Does David Blunkett think losing your sight later is harder than being born blind?

Yes. David Blunkett, who has been blind from birth, told Alastair Campbell that becoming blind after having sight is much harder because the person has to overcome the emotional trauma of the loss. Such a person can draw on pictures in their mind of places they have seen, such as a path or a stream, but in Blunkett's view that does not make up for getting over the loss itself.

• Blunkett said he took his blindness for granted as a young child and only gradually realised that other people could see.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-10-31). Read the whole episode summary →

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