It turns out that Human Geography isn’t about locating one’s navel with a cartesian coordinate system at all. It’s about mapping society, filling in the contours between the haves and have-nots, and identifying the emerging trends.

Professor Danny Dorling has made a career of investigating the human landscape and, speaking last night in The Hollybush, he gave some stark examples of trends which are patently unsustainable; if the life expectancy of women in Kensington and Chelsea continues at its present rate they’ll be the first immortal beings on the planet since Mount Olympus was the centre of civilised Europe.

His book ‘Injustice – Why Social Inequality Persists’ puts into societal context the proliferation of groups such as Sustainable Witney. We’re familiar with the environmental arguments, we’re hearing more about the economics, this is the human angle – a must read for any government wishing to resolve “deep social problems”.

Currently available at Policy Press for £13.99