Six of the Best 515

"When I started at Lochaber High School, the prizes he had won as a school debater adorned the walls; as pupils knew, at university he had gone on to win the national championship for Glasgow. It was clear that he was a phenomenon." Danny Alexander pays tribute to Charles Kennedy.

Affordable housing quotas get waived and the interests of residents trampled as toothless authorities bow to the dazzling wealth of investors from Russia, China and the Middle East, says Oliver Wainwright.

Scottish Nationalists and English Tories obsess about the BBC because they want it to be more not less biased, argues Nick Cohen.

David Boyle discussed local economics and inter-party collaboration with Andrew Simms and Caroline Lucas at the Hay Festival.

"Until well into the 20th century, the horse played an important role in the running of Britain’s railways." RailwayManiacs Blog tells a forgotten story.

The Downstairs Lounge explains how an album recorded in a small Welsh rugby club created a star of 1970s comedy.