The Joy of Six 1133

"Thatcher, like her contemporaries in all parties, thought the job of politicians was not so much to sheepishly follow public opinion as to shape it. In her 1975 speech opposing the EU referendum, she approvingly cited a letter to the Evening Standard pointing out that if it had been left to the will of the people, 'we would have no Race Relations Act, immigration would have been stopped, abortions would still be illegal and hanging still be in force'." Chris Dillow on politicians who appeal to 'the will of the people'.

Michael Rosen counters Nick Gibb, the Conservative education minister, and his claim to have "won the phonics war and got England reading".

"For reasons that are a little bit unclear - declining religiosity, the rise of social media, maybe - for a long time now, Americans have been reporting more time spent alone, smaller social networks, and fewer people they can confide in. Isolation is not a trivial thing, but a serious threat to survival, coming with increased stress, insomnia, suicide risk, and hypertension." Angie Schmitt asks what urban planning can do to counter an epidemic of loneliness.

Cal Newport wonders if a four-day week is a radical enough solution to the problem of burn-out in office workers.

Neil Drysdale celebrates the 40th birthday of Bill Forsyth's film Local Hero.

"On a peaceful hillside thousands of Sheffield’s citizens lie at rest, some with graves marked by grand memorials, others unseen beneath the trees and undergrowth. After a period of post-war neglect and uncertainty, the Sheffield General Cemetery is now a celebrated part of the city’s heritage." Caroline from Flickering Lamps shows us around.