The Joy of Six 1055

"It is already clear (I fear) that the next round of the contest between imperial Russia and its reluctant Western adversaries will take place in the Baltics. The rule book for that tussle is being written now. Bold letters, in thick black ink, please." Ed Lucas argues that Ukraine is buying the West time and we must use it wisely.

"The government’s steadfast adherence to a policy that fails to achieve its objectives while devastating the population of a beloved native mammal with potential knock-on effects for the broader ecology indicates the stranglehold that 'simple' lethal controls have on public authorities." Mark Jones says the badger cull is not affecting the rate of tuberculosis in cattle.

Kelli María Korducki looks at the rise in the number of adults looking to be diagnosed with ADHD.

"What good is it making someone safer if it merely makes them miserable?" Celia Kitzinger attends a contested hearing in the Court of Protection.

Imogen West-Knights watches the slow-motion humiliation of Piers Morgan: "By trying to aim at a global audience, the show ends up being directionless: Morgan can’t get into detail about contemporary British political talking points, so he’s restricted to a tired deck of cards from the culture war starter pack."

Pamela Thom-Rowe on the history of morris dancing in the Shropshire hills: "According to the court records ... Nicholas Millichap and Thomas Chelmicke had gone to the village of Abdon to fetch the communion cloth from the church to use as a flag for the morris dance."