{"id":6888,"date":"2020-12-10T22:57:22","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T22:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/?p=6888"},"modified":"2021-03-09T15:41:26","modified_gmt":"2021-03-09T15:41:26","slug":"labour-of-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/labour-of-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Labour of love"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Deputy Leader of the Labour Party to Sunday Times<\/em> bestselling author, Tom Watson talks exclusively to Sorted<\/em> about life after Westminster and his eight stone weight loss (despite buying cheese by the truckle\u2026)<\/h2>\n

A lot of us have been eating and drinking more in lockdown. Have you been able to maintain your healthy lifestyle?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lockdown was disruptive, but I\u2019d also just left Westminster, given up a team that provided me with a support network, and moved back to the Midlands, with only a month to set up a home office and start trying to live a commercial life, writing books and doing new things. So lockdown was up and down for me. The first month, I was doing Joe Wicks PE, but by the middle of lockdown, I\u2019d gone into a slump. My routines were undermined and I developed a big cheese-eating habit! For my new podcast series, I\u2019d interviewed Ned Palmer, the author of A Cheesemonger\u2019s History of the British Isles. <\/em>His enthusiasm for cheese was infectious and I was soon buying Mrs Kirkham\u2019s Lancashire Cheese by the truckle!<\/p>\n

My home office is 15 feet from the fridge, and I didn\u2019t realise how much I was eating, so for the first time in three years, I put on weight. The gyms were closed, so I couldn\u2019t compensate, and I got really worried. Now I\u2019m through my cheese-eating phase, and I\u2019m getting back on track. It shows that if your routines are disrupted, it\u2019s easy to slip back, if you don\u2019t address it.<\/p>\n

In Downsizing<\/em> you wrote that the lifestyle changes you made brought you closer to your Christian faith. What did you mean by that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the heart of it, it was the ability for reflection. I spent more time on my own, reflecting on my life and values. I was brought up Christian, and confirmed Christian, and went to a C of E school, and it put me back in touch with my faith in a way I wasn\u2019t expecting. That came from the headspace to reflect more, at a deep level.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve referred to your mum as having \u2018that strand of Christian Socialism in her,\u2019 and said, \u2018that was a powerful force in my upbringing, though I didn\u2019t know it at the time.\u2019 When did you become aware of that and in what way did it influence you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I was born, the local vicar was a Marxist theologian. As a child, I didn\u2019t realise it was unusual that your local vicar would\u2019ve stood for the Communist party \u2013 but he did. He did a lot for the community and my mum thought he was wonderful. That twin track of Christianity and politics was all around me in my formative years, without me knowing the significance. It was only in adulthood, probably as I approached middle age, that I could work it all through more deeply.<\/p>\n

What do you think of the way the Covid crisis has been handled? Is there anything you would have done differently?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never been more relieved that I left political life when I did! It\u2019s virtually impossible for a public policy maker to make the right calls on a fast moving situation like the spread of a global pandemic. They\u2019re making huge calls that impact on millions of people\u2019s lives and cost the taxpayer billions, with only partial information.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult, so I don\u2019t want to apportion blame, but I would have locked down a week, maybe 10 days before we had the first proper lockdown. Having been on the cabinet sub-committee that dealt with avian flu, and having been the minister that had oversight of civil contingencies, I realise how making those early decisions can have a dramatic impact on the number of cases that develop.<\/p>\n

Not having a track and trace system in place earlier has slowed up our ability to be resilient, and I\u2019d have probably involved public health bodies and local authorities more in the development of it.<\/p>\n

In May, the law on organ donation changed to the opt-out system. You proposed this in 2002:  how did you feel when you heard the news?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was delighted. It\u2019s called \u2018Organ donation presumed consent.\u2019 I wasn\u2019t the first to do it: Tam Dalyell had proposed presumed consent in the 1970s, so the notion had been around for decades. People are losing their lives, even now, because they\u2019re on a waiting list for organs and they don\u2019t get them in time. I\u2019ve lost friends like that, and I\u2019ve got a loved one who would have lost his life had he not had a transplant, so I was moved when it went through.<\/p>\n

Given the change in leadership of the Labour party, would you ever return to politics?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, not to frontline politics. There\u2019s nothing more ex than an ex-MP. I\u2019ve given 30 years to the Labour party and public life \u2013 you\u2019ve got to know when to go. I\u2019d seen a lot of MPs, particularly if they\u2019d been ministers, and then they\u2019re in opposition, leaving it too long to go, so I think I was right to leave when I did. I\u2019d run out of road. I\u2019d done my best to hold the Labour party together, I\u2019d lost the row on our positioning on the EU, and I thought it was right for the next generation to take over. I\u2019ve been pleasantly surprised, and proud of Keir for the leadership he\u2019s shown already and for reuniting the Labour party so quickly. He\u2019s got tough decisions ahead, and he\u2019s under pressure, but so far so good.<\/p>\n

Your 2012 book Dial M for Murdoch shone a light on the power of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. What do you think is the extent of Murdoch\u2019s power now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I talk about Dial M for Murdoch<\/em> it feels like I\u2019m looking back on a different life. It was such an emotionally, spiritually, physically traumatic episode, living in fear a lot of the time.<\/p>\n

