Six of the Best 339

"Coedffranc Community Council recently took advice from One Voice Wales as to whether it is possible for one of its members to publicly disagree with its decisions. Councillors were reportedly shocked that the answer was in the affirmative." Peter Black on community and town councils in Wales and their problems understanding transparency and accountability.

Frank Furedi contributes an essay on education to Spiked: "We have a paradoxical situation, where politicians seem to take the teaching of subject-based knowledge more seriously than educators do."

"The widespread acceptance of ADHD as a mental illness/chemical imbalance has no scientific underpinning, but rather is based on marketing and promotion. The ADHD 'diagnosis' is particularly destructive, in that it targets children, and serves as the justification for 'treating' these children with dangerous drugs." Dr Philip Hickey on his Behaviorism and Mental Health blog.

Geoff Andrews writes on Paolo Di Canio and the new respectability of Italian Fascism.

"In the 1920s, two projects, one government-run, the other privately-designed and built, battled to build an airship that could link the Empire. The rivals, codenamed R101 and R100, were nicknamed the Socialist and the Capitalist. The Capitalist team involved the engineer Nevil Shute, better known today for his novels, and Barnes Wallis, the genius behind the bouncing bomb. Cruelly, the fate of the Socialist R101 damned both projects." Marc Sidwell discusses collectivism, the free market and airships.

Caroline's Miscellany presents some of Leeds' architectural curiosities.