9 ELDERLY PEOPLE DIE EVERY HOUR OF THE COLD.

[ivanhoe]

THOUSANDS of pensioners died from cold-related illnesses last winter as heating bills soared and temperatures plummeted, official figures reveal.

The number of deaths linked to the cold between December and March reached 25,400 in England and Wales, with another 2,760 in Scotland.

The figures are equivalent to nine deaths every hour.

The total gave Britain the highest winter death rate in northern Europe, worse than much colder countries such as Finland and Sweden.

There are fears the death toll could increase this year following energy price rises which may frighten elderly people into not turning on their heating.

Michelle Mitchell, of Age UK, said: ?It?s unacceptable that tens of thousands more older people die in this country every winter from the effects of the cold weather.

The fact that the UK has one of the highest winter mortality rates in Europe makes it clear this is very much a home-grown problem.

Cat, would you say it is worth a read/listen.

What did you find Terrifying.

For a lighter but interesting read try Affluenza by Oliver James, it would I believe suit most of the posters on "Politics".

Whilst I disagree with a lot of the posters positions I always have respect for someone with a coherent argument even if I dont agree with it, that includes LFN.

Yes, she is very influential in the States. I used to be interested in psychology, and I have some books by Nathaniel Branden, and I was surprised to find that he was an acolyte of hers, along with Greenspan.

Terrifying
it's a dystopian novel. ordinary people are reduced to abject year zero poverty by the actions of greedy oligarchs

I would listen rather than read as I would guess subnsatntial abridgement took place

Cat, as i said I have the audio book version I will have to dig it out and see if it is abridged.

t's a dystopian novel. ordinary people are reduced to abject year zero poverty by the actions of greedy oligarchs.

Does the author think this is a good thing?.

oh blimey no! no way!
she loathes and despises people who sit on their arses all day that's for sure though, they deserve all they get.

you have to get it in the player now you know...

Interesting. There was an old movie of it as well. But apparently a new version will be released in April. So it fits the zeitgeist and is relevant to what is happening today.

www.atlas-shrugged-movie.com/2010/12/april-15-2011-target-release-date-confirmed/

Cat, my job includes long car journeys alone (up to 3 hours) so that may be the time to listen, thanks for the info.

newwave, I don't think ypu will like Ayn Rand. She is not a socialist. She hates communism. She used to live in the Soviet Union and escaped to the States. She is an outright capitalist who believes in elitist values. It is still worth reading her because she is influential and may possibly have formed some of the opinions of powerful people such as Alan Greenspan.

claig, I like to read books, magazine articles etc which i dont agree with. I am open minded enough to admit i can be wrong and it is always worth knowing how the "enemy" thinks.

I have no problem with elitist values as such if the rewards from them have been earned and not due to the "old boy network" or "city connections" or due to being part of the self perpetuating elite running this country.

Big bonuses if you get it right, smaller bonuses if you screw up the company/economy and a golden fuck off when you leave.

BTW I am not a socialist I am however a Social Democrat.

good then you should read her. She also believes

'Big bonuses if you get it right, smaller bonuses if you screw up the company/economy and a golden fuck off when you leave.'

She is an intellectual philosopher who believes in excellence, honour, virtue etc.
She is an admirer of Victor Hugo and thinks 'Les Miserables' is one of the greatest books ever written. She is a rigorous intellectual and her weakness is that she has no time for human weakness, for ordinary humans, she is all for 'superman' and excellence.

Good to hear that you are a social democrat, that's a great improvement over a socialist. Of course, a greater improvement still, is to be a consevative. But I think you already know that.

claig, decent one nation left of centre Conservatism died when the late Ted Heath died, Mr Heath was a decent small "C" Conservative.

It was Thatcher who took the Conservative party from 1979 and changed in into a right wing facist Tory party.

I myself am a Demoractic Socialist, because I believe in the whole of Society and not just the individuel, but by today's standards in politics, I could also be regarded a left of centre Conservative.

It seems my posting has been infiltrated by the intellectuals.

What a sad indicetment of society.

Just googled Ayn Rand, and her book Atlas Shrugged.
That is what I look about the politics page, one can discover little gems on here.
This woman sounds like me! (but far more intellectual!)
I've read Influenza, it appears much more light hearted than this.

I also believe in the society and not just the individual, as most do on this site. I gave up voting for the Tories years ago, because of their stance on the EU. I would only ever vote UKIP, which takes a lot of balls I can tell you, where I live, as many are Middle Class labour supporters. Some even read the Guardian that's if they can get a copy as they only order 5 at the post office! I'm becoming highly suspicous of you Claig, you mention the Guardian a lot in your posts/links, have you changed allegience from the Daily Mail/Sun to the 'thinkers paper?'

Ivanhoe. 'my posting has ben infiltrated by intelectuals' How kind of you to describe the posters in this way!
Well 'read' (well some) Intellectuals no!

intellectuals!

complimentary, read Ayn Rand, but I'm convinced you won't really like her. She is unpleasant, too extreme and doesn't care for ordinary people. She thinks she is some type of superior intellectual.

I do mention the Guardian, but only because it is so full of flaws. There are more holes in it than in Swiss cheese. The 'thinkers' on the Guardian are often pseuds. Yes, they are often from public schools and Oxbridge, but the working class person in the street has more common sense.

The Sun supported Blair. It is not really a rightwing, right thinking paper.

There is only one paper for true thinkers, philosophers, and observers of human nature; only one paper that remains steadfast and unflinching in the face of progressive lies - that paper is the Daily Mail. That is why progressives become apopleptic at the mere mention of it. They know it tells the truth and shines a light on them. Just as Dracula is vanquished by waving a cross, so the progressive is vanquished by waving the Daily Mail.

That's why you and I, and millions of others, rush to get our copy of the Daily Mail.

Claig, So you are a Thatcher supporter then ?

Claig. You will like this one;

'By God, The Guardian is a loathsome 'newspaper' a local north london daily morning paper, for Stalinist metro libtards, perpetually arrogant, snobbish,self righteous, humourless, dull,
relentlessly middle class, cowardly and cheap'. Rod Liddle. Spectator.

Claig I could not have put it better myself.

Guardian readership 285.000.

Daily Mail 2.5 million. 50% women, says it all!

ivanhoe, I am a supporter of truth and justice. That's why I support the Conservative party. I don't agree with everything that Thatcher did, but I think she did lots of good things. Even Blair and Brown were admirers.

Complimentary, thank you for that insightful quote from Rod Liddle. He has just gone up in my estimation. I would wager that he is a Daily Mail reader.

Is that really true about the Guardian's circulation fugures? If so, then the country's prospects are not as bleak as they once seemed, particularly as the progressives are no longer in power.

Claig. I googled it, (the Guardian and Daily Mail) and it's true!

The magazine 'Tunnel Boring' has about the same readership! but much more interesting!
Warms the cockles of your heart, doesn't it?

Check it out on Wikipedia!
Oh, in its defence, it's slightly ahead of the Independant, but behind the Times and Telegraph, although it does not beat the soaraway 'Sun',which has the highest readership!

See you later!

than you, complimentary. You are the bearer of glad tidings. Have a nice day, see you later.

Hi ivanhoe, I just looked through the thread following my post and saw your question. Yes, I did use to work for the DWP.