The Joy of Six 1159

"We rarely recognise how deeply the car is cherished in British political culture. We mock the American attachment to giant vehicles and vast multi-lane freeways, and their non-existent public transport systems - but we are far closer to them than we would like to admit. Far from there being a 'war on the motorist', much of British economic and transport policy is oriented in their direction." The war on motorists is a myth, says Lewis Goodall.

Chris Dillow argues that the Conservatives have given up on Margaret Thatcher's belief in freedom and much else that she stood for: "Thatcher was smart enough to know that if you wanted people to support capitalism you had to give them at least a chance of owning property. Today's Tories have forgotten this."

An open letter from health professionals asserts that the government has a moral duty to help people harmed by prescribed dependence-forming drugs.

Judy Woodruff talked to PBS News Hour about the connections between decline of local news and growing political division.

"Austin enjoyed only thirty years of adult life – perhaps half of what he might have reasonably expected - and he had little opportunity to revise or develop his ideas. But in those thirty years he had two careers of outstanding international importance in largely unrelated fields. Very few can equal this achievement." Thomas Nagel reviews a biography of the influential post-war philosopher J.L. Austin, who was also the officer in charge of gathering intelligence for the D-Day landings.

Graham McCann tells the sad story of the hugely popular radio comedian Jimmy Clitheroe's unsuccessful attempts to conquer television.