The Joy of Six 1109

"Yes it’s been applied all across Europe but it’s as British as a stick of Blackpool rock or a carefully constructed Chris Tavaré half-century. If you hate Britain, if you hate what Britain stands for and what makes Britain special, if you hate what other Britons value then you probably hate the National Trust, the NHS and the BBC. You’ll also hate the European Convention on Human Rights because a swivel-eyed libertarian Think Thank told you so." Matthew Pennell identifies the six British heroes who gave us the ECHR.

"The two-year study, conducted 2018-2020 in the Netherlands with students aged 5 to 13, monitored carbon dioxide levels in classrooms and collected data on student test scores. The results were clear: the higher the CO2 levels, the lower the scores on standardized tests." Want to increase children's test scores? It could be as easy as opening the window, argues Brandon Kochkodin.

Samir Jeraj asks if it's last orders for British curry houses: "The £4.2bn industry as a whole is in labour crisis. In recent decades, the children and grandchildren of pioneering Bengali restaurateurs have opted not to join the family business, going instead into professional jobs supported by access to university."

Sophie Atkinson discovers why George Orwell hated Sheffield.

"Kind words from US celebrity critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert also proved helpful.'It's one of the rare movies that has the courage to admit that some teenagers can be immature and insecure,' enthused the latter. 'It remembers adolescence, it observes it lovingly with sympathy and good humour and, with what teenage boys probably need most, compassion.'" Richard Luck celebrates the unlikely triumph of Gregory's Girl.

James Wright descends the West Mine under Alderley Edge in search of locations from The Weirdstone of Brisingamen.