I’ld like to start by saying that these are not the same thing. I was once criticised for referring to politicians as stupid instead of having learning difficulties – I suspect it was someone with learning difficulties that had been told so often that she was stupid that she had come to believe it. I’ve met well educated people who are incredibly stupid, and some intelligent people who are quite illiterate. I have my own mental health issues, alcoholism is both a physical addiction and a psychological obsession, but it didn’t prevent me from graduating BA II.I at the age of 40. This is not however an academic work, it’s based entirely on personal experience.

My father’s younger brother suffered from Down’s Syndrome, although it was not fully understood then. As a child I learned to treat him more as a sibling than an uncle. He was unable to read or write due to never having the opportunity to learn but he was able to hold down a job as a farmer labourer alongside a relative from my mother’s side of my family.

The last time I saw Billy was when I returned home from Australia in 1992 for a holiday, my first in 20 years. My Aunt Mary, who was his principal carer, asked if he recognised me. He whispered in her ear “it’s our George.” Dad had died when I was 9 but it still seemed possible that the person in front of him was his deceased brother rather than his brother’s son!

I’m pleased to say that Down’s Syndrome is better understood today and Selby, my home town, was the first in the UK to elect someone with learning difficulties as mayor!

I’ve known someone in Australia who was dysgraphic but not dyslexic, he can read quite well and carry on an intelligent conversation, but he was barely able to write his own name! Henry Winkler (the Fonz) is a great ambassador for dyslexia. Autism is something I don’t fully understand, but Chris Packham does.

I’m self-diagnosed as bi-polar but definitely alcoholic. The longest time I’ve spent in hospital was as a result of alcoholism rather than a physical illness. It didn’t prevent me from graduating with a BA II.I at the age of 40. Someone I knew at that time was illiterate but used to run errands for us in the pub, he was proud to inform us “I have a certificate to say I’m not mad, how many of you can say that.” In my uneducated opinion he had a speech impediment which caused him to drool a lot, a physical disorder rather than a mental one but which denied him an education. I once said to him “Barry, I fancy some prawns, will you go get me some?” I gave him some money and off he went. He was gone a long time but nobody was in any doubt he’ld be back. His attitude was “Mike wants prawns, and he’ll get them if I have to search all over town!”

I was just getting sober when I was elected as treasurer of the university’s philosophy club. I was nominated by the head of the philosophy department who thought I deserved the trust. I didn’t disappoint, I set a new standard for keeping accounts. My predecessor in the role was a postgraduate student who had an argument with someone at our philosophy club camp who woke up to find him standing over his bed and saying “And another thing…” A prime example of an educated idiot!

Since I returned to the UK I’ve met with someone who’s put trust in me without really knowing me. We used to travel into York on the same train, me for work and Tony for a basic skills course. On one occasion the train didn’t arrive and someone organised a taxi. Tony followed me but said “I don’t have money to pay the fare.” I told him not to worry, Ian was paying and we could repay him later – we never did! On another occasion we were coming back from York when we were informed that there was a blockage on the line and we’ld have to go back. From previous experience I calculated, correctly, that I would walk to my destination just as quickly. Tony saw me get off the train and followed me. He didn’t know me very well but he trusted me.

Some people speak slowly and distinctly but might get flustered under pressure. This can be taken erroneously as a reflection of their intellectual ability. They’re certainly not as stupid as most politicians and ‘journalists’ who open their mouths without engaging the brain.

To conclude, I have a lot of time for people with learning difficulties or mental health issues, but none at all for stupid people!