Green wings
It was revealed that Pascal Husting, Greenpeace’s international programme director, commutes 250 miles by air from his home in Luxembourg to his office in Amsterdam several times a month. Some other eco-warriors who are keen on air travel:
— Al Gore has run up 1 million air miles, the equivalent of more than 40 times around the Earth, in his campaign to save the planet, according to Wired magazine.
— In 2009, Prince Charles hired a private Airbus A319 on a 2,200-mile tour to Europe to lecture on environmental issues, and his Duchy Originals brand ships spring water 6,000 miles to sell in the Gulf states.
— Bono’s world tour in 2009 ran up carbon emissions equivalent to 90,000 people flying from London to Dublin, according to pressure group Carbon Footprint.
Leaving parties
Sting, the popular balladeer, said he was not going to leave any of his estimated £180 million fortune to his children. Between 2008 and 2010 1.6 million Britons received inheritances of £1,000 or more, with 160,000 receiving over £125,000. Who left them the money?
| Spouse/partner | 4% |
| Parents | 46% |
| Grandparents | 22% |
| Great-grandparents | 2% |
| Uncle/aunt | 11% |
| Great uncle/aunt | 3% |
| Brother/sister | 4% |
| Other relative | 3% |
| Non-relative | 5% |
Source: ONS
Hot tickets
Eric Pickles announced new rules to ban CCTV cars for parking enforcement and give motorists ten minutes’ grace before a traffic warden can issue a ticket. Which are the most and least malignant London councils for parking enforcement?
| MOST MALIGNANT | Penalty notices |
| Westminster (Con) | 457,000 |
| Camden (Lab) | 260,000 |
| Hammersmith & Fulham (Con) | 227,000 |
| Islington (Lab) | 200,000 |
| Haringey (Lab) | 199,000 |
| LEAST MALIGNANT | |
| Sutton (Lib Dem) | 34,800 |
| Greenwich (Lab) | 36,100 |
| Havering (Con) | 39,400 |
| Bexley (Con) | 48,000 |
| Lewisham (Lab) | 62,600 |
| MOST MALIGNANT | Clampings/impoundings |
| Westminster (Con) | 0 |
| Camden (Lab) | 3,360 |
| Hammersmith & Fulham (Con) | 1,710 |
| Islington (Lab) | 268 |
| Haringey (Lab) | 3,040 |
| LEAST MALIGNANT | |
| Sutton (Lib Dem) | 0 |
| Greenwich (Lab) | 0 |
| Havering (Con) | 0 |
| Bexley (Con) | 0 |
| Lewisham (Lab) | 0 |
Figures and political control relate to 2012/13
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in