Papal visit
Pope Benedict XVI visits Britain this week, only the second pope to do so. The first was John Paul II in 1982. Some facts and figures from his visit:
— John Paul II’s native Poland was still behind the Iron Curtain and it was to be another 22 years before it joined the EU. Nevertheless, 24,000 Poles then living in Britain attended a mass at Crystal Palace.
— As the media coverage intensified, 350,000 people attended open-air mass at Coventry Cathedral, a million lined the streets in Liverpool and 180,000 attended mass at York racecourse.
—By the time the Pope reached Manchester, interest had waned. Only 200,000, compared with an estimate of 1 million, attended mass in the city.
—While the Pope delivered a sermon on the feeding of the 5,000, caterers had to throw away £2,000 worth of unsold burgers and sausages.
Education
% MPs v UK population %
90 University educated 20
28 Oxbridge educated 0.
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