The Joy of Six 1123

Ben Ansell dissects the nonsense that is the supposed new elite: "Absolutely core to the intellectual and political manifestations of ‘populism’ is the idea that the 'people' are not being listened to. That someone else is calling the shots. An unrepresentative elite. Whether that elite is in the political system itself, or as with the 'new woke elite', largely outside of the political system but somehow responsible for policies and politics, varies across populist arguments. But in common there is an elision of differences among the people and an exaggeration of differences between the people and whichever precise elite is being castigated."

The wait for an ambulance in Shropshire is shocking and people are dying as a result, says Ludlow's Andy Boddington.

"The ultimate blame for the mess lies in an incoherent government policy rooted in ignorance, misunderstanding and stupidity. Classical music in Britain is genuinely 'world-beating, yet it is being vandalised by know-nothings with a confection of crackpot ideologies." Jessica Duchen on the BBC's classical music cuts.

Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore asks why children aren’t protected from parents who monetise their lives online: "Instagram, YouTube and TikTok have heralded an era of gauche personal branding where success is measured in followers and ‘Likes’, exposure trumps privacy, and fame translates into cash. In an influencer’s life, everything is for sale - including the kids."

John Stern says 1963 gave us gave us sex, the Beatles... and one-day cricket.

"In late 1969 photographer Mick Rock visited Syd Barrett at his flat in Wetherby Mansions, Earls Court to take pictures for the cover of Syd’s first solo album The Madcap Laughs.  Those images are among the most powerful rock photos of the era and many ended up in the hugely collectible (and now very expensive) book Psychedelic Renegades." Stuart Penney delves deep into the world of Syd Barrett,