4.7.11

Thinking Outside Of The Box


Your Nan. And A Solution to Greece's Debt Crisis

So a report is out describing the latest Titanic-deck-chair-rearrangement to the welfare system; this time to the social care system for the elderly and infirm:

"Social care costs in England should be capped so people do not face losing large chunks of their assets, an independent review says.

Council-funded home help and care home places for the elderly and adults with disabilities are currently offered only to those with under £23,250 of assets.

The Dilnot report said the threshold should rise to £100,000 and a £35,000 lifetime cap on costs would be "fair".

But the Treasury is known to have doubts about the expense of the plans.

Just over £14bn a year is spent by councils on social care.

However, the changes would cost an extra £1.7bn a year if they were implemented now - and this figure could rise by 50% as the "baby boom" generation begins to retire."

So under the law of unfeasible, made-up politician numbers lets call it £5Bn added to the above figure; this, if I've understand it correctly, is the amount of money taxpayers today will be screwed for whilst the vast Ponzi scheme wheels on.

I have an alternative suggestion: Greece is liable to British banks for £14.1Bn; I'll take a guess and say the same idiot bankers, who put themselves in a hole in this country for Gordo forked out billions, are the ones likely wrist-deep in greek debt.

So how about this - why not just do a straight swap for the debt? Those bankers get their debt clear in about 75 years and our wrinklies get to spend their twilight years in sunnier climes whilst the greeks enjoy the written off debt-swaps all for the knock-down price of looking after a few more wrinklies, likely re-energising local economies spending their own cash on cheap ouzo and dolmades.

I can dream.

4 comments:

Leg-iron said...

Actually, it makes a lot of sense.

One of the biggest issues for the eldely here is heating so they'd be far better off somewhere thqat doesn't need heating.

Plus, I'd love to retire to somewhere warm.

As I said, it makes a lot of sense.

Which is why it will never happen.

Tomrat said...

After watching the news and posting this last night I showed my article to my wife, who said it reminded her of the use of prisoners in the colonisation of Australia; I pointed out those prisoners weren't doing that badly.

Anonymous said...

It wasn't only prisoners that helped colonise Australia, a lot of the orphaned "baby boomers" were forcibly sent there in the late 40s and early 50s.
Quite a few were verybadly treated.

Tomrat said...

Anon 13:26,

Very true: I should posit I am not advocating we force our wrinkly populace to move to Greece, merely offer this option that would almost certainly be a fraction of a cost of the UK equivalent, minus all the abuse and at least a reason for the staff speakin' foren'.

;-)