Six of the Best 491

"Had the campaign been, as it should have been, against the general principle rather than the specific example of books, then we might now be celebrating a real victory, rather than a Pyrrhic one which leaves prisoners without access to the most basic necessities, but allows them to read…" Andrew Hickey believes Chris Grayling has been allowed to get away with banning prisoners from receiving parcels.

Petra Schleiter explains why the Fixed-term Parliaments Act should not be repealed.

A new report shows why Cameron's flagship idea of the Big Society has foundered. The Barrow Cadbury blog introduces it.

Sam Brodey recalls the time that "badass feminist Queen Elizabeth II gave Saudi Arabia's king a lesson in power".

"When I first saw this movie, I woke up with the TV on and there it was. I watched a lot of it in this half-grogged, dream-wake-sleep state. I didn't know what the heck I was seeing; just had an overwhelming sense of wonderment at how things were unspooling. I watched it fully awake later, and realized the wonderment and joy was not a dream." CineMaven succumbs to the magic of A Canterbury Tale.

Tim Worthington celebrates some classic children's dramas of the 1970s.