Six of the Best 380

Will G.K. Chesterton become the first member of the Liberal Party to be made a saint? David Boyle on The Real Blog shares my admiration for the great paradoxmonger.

"The American Dream has become a nightmare of social stasis." Niall Ferguson writes for The Daily Beast on the decline of social mobility in America.

CampaignerKate wins a Buckinghamshire skirmish in the battle for our freedom to roam.

Boris Johnson’s plan to bulldoze a nature reserve in West London risks flouting a law that recognises its outstanding wildlife importance, says Lester Holloway.

"With lift bridges, flint mills, lime kilns, tunnels and aqueducts, the Caldon Canal has something for everyone – all crammed into an arm that is 17 miles long (with the Leek Arm adding an additional and equally interesting 3 miles)." Narrowboat Info is the guide to this charming Staffordshire waterway.

"There's something about ads from the 50s and 60s that seems almost innocent and appealing. I guess it's just that, generally speaking, the advertising industry hadn't quite spiraled into a pit of slime quite yet." Part 1 of a survey of English cricket ads from The Wasted Afternoons.