Barometer | 16 March 2017

Mary Queen of Golf?

The vote by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers to admit women as members has reawakened speculation as to who was the first woman to play golf.

—According to legend, Mary Queen of Scots played the game at St Andrews and coined the phrase ‘caddy’ when referring to the cadet who was carrying her clubs. Yet the evidence seems to relate to a charge made by her opponents that she played golf within days of the death of her husband, Lord Darnley.

— A more realistic candidate appeared in the Caledonian Mercury, an Edinburgh newspaper, in 1738, which reported two women playing a game at Bruntsfield Links; a ‘charming Sally’ won.

Hitler’s referendums…

Most popular

Julie Burchill

The march of the trans mob is over

The author Ian McEwan said that the EU referendum reminded him of Nazi-era plebiscites. What referendums did Hitler hold and what were the results?

On withdrawal from the League of Nations, 1933	95% yes
Merging the posts of Chancellor and President, 1934	88% yes
Reunification of Saar region with Germany, 1935	91% yes
Approval for military occupation of the Rhineland, 1936	99% yes
Approval for Anschluss between Germany and Austria, 1938	99% yes

…and Scotland’s

Nicola Sturgeon is to seek a second referendum on Scottish independence. When it comes to the votes on independence in 2014 (asking Yes/No to independence) and the EU referendum last year, how is Scotland divided?

Voted No and Remain	28%
Voted No and Leave	16%
Voted Yes and Remain	21%
Voted Yes and Leave	14%
Did not vote in one or both	21%

Source: YouGov

Who stays home?

A professor giving an interview on the BBC was interrupted by his children, showing the perils of working at home. A snapshot of Britain’s home workers:

— In 2014 the Office for National Statistics recorded 4.2m as working from home, 13.9% of the population.

— 2.9m worked almost exclusively in their ‘home or grounds’, the rest in other places, too. This included 69,000 farmers.