Big Freeze Part 2- Death toll is 60-80,000

So what is wrong with this picture in a major nation (or are we now in truth a third world country).

• Shops running short on food and putting up prices.
• Road and rail transport in Chaos
• Air transport Failing
• Gas Supplies reportedly in danger of failing.
• Food supplies to run lower as harvest fails and crops rot in the ground.
• 60-80,000 elderly predicted to die before their time because they are frightened of heating costs

Yes at the moment 60,000 pensioners are predicted to die before their time as a result of the freeze-up yet in the last freeze in 1963 there were 89,000 premature deaths.

To put this in some perspective during the whole of WW2 the civilian death toll in Britain was some 67,000. So how come Gordon brown is doing as good a job (or possibly better) than Hitler at attacking his citizens?

I fear the answer is simple mathematics. The old age pension now stands at an average of around £83 per person per week. 80,000 x 83 x 52 = £345.28 Million per year. It is estimated that the average old age pensioner costs an additional £35 a week for carers and other council services. This is 80,000 x 35 x 52 = £145.6 million per year. However the average pensioner costs the NHS a wopping £85 a week for free prescriptions and hospital/clinic treatments. This is 80,000 x 85 x 52 =£353.6 million. Now let us say that the average pensioner who dies would have lived an extra five years with decent care. This means that (345.28+145.6+353.6) x 5 - thats £4,222,400,000 (or 4.22 Billion pounds) that is saved.

In other words the freeze is saving the government around 4 billion pounds over the next five years!

Its easy for Gordon to get away with it. Lets face it most of the 'people who matter' in this country live in London which has only had 14cms of snow, travel disruption here has been minimal or non existent and peoples lives, elderly or not are barely affected. So by carefully avoiding making this an issue he can brush this under the political carpet (which this year seems to be full of lumps and bumps).

It would be different is London were to suddenly get 2 meters of snow... oh yes! Something would undoubtedly have to be done then. I do hope it happens.