Barometer
If Alex Salmond is cutting bureaucracy, why does he have so many quangos?
Escape committees An LSE/Institute for Government report estimated the cost of Scottish independence at £2.7 billion, a sum arrived at…
A Romanian neighbour? Most people wouldn’t even notice
Parliamentary privilege Some facts and figures about the European Parliament, according to the parliament: — The parliament annually costs €3.10…
Four stories the EU would like the right to have forgotten
Memory holes The EU wants to introduce a law which would force Google to delete from its searches old information…
When judges go to jail
Judges in jail Barrister and part-time judge Constance Briscoe was jailed for 16 months for perverting the course of justice…
Are pigeons braver than dogs?
Animal spirit A labrador blown up with her handler while sniffing for bombs in Afghanistan in 2008 became the 64th…
Runaway runners and other other sporting refugees
Done a runner Mami Konneh Lahun, a 24-year-old athlete from Sierra Leone, went missing after finishing as the 20th-placed woman…
The rise and fall of the Red Road flats
Flat pack Some facts about Glasgow’s Red Road Flats, built in 1968, which are to be demolished as part of…
The not-so-great escapes
Escapology This week marked the 70th anniversary of the Great Escape, when 76 Allied servicemen tunnelled out of Stalag Luft…
MH370 isn't the only flight that's still missing
Plane vanished Some other planes, besides Flight MH370, which have disappeared without trace: — A Boeing 727 cargo plane that…
Do wars always start in years ending ‘14’?
Years of war Imaginative souls have tried to compared the situation in Ukraine with that which preceded the first world…
Where to open your brothel: an international comparison
The best places to open a brothel The Commons all-party group on prostitution has called for a Scandinavian-style law where…
A looter's guide to presidential palaces
Palace coups The people of Ukraine enjoyed a peek inside President Yanukovych’s palace, complete with petting zoo and collection of…
Barometer: The kamikaze pilot who retired after three missions
A kamikaze pilot at 80 The Japanese city of Minami-Kyushu was attacked for wanting to add the letters of 1,036…
Barometer: When Britain was good at the Winter Olympics
Our first winter Hopes will not be high for a big haul of British medals in Sochi, but we have…
The political lives of Walter Mitty
The political life of Walter Mitty Nigel Farage attacked the ‘Walter Mittys’ in his own party. A few of the…
When they warned you about eight for the road
One for the road Road safety campaigners were angered by the opening of the first pub at a motorway service…
A successful obesity campaign? Fat chance
Fat chances The National Obesity Forum said that Britain is reaching a ‘doomsday scenario’ where half the population is obese.…
Barometer: Storm waves? It could be three times worse
The test of a wave Waves measuring 27ft from peak to trough were seen off Land’s End as the stormy…
The first world war in numbers
Centuries of conflict 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the war which was supposed to end all wars. Has the…
Barometer
Whose year is it anyway? Some things which 2014 has been declared to be the year of: — Year of…
Barometer: Who snorts more cocaine — the rich or the poor?
The darkest day Several people were injured on ‘Black Friday’, a day of retail discounting imported from the US, where…
Barometer
Third-class thinking A report by the Institute of Economic Affairs recommended standing-room-only third-class carriages as an alternative to longer trains…
Barometer: How many of today's Ukippers voted Tory in 2010?
Brave new words ‘Selfie’ was declared to be Oxford Dictionaries’ ‘word of the year’. It hasn’t, however, yet been added…
Barometer: David Dimbleby is not alone (unfortunately)
Whose tattoos? David Dimbleby, 75, has had a scorpion tattooed on his right shoulder. Some more tattoo-wearers who perhaps ought…
Barometer: Who eats dogs?
Dog’s dinner A Canadian hiker rescued in Quebec was reported to have killed and eaten his German shepherd dog in…
