Reciprocity

Around Easter, we spent a week away in Portugal. It was a good holiday. However, customs was a massive pain - being non-EU citizens we were (rightly) shunted into the "other passports" lane, which then proceeded extremely slowly. Given that we had a car booked for a particular time, and that time gradually inched past, this was a real nuisance.

And yet, all of that was entirely reasonable. As I said, we're no longer EU citizens, and so it was appropriate that we were required to use the lane for non-EU passports.

But imagine my annoyance when we returned to the UK, specifically Edinburgh airport, only to find ourselves shunted into a lane for UK passport holders... and also holders of EU passports. And so we again found ourselves in a very long queue as the team there (who were, of course, short staffed) had to deal with all the passports.

A few weeks ago I had a trip to the US. This one was somewhat easier, in that I was traveling on my own, and so was able to make use of e-gates when available.

However, on arrival to the US I was (rightly) shunted into the "other passports" lane, which then proceeded fairly slowly. Given that I was tired and hungry by this point, that wasn't ideal... but, again, it's absolutely right and fair that the US prioritize their citizens.

Flying back to the UK, I was struck by the fact that I was on an absolutely full plane, and was going to b properly shattered by the time we landed - I've never been able to sleep on a plane, so had been awake 25 hours by the time we landed. Still, I consoled myself with the thought that most of the people on the plane were from the US, so at least I'd have a much shorter lane, for UK and EU citizens, waiting for me at passport control.

But no! Because it turns out that, at Edinburgh at least, US citizens can again use exactly the same lane as UK and EU citizens. (And, actually, it was worse even than that, because just as we arrived at passport control a large cadre of passengers from the EU also arrived.)

Oh, and also, Edinburgh does have an "other passports" lane, but there were such a tiny number of people in that category at that time that they sailed through faster than everyone else!

It's fair to say I have found a new pet peeve!

The thing that most annoys me about this is reciprocity, or rather the lack of it. I would very much prefer to be part of the EU, but we're not. Nor are we part of the US. So I have absolutely no problem with them requiring us to use the "other passports" lanes. Though it would be no bad thing for our leaders to agree a mutual deal whereby we can each use a faster lane - that would be really good, with no real downside I can see.

But in the absence of such a deal, surely we should apply the same rules as are imposed on us?

(Having said all that, I was struck, again, how life in the EU is just a better deal than in the UK. And, likewise, life in the US is also a better deal, although in a very different way, than in the UK. So maybe it's appropriate that this aspect of the UK sucks appropriately. But that's a whole other rant...)

Not Sure About That...

I've been reading, and enjoying, the "Edinburgh Nights" series by T.L. Huchu, of which "The Legacy of Arniston House" is the fourth and penultimate volume. They're set in a fairly bleak post-apocalypse Scotland, plus magic and ghosts and all sorts of fun things. The closest equivalent I can think of is the "Rivers of London" series, so if you've read and enjoyed those, you'll probably enjoy these.

But...

The most recent volume expands a significant amount on the lore of the setting, and in particular the timeline of how things came to be as they are - it's now possible to put a reasonably good date on events, which means in turn that when they describe some fairly horrible events visited on particular members of the Royal Family, it's pretty clear that exactly who those people are.

(It also means, incidentally, that the storyline has a missing sister in it. Maybe that will be explained in the final volume, or maybe it will just be glossed over.)

Now, here's the thing: I'm pretty far from being a royalist, and I'm a fairly lukewarm supporter of Scottish independence. But when the story talks about a riled-up group of "separatists" who attack, and ultimately kill, members of the Royal Family, and especially where it's clear who those people have to be, that's where I become rather uncomfortable. There's a good reason why most near-future dystopias tend to gloss over the fine details of just how we got from here to there, and especially in the immediate few decades.

(Incidentally, while I would end the monarchy, the way I would do it would be by closing the lines of succession, actually for both the monarchy and indeed all inherited titles. Meaning that William would still be monarch, then George, and then potentially Charlotte and/or Louis, but their children would never be in a position to succeed. That gives them plenty of time to get used to the idea of their roles ending, and in particular means that they'll know they have to make ready for post-royal careers in a way that those currently in line probably can't. But I digress.)

But what I have no desire to see, and would certainly have no truck with, is any sort of violent resolution to the question, be that the question of monarchy or of independence. Revolution is very much not something to be wished for.

#22: "The Legacy of Arniston House", by T.L. Huchu

Day 200: Update on Goals

Time for the fourth update on goals:

• Books: By Day 200 I would hope to be at 19.73 books completed. At the time of writing I have completed 19, with no fewer than 4 in progress to some extent. So that's actually going really well. However, it's worth noting that that doorstop fantasy novel I mentioned at the previous update is still in progress, so that's a matter of a little concern.
• Weight: No update.
• Church Website: No update.
• Garden: Frustratingly, the holes that I filled in were largely dug up again. We've made another fix, and hopefully the ground will get at least a little chance to recover. We're now in a position where there are just a couple of things needing sorted, so I expect to complete this.
• Blog: The target for this point in the year should be a little over 65 posts. At the time of writing, I need three more entries to reach that, which shouldn't be a problem at all.

