The Joy of Six 1049

"Some people believe that support for the war comes out of the propaganda itself. In a way, this is true, of course. But why do people believe it? The formulas work because people can use them for their own ends. The public are the victims of propaganda but, at the same time, it’s made-to-order just for them." Shura Burtin asks why Russians support the war against Ukraine.

Sean Kippen reviews This is Not Normal: The Collapse of Liberal Britain by William Davies.

"By marginalising the empowering role of institutions in Savile’s crimes, both the Netflix documentary and official inquiries ultimately preserve the reputations of those institutions, and absolve key individuals of responsibility. To date, few have been brought to justice for enabling, covering up or failing properly to investigate what he did." Chris Greer and Eugene McLaughlin on the response to Jimmy Savile's crimes.

Claire Fitzpatrick says too many women in prison today were the girls in care of yesterday. "Beyond the gaze of the community, their experiences are easily ignored. Yet the stubborn over-representation of those with care experience in custody must be addressed by dramatically improving the care and support that individuals receive at earlier points in their lives."

"The defeat of the Ringways marked the first time that the planners had been publicly defeated. It showed that great plans for recasting urban space were not some unanswerable edict from on high: they were political proposals that could be successfully fought against." Michael Dnes and Calum Heath discover the London urban motorways that never were.

When it comes to writing, argues Derek Thompson, simple is smart.