. It’s a beautiful morning, I’ve taken my dogs out, went outside done a little bit of gardening, had some breakfast, fed the dogs after I took them out.

I have something to say about Jeremy Hunt who was the Health Secretary, and the person taking over is going to be as worse. I don’t like saying “as worse”, but I think he’s not going to be the right person. I think he’s going to be disgusting, like Jeremy Hunt was. And I consider that Jeremy Hunt – and this government – should be held to task over how they treated the disabled, and not the disabled – the ones that haven’t had a raise for the last ten/fifteen years and are living in poverty and are living on hand-outs, living on food-banks.

It seems that if you’re not an academic you can’t talk anywhere. You’re not allowed to talk anywhere, you’re not deemed intelligent enough. The amount of people that I know who haven’t got degrees. I’d rather listen to someone who’s passionate than paid-for speeches, and believe in what they’re saying. That’s what’s needed – something different, someone who loves doing what they’re doing – not those that are just doing it for a living and don’t really care and don’t understand – don’t understand anyone who’s got dementia.

They can remember things I can’t remember because I’ve got dementia, and that’s what ought to remember. When you take somebody on, when you are looking for someone, just remember that they’ve got dementia, and that they can’t be as eloquent as other people, than the academics, who haven’t got dementia.

What I’m trying to say, just think about it, and consider other people that are not academics, please, because they have got far more to offer – far far more to offer – than academics, I can assure you. Passion and care.

I will say that I’ve been asked to go into food banks, to help people in food banks and offer some help, which I want to do and it’s something I’m passionate about, and that’s why I’m leaving the Forget-Me-Nots for a little while, I need a rest from that. So that’s what I’m going to do. The 15 million people who can’t afford their electric and gas, I don’t know what I can do to assist, but I’m going to – I’ve been asked to and I’m going to, for the food banks. I’m going to do a bit with the Co-Op. Because I’ve belong to the Co-Op and, I don’t know, I’ve got about £50 on my card for food so I’m going to do that and the best we can do is a bit of advertising for the food banks and that, and the Co-Op will get some publicity out of it. So that’s what I’m going to do and I look forward to my next challenge.

Those academics out there who may listen to this, please take heed of this, because there is no help, there is no compassion and there is no care in the community or care. Please believe that, because I know different areas are different and some do things and some don’t, but at the end of the day, they’re all being squashed up into little areas where they’re going to do this, they’re going to do that, and other councils will do this and won’t do that and won’t do anything. It needs another look, a fresh look, on dementia – the way it’s going and what we actually do. Vanity (chuckle) yeah.

My dogs are suffering in this weather. One’s in the basket and the other one’s lying next to me – my Bonny – she’s lying next to me. Tally’s in the basket. They swap about. They get wherever they think is coolest, which is sensible.

I have nothing else to say so I’m just going to finish now.

I’m still trying to read The Missing Piece about life after death. I have to put it down, and then I pick it up and put it down every so often. It’s a fantastic book, it really is.

I’m going now, bye!