Barometer | 16 July 2015

Ties that bind

Lewis Hamilton was ejected from the royal box at Wimbledon for not wearing a tie. Some places he would have been welcome:
— In 99 out of 100 of the most expensive restaurants surveyed in 2010.
— For four evenings a week on a Cunard cruise (he would need a tie after 6 p.m. on the other three).
— Driving a cab in Dubai (ties are no longer compulsory after a customer pulled one driver’s).
And some places he wouldn’t:
— Visiting Lloyds of London.
— Competition days at Knebworth Golf Club (though socks are not usually compulsory).
— Bicester Community College (ties compulsory for pupils from September).

The colour of Christians

The Bishop of Chelmsford described the Church of England as ‘borderline racist’, saying that ethnic minorities were under-represented in its ranks. What ethnic group were the 33,243,175 people who described themselves as Christian in the 2011 census?

Who eats most sugar?

The British Medical Association proposed a sugar tax. Who would pay it?

Source: National Diet and Nutrition Service

Outrageous inquiries

It was announced that Justice Lowell Goddard, the New Zealand judge leading the inquiry into child abuse, will be paid a salary of £360,000 plus £110,000 annual rental allowance and £12,000 for utilities. Do we need a public inquiry into the cost of inquiries?
The Leveson inquiry (July 2011–October 2012) cost £5.4 million, including £1.4 million paid to the three barristers and their five assistants.
The Saville inquiry into Bloody Sunday cost £195 million over 12 years, including £4.5 million paid to its lead QC.
The Chilcott inquiry has so far cost £10.4 million, including £892,000 for secretariat staff costs.