'I can't pay death duties, I do self-as-sessment," quipped Jeremy Hardy, a comedian, in response to the current political shenanigans over how to pay for the care of the elderly. As the general election nears, a political row is rumbling over how to deal with the rising cost of looking after Britain's increasingly numerous oldsters.rnGordon Brown has promised free care at home for the pensioners who need it most. On February 9th the Tories attacked what they say are his plans to pay for it: their posters show a gravestone on which are chiselled the words "r.i.p. off" accompanied by the claim "Now Gordon wants ￡20,000 when you die".
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