Barometer | 3 January 2013

The Seacole empire

Education Secretary Michael Gove says he wants to rewrite the national curriculum in history to concentrate on figures such as Cromwell and Churchill instead of Mary Seacole. Some institutions which have been named after Seacole in recent years: — Mary Seacole House, ‘mental health drop-in centre primarily for black and ethnic communities in Liverpool 8’ — Mary Seacole Research Centre ‘provides a base for diversity orientated research’ at De Montfort University, Leicester — Mary Seacole Housing Association, provides ‘supported housing for young single people in Luton’. — Mary Seacole Awards: bursaries of £12,500 awarded by the Department of Heath for nurses, midwives and health visitors in England

One man, one vote

A selection of petitions on the government’s e-petitions site which, as we went to press, had only one signature: — ‘Keep sharia law in our courts’ — ‘Privatise the NHS’ — ‘Ban the Tachograph’ — ‘Create a sovereign wealth fund’ — ‘Do not grant a pardon for Alan Turing’ — ‘Remove Baroness Ashton from her EU post’

Social club

The OECD revealed that Britain spends 2.4 per cent of GDP on disability benefits, more than any other country. How does our overall public social expenditure (pensions, health, welfare) compare with others?

Public social spending as a fraction of GDP
Sweden	29%
France	29%
Germany	27%
Italy	25%
UK	21%
Spain	21%
Canada	17%
US	16%
South Korea	7%