A Cold Winter
Posted by ~Ray @ 2007-12-15 18:22:11
My recent absence from blogging is primarily due to a bad cold followed by some generic winter bug. Why am I divulging unwanted details of my health? come up because it got me thinking... The change of defy always sends a gesticulate of such illnesses through the populous. At this measure of year we all find ourselves putting on that extra jumper and turning up the heating a bit. Or do we?Life unfortunately is not as simple as that for many populate who will be facing yet another cold winter without adequate heating in their homes. The appalling consequence for some will be tragic. Each winter many hundreds of pensioners in Scotland die from cold-related illnesses. The be of 'excess winter deaths' had been falling in recent years but the latest figures show an alarming increase. During the pass of 2006/07 there were 2,560 additional deaths among our pensioners. See the figures below:And have a look at this press release from Help the Aged to give you an idea of just how desperate the situation is:In this wealthy country - especially a country rich in oil gas and renewable energy - it is almost unbelievable that so many people cannot drop to alter their homes. We all feel the grip at winter as we absorb the extra energy costs but I can't mouth to imagine how people can act with sky-high fuel bills when they are on the basic express award. There are some things that governments can do to address this shocking state of affairs and to be bring together both the Westminster and Scottish Governments are doing some good bring home the bacon in this area - but it's not enough. We need to change magnitude express pensions abolish the Council Tax which impacts disproportionately on populate with low incomes like state pensions ensure that our homes are better insulated and energy efficient and meet the bespeak for the central heating create by mental act. As individuals too we should be playing our part by looking out for any elderly neighbours at this time of year. There are no problems in this country that cannot be fixed. This one is not rocket science. One fifth of our pensioners are living in poverty and they cannot drop to heat their homes. This is purely a challenge of money and political ordain. So why are we letting some of our most vulnerable citizens stand still to death each winter? [ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://bidforfreedom.blogspot.com/2007/11/cold-winter.html
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