The upshot of all of that: things are actually looking good on almost all fronts. Here's hoping that continues!

Experimental Cookery 2026: Roasted Tomato and Gochujang Rigatoni

This one comes from the June issue of the Tesco magazine. It involved roasting some tomatoes and garlic, mixed with a little gochujang paste (which I'd never used before), and then mixing with rigatoni pasta. Basically, there was nothing to it.

The resulting meal was decent. I think the tomatoes needed either a longer roast, or perhaps to be brought up to room temperature before starting, but otherwise it was fine. (Not an all-time favourite either, mind you. It was fine.)

We'd have this again, but I'm not exactly going to rush.

#21: "The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star", by Jill Murphy (a book for Funsize)

Experimental Cookery 2026: Barbecued Prawns with Harissa Mayonnaisse

This was another entry from Tom Kerridge's "The BBQ Book". It's found in his chapter in starters, but we paired these with some crusty bread and a salad, and had it as our dinner - after a recent holiday we're both leaning towards lighter dinners for the time being.

This is quick and easy to put together, but depending on circumstances may require some preparation ahead - the recipe calls for fresh prawns in their shells, while I had frozen without, so I put the prawns in to marinade (in the fridge) in the morning, rather than the suggested 40 minutes.

Otherwise, it was dead quick - 10 mins on the BBQ and we're done.

The end result was fantastic - we'd definitely have these again. Though perhaps as a starter for another meal. Which is useful, as we're shortly going to have plenty of opportunity for BBQing.

 #20: "Unfinished Tales", by J.R.R. Tolkien

Farage's Latest Antic

There is precious little to admire about Nigel Farage. However, his ability to grab the news agenda is undeniable - an announcement that he was going to make a statement at 2pm yesterday proceeded to dominate the agenda for the next several hours. Apparently, he's been suffering terrible unfairnesses and so has decided to resign and trigger a byelection.

A few things about this:

• Apparently, MPs can't actually resign directly - they get elected to serve a fixed term, with the expectation that they serve that term, unless they die. There are two sinecures in place that exist as an exception to this - they have no salary and no duties, but they have a rule that the person holding those posts cannot also be an MP. So the MP who wants to 'resign' applies for one of those posts, and is thus disqualified, and a byelection has to occur. However, I think this gives Rachel Reeves the opportunity for top quality trolling - those two sinecures are (officially at least) in the gift of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, so she could always decline to offer them to Farage.
• That said, all of that is horribly archaic nonsense. Frankly, those two roles should be abolished, with MPs instead being allowed to resign (with a proper notice period)... but barred from standing in the byelection that results. (Because what Farage is doing, like what David Davis did a few years ago, is a pointless and expensive gimmick that really shouldn't be tolerated.)
• The other funniest thing that can happen, of course, is that Farage fails to get re-elected. Apparently, the other parties have declined to stand, in order to take the interest out of this election, so the only other candidate (so far) is Count Binface. Farage took 46% of the vote last time, which is huge in a multi-party contest but not in a two-way race.

But...

• In all of this a few things seem to have been lost, which was probably Farage's intent. The thing is, for all his talk about having done nothing wrong, Farage was under investigation concerning a sizeable donation. Now, it may be that that donation was entirely legitimate. But it may also be the case that he should have declared it and failed to do so. Finally, it's also possible that the investigation itself is politically motivated - that he's being targeted because he's a threat to the establishment. The truth of this, whichever way it lies, matters significantly. If Farage broke the rules, he should face the appropriate sanction, and a byelection win shouldn't allow him to weasel out of that. Conversely, if he is being targeted unfairly, that too is a big problem and needs to be dealt with - while I have no sympathy with Farage, and no agreement with his party or policies, the rules have to be fair for everyone including those we most dislike.
• In his diatribe Farage also made a number of serious allegations about democratic issues - that the rules for the upcoming election for the new Manchester mayor were being changed specifically to disadvantage Reform, that votes were being extended to 16 year olds for specifically party-political reasons, and that the rules for political donations were likewise being changed specifically to harm Reform. Again, the truth of these things matters. And, again, the rules have to be fair for everyone.

Now, that said, I'm of the view that votes for 16 year olds is long overdue... and indeed that Labour are probably slightly too late to gain the benefit that the expect, as the Greens will capitalise instead. And the rules on donating to political parties in this country are not as they should be, especially as regards foreign donors. I do, however, have much more concern about the changes to the rules for the election of the mayor - I find it remarkable that the government of the day just happens to put in place the system that they think will give them the very best outcome, and indeed that they are permitted to do so. These things really should be administered by an independent body.

But all of that is an aside. More important than the specific set of rules is that a fair set of rules is put in place and then applied equally to all, without fear or favour.

Also: Vote Binface!

Congratulations - You're Now Old!

At some point I may post about the celebrations for my 50th birthday. They were good.

Less good is that since then I have found myself suddenly getting a lot of letters and other messages that were clearly triggered by my turning 50 - the NHS have sent me a stick for a poo test, while two of my three pension providers have sent me a "wake up" letter to suggest that I should start thinking about retirement.

Fun times.

At least, for now, Amazon haven't started to offer up walking sticks in their "For You" section of Today's Deals. Though I daresay that that's coming.