The Joy of Six 1047

The government's declared policy of "levelling up" has done nothing for inequality, argues Zubaida Haque: "Not only is inequality between regions getting worse, but disadvantaged groups are being pushed more to the breadline. And with Boris Johnson stumbling from one political crisis to another, it’s hard to be convinced that levelling up is anything more than another campaign slogan on the side of a bus."

"Even Johnson’s critics will have been taken aback by the sheer crass inhumanity of the current scheme. It is the wrong answer to the decades-old question of how to make use of the Commonwealth and, like almost everything else the prime minister touches, it is likely to reflect badly on everyone involved." Philip Murphy on Britain, Rwanda and the Commonwealth.

Mark Fellowes and Jo Anna Reed Johnson say the new GCSE in natural history can help us towards a greener future.

Jonathan Meades loves the new Pevsner guide to Birmingham.

"I try to be really honest with myself about the music I love, and the music I really need in my life. Am I holding onto an LP purely because it’s got a great cover, or because I’ve always felt I should like it more, or because I feel a little sorry for it?" Tom Cox ruminates on record collecting.

"Rather than telling the story of a king, especially one who is viewed so differently, from really evil to saint-like, the windows show universal human experiences and the hope of redemption offered by Christ." Dottie Tales celebrates the Richard III stained windows in Leicester Cathedral.