When the government recently stopped all fracking in England, it was seen as a victory for the activists and NGOs who had long campaigned against it. Some had gone to great lengths. Over the past few years, protesters had blocked roads, locked themselves to equipment and used various other tactics to disrupt the controversial process. A group of academics spent three years talking to these fracking protesters, to see what motivated them and how the police responded. Will Jackson worries the police increasingly think only “non-disruptive” protest is actually legitimate.

But, hang on. What if fracking isn’t properly banned after all? Two academics may have discovered a loophole in the policy, as the moratorium only applies to fracking beyond a certain pressure. Fracking sites in the north of England exceed the limit, whereas gas exploration in the south should in fact be exempt from the ban. The latter sites are in safe Tory seats, whereas the northern fracking sites are often found in marginals. Is the government playing politics with the fracking ban, wonder Keith Baker and Peter Styles?

Meanwhile, the electoral roll gets compiled each autumn which means hundreds of thousands of people could be in the wrong place when it’s time to vote in a December election. And an academic has looked at myths about only children – apparently an only child is likely to have just as many friends and be no more lonely than someone with lots of siblings.

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