Sunday 14 April 2013

Thatcher’s Funeral in Numbers


Follow me on twitter @andrewspoooner

Thatcher’s funeral is supposedly going to cost £10million to stage. Given the swingeing and terrible cuts being enacted in a time of austerity some would argue that this money could be best spent on other things.



Here’s what we could get from £10,000,000 if we did choose to spend it on other things.


12.5million free Durex Performax Intense condoms in a sexual health clinic at 80p each.
http://www.condoms.co.uk/

Almost 3years of the entire library budget for the London Borough of Lambeth.
http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/s45246/03b%20App1.pdf

149 launches to fire George Osborne into outer space at £67,000 a time.
http://gizmodo.com/5537278/

100,000 years of minimum wage increase for the under-21s at 5p per hour, based on 40hour week and 50 working weeks a year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22153007

14,285 Funeral Payments, for people on any kind of benefits,  at the maximum rate of £700 a time. 
https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/what-youll-get


27years in the Shelter from the Storm Homeless shelter for 100people at £10 per bed per night.
http://www.sfts.org.uk/donations/

Two brand new primary schools at the cost of £5million each.
http://fullfact.org/factchecks/nick_clegg_cost_of_primary_schools_rochdale-2650

792 years working at the new hourly minimum wage rate of £6.31 an hour, for 40hours a week, for 50weeks a year, before tax.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9994649/Minimum-wage-to-increase-by-12p-from-October.html

3218 years of basic Carers' Allowance at £59.75 per week.

http://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/focus-on/item/2479-changes-to-benefits-your-questions-answered/2479-changes-to-benefits-your-questions-answered?start=2

The cost of 333 average cancer patients' care at £30k per patient (2011) http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/12December/Pages/cancer-treatment-cost-may-increase.aspx


32,608,695 1/3 pint free milk servings for school infants.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18483742
(Suggested by @CarolineHolding)

5,050,505 school meals at an average price of £1.98 per head.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18873020
(suggested on twitter by @dnsnow).




A police officer at entry level of £26k for 384years http://www.policeoracle.com/pay_and_conditions/police_pay_scales.html

A private in British Army at entry level of £18k for 556years http://www.armedforces.co.uk/armypayscales.htm

 A teacher at entry level at £21k per year for 465years. http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/14433

Job Seekers Allowance at £71.70 per week for 2682years

The top rate of Disability Living Allowance at £134.40 per week for 1435 years.

Average Bedroom Tax at £14 per week for 13,736 years.

The annual benefit cap rate at £25,000 a year for 400 years.


Zero criticism from the Tax Payers Alliance.

20,000 one-way tickets to other side of the world for Toby Young at £500 each.


4 comments:

  1. If you are gonna write trashy articles better suited to 'Take a Break' than a respected newspaper, at least maintain some journalistic integrity. When you quote an ability to employ a number of people, include the true employment costs such as employers NI, pension, uniform, training etc. And where are you planning on finding these unambitious GPs that will stay at their starting salary their whole lives? Concentrate on useful options like launching Osborne into space. I'm sure that in exchange for fewer launches you could organise to have footage beamed back, like a long running series of Celebrity Big Brother.

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  2. Thanks for you comment Kevin. And thanks for considering my blog a "respected newspaper" although you might have wanted to do some fact-checking first. For example I didn't write that piece for The Guardian which I think you're referring to. But thanks for the lecture in "journalistic integrity" - I'll bear it in mind.

    Andrew

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  3. Even for a blog this is just utter rubbish. Worse thsn the MSM article.

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  4. Well I like it, i like it a lot. Puts the utter waste of money into perspective, simply and cleanly. Bravo.

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