Long to reign over us
The Queen has become only the second British monarch to spend 60 years on the throne. To overtake Victoria, she would have to reign until 10 September 2015, but would still then be 19 years short of Sobhuza II of Swaziland, who began his reign on 10 December 1899, at the age of four months, and died on 21 August 1982. Some other long reigns:
Louis XIV of France 1643–1715
Johannes II of Leichtenstein 1858–1929
Franz-Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian empire 1848–1916
Bhumibol Adulyadei of Thailand 1946–
Doctor sued
The Commons Public Accounts Committee revealed that the NHS has had to put aside £15.7 billion for future negligence claims. How many claims have been successful in winning damages from the NHS over the decade 2001-11?
Settled out of court 28,700
Abandoned 24,050
Damages awarded by court 2,020
Yet to be resolved 9,020
National debts
PricewaterhouseCoopers says that the average British family owes £7,900 in unsecured loans. How does Britain borrow?
Mortgages (taken out in 2011) £140bn
Total mortgage debt £1.24tn
Credit cards (in 2011) £136bn
Pay-day loans (in 2011) £1.2bn
Sources: Council of Mortgage Lenders, UK Cards Association, Consumer Credit Counselling Service
Runaway trains
Network Rail was set up by the Blair government as a government-owned ‘not-for-profit’ company to take over from the privately owned Railtrack. But it has proved profitable for its executives….
RAILTRACK:
Chief executive Gerald Corbett’s salary (2000) £377,000
His bonus (waived in wake of Hatfield disaster) £100,000
Total bonus pot for five top
executives £165,000
Dividends paid £137m
Public subsidy going into railways (1999/2000) £1.48bn
NETWORK RAIL:
Chief executive Sir David Higgins’s salary £560,000
Bonus (waived after protest) £336,000
Bonus pot for six executives over next five years (waived after protest) £20m
Dividends paid £0
Public subsidy to railways £4.6bn
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