The Joy of Six 1366

"Our shared values and security pacts with Europe may eventually lead to a different ‘special relationship’ than the one we believed we had. A swift referendum, though likely to reverse Brexit, wouldn’t be sustainable (or trusted by the EU) if it leaves too many voters entrenched in old biases. So it’s baby steps for now, while the media and government catch up with changing attitudes." Jenny Rhodes looks at the UK/EU relationship after last month's reasonably successful summit.

Toby Buckle argues that the dominant narrative explaining the appeal of Donald Trump has got it all wrong: "Far-left radicals, socialists, liberals, centrists, old-fashioned conservatives, academics, mainstream journalists, and everyone else who simply cannot imagine voting for the man themselves, all tend to default to one narrative: Many Americans are struggling economically, left behind, urgently wanting a more egalitarian society, and turned to a fascist movement in desperation."

Gregory McElwain on the importance of the philosopher Mary Midgeley.

"Los Angeles’ roads have contributed to climate change not only for the obvious ways in which they’ve encouraged the extraction and consumption of petroleum-derived fuels. They’ve also contributed to climate change in the way they’ve required the drying-out of millions of cubic-feet of soil - soil that, were it still wet, would do much to moderate the severe wildfire events that will continue to reshape the city’s urban landscape and livability in this century." Charlotte Leib looks at what a century of landscape manipulation has done to Los Angeles.

Nadia Khomami reports on new research that suggests the novelist Barbara Pym may have worked for MI5.

"While today a dot ball in limited-overs cricket is often seen as an achievement, in 1969 a Somerset spinner finished with figures of 8-8-0-0 in a 40-over match." Martin Williamson remembers a bowling fear by Brian Langford that will never be repeated.