Opinion

Today the Department for Exiting the EU published its white paper here . In it, 12 principles are laid out. My main concern is that most of these are promises and aspirations, with very little that is measurable. 1)  Providing certainty and clarity , meaning nothing. We've also been told there'll be no running commentary. So what can businesses expect? What certainty is there for EU nationals living here? Nobody knows. 2) Taking control of our own laws . EU laws offer a huge amount of flexibility. Unfortunately Britain will be a little fish in a big pond, and will have diminished international influence and control over the EU and no control over the rules of the market which we must trade with. Britain is already shunned internationally. This statement amused me: "Whilst Parliament has remained sovereign throughout our membership of the EU" . The entire point of Brexit just evaporated right there. 3)  Strengthening the Union - whatever that means. Scotland ...

Yesterday was the last hope of averting Brexit - where the UK parliament voted to notify the EU that the UK was leaving. There was a possibility that enough MPs who were pro-EU and think Brexit would be a disaster would vote with their conscience, or that the UK Labour party would oppose the motion. There was also the hope that public opinion would have shifted by now as it became apparent that every single one of Leave's promises and projections were false.  There would never be £350m per week for the NHS, and that we are unlikely to get a trade deal with EU and maintain access, let alone free trade or services with the EU single market. We will all be poorer. Since public opinion is still apparently in favour of Brexit, MPs have been sat like rabbits in headlights watching Brexit approach them. Nobody really believes in it, and even Brexit supporters are quietly admitting their lies that there will be a financial cost, but stubbornly insist that the prize of "sovereign...

Argh, I have Lyme disease! What is it? Lyme disease is a vector-borne bacterial infection, which is typically spread by ticks. Here is one: http://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Pests/Ticks/TickPhotoGallery There is a lot of out of date information about Lyme, for example that ticks are the only carriers, that the tick needs to be attached for a long period of time, that it is geographically limited, that a rash (erithema migrans) is common, that Lyme is easy to diagnose, that blood tests are reliable, that symptoms are mild, and that patients recover well from the recommended antibiotic treatment. Whilst our understanding of Lyme disease has developed, much of this old thinking still persists, resulting in poor diagnoses, and patients being generally under-treated. It is estimated that only around 60% of people with Lyme disease make a full recovery, with the rest experiencing lingering chronic symptoms. "Chronic" Lyme patients are often in very p...

Britain has set sail on the wrong course. Theresa May actually gave a very strong speech today, where she set out the plan for Brexit. She set out in the strongest possible terms that the UK would indeed be leaving the customs union and the single market, yet would seek a trade deal to minimise disruption and maximise trade. I liked her honesty - she sees that remaining in the single market would involve too many compromises. She was wrong that voters went into this with their eyes open. Most voters would have been under the impression that we could maintain similar trade arrangements after Brexit. The crux of the issue is this mythical trade deal that we would get with the EU. In particular, she was optimistically hoping that it could be hammered out within 2 years in order to minimise disruption, however on that point she is utterly mistaken. What we instead have is a massive gamble by Leave that such a deal could be struck, and Leave will be left with their pants down when th...

and how this will harm the UK It’s becoming clearer by the day that the result of the referendum for the UK to leave the EU was a right wing coup. Some types of right wing are “simply” nationalists - they like to keep things British and some of them don’t like too many foreigners. Enough is enough. But there are other types of right wing which are more interesting - the right wing liberals. These are ultra-conservatives who believe that anything interfering with a free market is inherently wrong. Free marketeers are not particularly concerned about immigration. But they are instinctively suspicious of the EU, with its working time directives, environmental protections, human rights, workplace rights, product quality standards, and “red tape” (ha - wait until the UK leaves the EU!) and somewhat left-wing leanings. In short, ethics. Some prominent right-wingers may even have experienced personal inconvenience or minor financial loss at the hands of the EU, and are out to get it. For...

Free-marketeers were all too happy win the EU referendum by exploiting a wave of nationalism, but in doing so they locked themselves out of any “deal” with the EU, ensuring catastrophe and sealing their own downfall. There are many honest reasons that people voted to leave the EU, and “simple racism” or “a cry for help” don’t really capture it. For sure, people wanted change, and wanted to take back control of their own lives if not their own country. Most people vote whichever way their newspapers tell them to, and the gutter press is awash incessant drip-drip of anti-immigration anti-EU sentiment. If the newspapers tell them they’ll be more prosperous outside of the EU, then people will believe it. There are plausible arguments on both sides. I can’t do the maths either, and it boils down to who you trust. We really need to look behind the headlines, to see who is pulling the strings. From James Dyson, Rupert Murdoch, Boris Johnson, Daniel Hannan and Nigel Farage, these were all...

