The Spectator

Barometer | 17 September 2011

The deep end

issue 17 September 2011

The comedian David Walliams performed the impressive feat of swimming 140 miles of the River Thames from Lechlade to Westminster. That is still a long way short of the swims undertaken by Martin Strel, a 56-year-old Slovenian.

— After swimming the length of the Danube (1,866 miles), the Mississippi (2,360 miles) and the Yangtze (2,487 miles),Strel was challenged to swim the Nile but dismissed it as ‘not challenging enough’.

— He swam instead 3,272 miles down the Amazon, employing a support team to pour buckets of rancid blood into the water in order to distract the piranhas.

— His next project is the Colorado, which is shorter but has faster rapids.

What about the workers?

Miners and steelworkers once dominated the Trades Union Congress. But which industries have most trade unionists now?

Largest Proportion of Unionised Workers

Education  54%
Public administration and defence  52%
Electricity, gas and water supply  45%
Professional occupations  45%
Health and social work  42%



Smallest Proportion of Unionised Workers

Hotels/restaurants  4%
Agriculture, fisheries and food  7%
Real estate  11%
Wholesale retail and motor trade  12%
Sales/customer service  13%



Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in