I Am Voting to Stay in the EU

On 23 June, the UK will hold a referendum on whether to leave the European Union. I will be voting to stay in. The EU is far from perfect, but I believe the UK is better off remaining a member.

I'll explain why, and comment on the campaign in general, as and when I have time. (Fatherhood is a great joy and I wouldn't change it for the world, but it does cut down on my available blogging time.)

Meanwhile, my views are very much in agreement with the Scientists for EU campaign.

Cute Cat Friday 2016-04-01: Cat Not Included

Happy April Fool's Day!

Here is the resident cat at Scottsdale Garden Centre in Horningsea, near Cambridge. The sofa is for sale, I'm pretty sure the cat isn't.

The Inner Conflict of Han Solo [SPOILERS]

Obligatory warning!

Major spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Continue at your own risk.

Cute Cat Friday 2016-03-25: Joni

Who disturbs my slumber?

The Calculus of Patriotism

Last week was a significant one for Scotland. Thursday 24 March was the prospective date for Scottish independence, if the 2014 referendum had gone the other way; the Scotland Act became law, devolving additional powers to Holyrood; and the annual Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report was published by the Scottish Government.

With the fall in oil price and ensuing collapse in North Sea oil revenues, Scotland's deficit has drastically worsened. The deficit of the UK as a whole is 4.9% of GDP; that of Scotland is 9.7%. This would have presented a serious problem for the government of a newly independent Scotland.

Cute Cat Friday 2016-03-18: Joni

Sleepy cat.

The Trump Dilemma

The elders of the Republican party are presented with an interesting choice. It's now all but inevitable Trump will go into the convention with a big lead in delegates, if not an outright majority. They can use backroom shenanigans to exclude Trump, within the letter of the party rules; or make their peace with his nomination.

Donald Trump