Secrecy is a democratic outrage that gains us very little The Independent: Brexit negotiation details will be kept secret from Parliament, David Davis says (12th September 2016) David Davis has unilaterally decided that it's necessary to keep their Brexit discussions "secret" from parliament. I suspect that the real reason for this is for the convenience of Mr Davis, who is tired of constant scrutiny. Scrutiny would show just how ill-informed and unprepared DExEU really is, and Mr Davis wants to save himself embarrassment. [Edited to add: This also seems like a cynical ploy to prevent the Tory party from blowing up.] The reason given is that it would "undermine our negotiating stance". Davis imagines himself to be a hard-nosed negotiator who will outwit the Europeans like we did in World War 2. I cannot conceive what possible advantages this secret ploy will gain, unless the secret ploy is that there isn't one. As soon as we engage with the EU, everyt...

Andrew Tyrie overestimates the UK's control over when the UK government can invoke Article 50. As with much of the Brexit debate, hope and aspiration trump cold hard reality. The next few months will see a lot of work by the UK government setting up new departments and policy positions relating to the triggering of Article 50 and Britain's exit from the EU. This is a sensible and necessary delay. However this article by The Independent makes the case that the UK should delay invoking Article 50 until we establish an informal agreement with the EU on our exit terms. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-theresa-may-andrew-tyrie-must-manage-unrealistic-expectations-warns-tory-mp-a7220681.html This is very desirable from the UK's perspective, but flatly contradicts statements by the EU (including direct statements by Jean-Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk and Cecilia Malmström, as well as official EU policy) that no talks can happen prior to invoking Article 50...

We are heading for an all-or-nothing deal with the EU. It's over two months since the Referendum on whether the UK should leave the EU, and a few things have started to happen. Firstly, we have a new team in government, led by Theresa May, who seemed determined to make Brexit happen, and make Brexit work. These people seem bloody minded, are impervious to evidence and are happy to steamroller due process. The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is also anti-EU, will uphold the referendum and is an electoral disaster. An extremely weak opposition. The Labour leadership contender Owen Smith seems much more amenable but probably lacks enough support in the wider Labour Party. The Remain campaign Remain shambolic. They have now rebranded themselves "Open Britain" and seem indistinguishable from the Leave campaign. The man to really fear is David Davis, the Minister for Brexit. He seems to be in favour of "Flexcit", using EEA as a stepping-stone to leaving the EU, but...

I was just watching the F1 Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, and was struck by a couple of sentences which occurred in the space of about 10 minutes. On a (male) racing driver, by a man: "apart from being tall dark and handsome, what do we know about Manor's new driver?" On David Coulthard, by a woman, "he's completely gorgeous". No similar comments on females were made. I have no problem with this, but I wonder how feminists would have reacted if the genders of the drivers were reversed? I could imagine them using this as further "proof" that society is inherently sexist, is objectifying women, and that the value of a female is still tied to her appearance. If you look at glossy magazines and calendars, they are full of well toned topless men. A Google search for "sexy male calendar" yields more hits than a similar search for "sexy female calendar." I don't care, but I do mind feminists claiming that only females are obje...

Brian lives with long-term partner Eugene. But Brian is always grumbling, and one day they decide to split up. Act 1: The breakup Scene 1: Brian : We need to talk. Eugene : Uh oh, okay then. Brian : You've changed and I'm not happy any more. I don't like living under your rules. You need to change... Eugene : I'm not sure I can. Brian : That's it, I'm walking out. Scene 2: Brian : I need to take control of my life. I'm leaving. Eugene : Fine, just go. Brian : I'll save so much money because I won't need to pay any household bills. Eugene : You are an idiot. Brian : I save so much time on paperwork. Eugene : You are still an idiot. Brian : I won't need to see your stupid friends any more. Eugene : But my friends are great and really help us out. Brian : I really mean it. I'm going. Eugene : Well, what are you waiting for? Act 2: The separation Scene 1: Brian : Before I go, I have a few demands. Eugene : What? Just go away already. ...

I found David Davis's article on his economic strategy for Brexit to be quite illuminating. Here it is: http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2016/07/david-davis-trade-deals-tax-cuts-and-taking-time-before-triggering-article-50-a-brexit-economic-strategy-for-britain.html The main points are as follows: 1) Britain should start making trade negotiations now 2) We should sound out the EU prior to invoking Article 50 3) We should invoke Article 50 when we're good and ready (e.g. by year end) 4) The EU will in all likelihood yield to our demands to access the single market 5) We should be prepared to walk away from the EU (to WTO rules) 6) Many trade deals can be in place within 2 years. 7) Our long term future is rosier outside of the EU. Another source of (quite blunt) views on Brexit come in the comments sections of The Express, and other tabloids who have been feeding their readers all sorts of anti-EU pro-Brexit stories which have stoked up their readership in...

