R is a programming language for statistical analysis and visualisation that I'm taking an interest in for a work project. It's another open source tool that makes us richer. One way it does that is by being used by Steve McIntyre to plot climate data and replicate (or not) the hockey team's research. While researching R, I found R-bloggers, and in particular a post about the use of ...

Makes me glad I’m a liberal really. Do note the little judo trick in there though. The scientific paper shows that racism and homophobia are associated with low intelligence. That these are conservative ideas is then sorta assumed (yes, there really is left wing racism, left wing homophobia). And then the leap…..thus all conservative ideas

In the free and fluid exchange of opinions and ideas is there some basis of measurement that makes one man's more valuable than another's? Heading to CPAC this week I am looking forward to speaking with, and listening to, some of the best minds in the conservative movement. As the United States heads into the heart of the 2012 election cycle with a somewhat flawed Republican candidate (r...

The economist Dieter Helm is one of the few policy thinkers respected on both sides of the coalition. Oliver Letwin is a long-standing friend of his and Clegg’s office views him as one of the best economic brains in the country. All of which makes Helm’s attack on Chris Huhne’s energy policies in The Times today as interesting as the anti-wind farm letter signed by a 101 Tory MPs...

On the way the solar power FiT works: As Lord Marland put it this week: “It is already going to cost the consumer £7 billion for £400 million of net present value.” This makes the consumer £ 6.6 billion poorer of course. We really do want to remember only to do those things which have

I think I can live with this description on Twitter: djdoucheface david watson but this conservative douche nuts forbes journalist actually makes some annoyingly decent points au contraire onforb.es/wE4yYv

Revised draft of European fiscal pact extends role for EU institutions and makes explicit reference to the single market

A very useful contribution from Lord Ashcroft this morning, in the form of a poll he’s commissioned on Scottish independence. What sets Ashcroft’s poll apart from previous surveys is that he asks three different questions to three different sets of around 1,000 Scots.   The first is the question Alex Salmond wants on the ballot paper at the referendum: ‘Do you agree that Sco...

Today’s White Paper on defence procurement makes disappointing reading for the UK defence industry — and for anyone who believes that one of the lessons of the last few years is that we need a more active industrial policy. IPPR set out the case in a recent report on globalisation, arguing for sustained support for industries, like defence, which have high potential for growth, for exp...

A slowdown in the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy makes it unlikely Madrid will be able to hit deficit targets