And freezing prices, any technocrat worth his salt knows, means little unless it is accompanied by measures to hold down wages: something Mr Yilmaz does not appear to contemplate.

ECONOMIST: Turkey

If he can make voters smile by freezing prices on things like bread and petrol, he reckons, he can call an election sooner than that with a decent chance of winning.

ECONOMIST: Turkey

The Boston Red Sox, despite having a successful team and the smallest ballpark in the majors, are freezing ticket prices for 2009.

FORBES: Magazine Article

"We will be changing some prices in January, but we will then be freezing many key prices until 2014, " said John Petter, of BT.

BBC: BT to increase phone and broadband prices in January

One, admittedly very difficult, question is how to charge market prices for energy to those who can afford them, while protecting the really poor from freezing in winter.

ECONOMIST: Russia��s infrastructure