Article 50 (A50) represents the point of no return, where the UK formally announces that it is withdrawing from the EU. The real point of no return was of course the referendum result, but A50 represents the next milestone in the Brexit process. Those calling for an early A50 argue that there is no benefit to delaying, as this just adds uncertainty and delays the entire process and inevitable recovery. They (mainly Leavers) don't want the referendum result annulled. Those who want to delay A50 say that we need time to prepare (not least, set up a new department for Brexit), and entertain the notion of pre-negotiations, as well as buying time to set up trade deals elsewhere in the world. The EU is very clear that there can be no exit negotiations until Article 50 has been triggered, and it looks very unwilling to compromise. The markets have taken the Brexit vote relatively calmly, and so far it's been very smooth going. This is because nothing has actually happened yet, and wo...

The trouble with an in/out referendum is that there are many different issues which all get conflated into one binary decision. It’s a bit like voting for Labour/Conservative, when you may not agree with everything one particular party does. It would be utterly wrong to paint the majority of Leavers as racists. Although I voted Remain myself, it is important to understand and respect the people who voted Leave. There are some very good, and very valid reasons for voting Leave: We do not agree that the United States of Europe is the right direction for Europe, and we do not want to be part of it. Further integration is undesirable.  The European project is doomed to failure, perhaps by a debt crisis. Best just to leave a sinking ship.  We have no control over our borders, either from Eastern Europeans, Turkey, or from other migrant crises from Syria.  Our sense of identity is fundamentally British, not European.  We have our own values, which are distinct fro...

Although events are unfolding at a rapid pace, a lot of these things are largely irrelevant. It looks like the Conservative Party will hold itself together and conduct an orderly leadership election. The sheer panic of Friday 24rd of June is now over, and the markets have rebounded. There will be no annulment of the result, no re-runs, and no early general election. The rhetoric of the Leave politicians has changed. There has been a huge amount of back-pedalling by the Leave campaigners, who now recognise late in the day the need to cooperate closely with Europe. They now recognise that they must (1) stay in the single market, and (2) retain bank "passporting" rights, which mean that our banks can operate in Europe from London. By default, both of these would be forfeited if we left the EU. The markets have responded positively, because if Britain does maintain access to the single market and passporting, then it's almost business as usual. But I fear their optimism ...

I've been following various anti-feminist groups for a few months, and am now, in a very unscientific sense, able to summarise my impressions. My brushes with feminism have always been quite problematic, and it's fair to say that all is not well with feminism. It is perfectly reasonable to criticise feminism, because bad feminism, of which there is a lot, will at best achieve nothing and at worst actually end up harming women and men. My main criticisms of feminism are that it's incredibly pejorative, and it only focusses on the problems of one gender. In fact, any feminist who focuses on, or even raises the issue of men, is rather insultingly called a "menimist", and is accused of bleating "what about the men?" Ironic, since the entire point of feminism is "what about the women?" Like feminism, anti-feminism actually comes in many different flavours, and it's important to realise that not all feminists are crazy, and not all ...

As a software developer, I see regular discussion about gender issues in software engineering. In particular, this article by Bruce Perens asserts that women are treated badly in open source, and gives some suggestions how to address it. Another interesting website is  geekfeminism.org , in particular their  Timeline of incidents . I would certainly agree with Perens that online communities can be very hostile and rude, yet I think it goes too far to suggest that the majority of men in general, and open source contributors in particular, have a problem, even subconsciously, with women. The few women I have encountered in a technical context have been excellent, and I wish there were more of them. I certainly avoid online discussions for the reason that people can be very rude, and this is a real shame. But as a man, who in spite of my limited online presence, has been at the receiving of rudeness from plenty of men and women. The normal, sensible reaction to this, is tha...

A feminist article was recently brought to my attention, called "How to Talk to Little Girls" by Lisa Bloom . Whilst I agree with everything Lisa says, my heart immediately sank, as it reminded me once again that feminists only ever care for their own. The entire article would have been equally valid if it had been talking about little boys. For the TL;DR, the article basically forwards the idea (which I agree with) that praising girls' appearance is counter-productive since it emphasises body image, which can lead to harmful obsessions. Instead, little girls should be engaged on an intellectual basis, for example by talking about books. There are a few assumptions here. 1) that body image issues only affect girls. I uncovered some articles from The Guardian (2012) and by Naomi Weinshenker (2014) that basically suggest that men and teenage boys are as much if not more worried about body image than women. Certainly, teenage boys kill themselves more often than teena...

If feminism were really about gender equality, then feminists should be spending time looking at all situations where people are disadvantaged on the basis of gender. Yes, that includes men. The immediate reaction - that only women are disadvantaged on the basis of gender - is simply untrue. The fact is that men and women face quite different challenges. The challenges faced by women are quite well known. They generally earn less money than men, they are underrepresented at senior level in various institutions including board rooms and government, they are more often and more severely the victims of sexual and domestic violence, religion can restrict them in various ways, they are more housebound and take on an unfair burden of child-rearing, they feel they have lower status, men disrespect them, they sometimes get worse education, they get raped in war, they have less freedom.  I may have missed some. And I’m all for fixing these issues, by for example mandating equal pa...