I think we\u2019ve made great progress. I don\u2019t think tabloid journalists would routinely break the law now, like they were a decade ago. Rupert Murdoch is in his latter years as a media mogul, and his legacy will be mixed. He could have been the great media entrepreneur and innovator of the 20th century, but he will forever carry the phone-hacking scandal around with him, as part of his reputation. Politicians will be more wary when they deal with him and his people. However, he is still probably the most powerful media mogul on the planet, and he carries great weight with politicians. You can see his influence in the editorials of his newspapers, so in that sense, he survived. Remember at the time, David Cameron promised a police enquiry into historical relationships between police and journalists \u2013 which Theresa May shelved, when they shelved the Leveson 2 enquiry. Rupert Murdoch took a glancing blow from the industrial criminality that took place on his newspapers many years ago, but he survived it.<\/p>\n

Do you think Labour\u2019s poor showing in the election last December was a result of people not wanting Corbyn as Prime Minister?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think you can ever blame an election loss on one issue. The market research is clear, and most Labour candidates heard it on the doorstep: a large number of what I would describe as traditional Labour supporters had lost confidence in Jeremy as a leader and, perhaps more importantly, the manifesto he stood for. So that\u2019s part of it, but there are other issues too. We didn\u2019t have a clear position on Brexit, and I don\u2019t think people wanted a Christmas election \u2013 I was against it myself \u2013 and I think people went for what they thought was the least worst option. So they didn\u2019t make a positive choice, they just stuck with the status quo.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve been described as an anti-gambling crusader, so there was something of uproar when you took on a role as an advisor with gambling firm Flutter. Did you anticipate that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Within some political factions of Westminster, anything I do creates a stir! I\u2019ve never actually been anti-gambling \u2013 I\u2019ve had the odd bet since my early working life. I\u2019m not good at betting \u2013 I don\u2019t win very often \u2013 but I don\u2019t put much money on.<\/p>\n

The Chief Executive of Flutter has said he wants a race to the top on responsible gambling, and I\u2019m trying to find the best mechanisms to reassure the public that the harm caused by gambling to a small section of society are dealt with. It\u2019s early days but I\u2019m pleased they\u2019re determined to get these arrangements right.<\/p>\n

Offering you a job might almost be viewed as a PR stunt \u2013 did you believe they really wanted to do better?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, I\u2019m definitely not a spokesman for the company, and I understood there was a degree of risk on my side \u2013 but there\u2019s also a degree of risk on their side. You have to be convinced of their intention, and I was. A lot of the gambling reformers I\u2019ve worked with have got in touch and said, \u2018We hope you can do some good from the inside at Flutter.\u2019 They\u2019re one of the biggest companies in the UK and hopefully they can take their competitors with them in the reforms they make. I hope I\u2019ll play a positive role there.<\/p>\n

After indulging over Christmas, what are your tips for losing weight in the New Year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tiny changes over time have a powerful cumulative impact, but even tiny changes seem huge at the start. I decided to cut out as much sugar as possible, and that meant changing what I drank. I used to love Guinness and beer \u2013 now I drink wine and spirits. It means I drink less and I don\u2019t feel as impacted by alcohol. When I drank beer, I got momentous hangovers \u2013 now I realise that\u2019s probably sugar spikes. So if you\u2019re starting in January, think about it beforehand. Don\u2019t panic over Christmas \u2013 let yourself go with your loved ones, but get a plan in place. It could be as simple as cutting out sugar and giving yourself a steps target for the month. It doesn\u2019t have to be dramatic to start the journey.<\/p>\n

Cutting out sugar can seem like a big step. What\u2019s a good starting point?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s low-hanging fruit, if I can use that metaphor! I used to eat KitKats and Mars Bars every time I went into the Members\u2019 canteen in the House of Commons, and whenever I went into a coffee shop, I\u2019d buy sugary pastries. I eliminated them and I replaced them \u2013 if I replaced them with anything \u2013 with nuts, but not peanuts! If you want to go further, I then moved from processed food to real food. As an MP, I\u2019d get lots of takeaways, burgers on the go, and microwave meals. I moved to what you\u2019d classically call meat and two veg, although these days I\u2019d call it meat and five veg, because I eat lots of vegetables! That\u2019s harder, because you have to find time to shop for the right food, prepare it, and in my case, remember the recipes. But the rewards are great.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t just losing weight \u2013 you found you had greater clarity of mind and more energy, didn\u2019t you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I used to have broken sleep and go to the bathroom once or twice in the night. In the morning I\u2019d wake up thinking, \u2018What part of me aches the most?\u2019 But when I cut out sugar and started mild exercise, my sleep improved. Sleep is medicine, so it had a great impact. I slept deeper and better \u2013 and in the morning, my brain was alert. It was like a lifting of brain fog. It felt like my IQ had gone up. I could remember facts and figures better and quicker, and I could think through complex ideas more deeply. Even now, if I eat processed food or carbs, I\u2019ll feel mild brain fog, because there\u2019s a relationship between food and cognitive health. I\u2019m more focused and disciplined now. It\u2019s the cognitive gains that I value the most and I never want to lose them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Samantha Rea<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Deputy Leader of the Labour Party to Sunday Times bestselling author, Tom Watson talks exclusively to Sorted about life after Westminster and his eight stone weight loss (despite buying cheese by the truckle\u2026) A lot of us have been eating and drinking more in lockdown. Have you been able to maintain your healthy lifestyle? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-free-content"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6888"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7947,"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6888\/revisions\/7947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runyourownwebsite.uk\/sorted\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}