Here's a question for you. Name the three people who serve on the UK government's Pensions Commission. Pensions may not seem like a gripping subject for a column but it is one in which I am developing an increasing interest.

Maybe it's because I had a birthday the other day, but I have suddenly become fascinated with how old people are, and with calculating how many more years they have until they retire. Europe has a pension crisis looming, not helped by falling birth rates, lower stock market returns and increased life expectancy.