What the World Snail Racing Championships say about rural England
Summer fetes show there is still hope for the English village
Arriving at The “Big Summer Bash” in Congham, in East Anglia, one cannot help but notice the peculiar containers carried by many visitors: oddly shaped tupperwares and terrariums, stuffed with foliage. Inside are small, slimy athletes. For this is the World Snail Racing Championships. And trainers from as far afield as South Korea, America and France have come to test their molluscs’ mettle.
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Why Britain’s police hardly solve any crimes
Crime has become more complex. The police have not kept up
Seven in ten Britons expect more riots
Our survey finds that Britons are pessimistic about the country’s cohesion
A year after Britain’s riots, things have deteriorated
The police are better; the politicians are worse
Vindication for two bankers. Questions for Britain’s legal system
The LIBOR saga reflects badly on the courts
The peril of trying to please people
Compromise rarely leads to contentment. But it nearly always leads to costs
Blighty newsletter: Can electoral reform fix Britain’s growth?
Matthew Holehouse, our British political correspondent, asks what might happen if Britain made voting compulsory