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Why Chris Woodhead wants to jump off a cliff
The former chief inspector of schools, who is suffering from motor neurone disease, has no desire to end his days in a euthanasia clinic
Time is running out for Chris Woodhead, says Sian Griffiths in the Sunday Times. The ex-chief inspector of schools for England and scourge of the liberal educational establishment was diagnosed with motor neurone disease three years ago, and he is already feeling its devastating effects.
"I have found it frustrating not to be able to dress myself properly," he says. "I find it humiliating that Christine [his wife] has to do everything, even take the rubbish out, so the prospect of being completely incapable, relying on computer-assisted breathing, or assisted speech, is not one I would ever want to tolerate."
But Woodhead, a keen rock climber, has no desire for a quiet end in a euthanasia clinic. "I'd be more likely to drive myself in a wheelchair off a cliff in Cornwall than go to Dignitas and speak to a bearded social worker about my future." ·
