The last two GM crops awaiting approval for use in Britain were withdrawn yesterday, thank goodness (see here). At the same time, though, the US is pressing ahead with plans to site a European version of its Son of Star Wars missle defence programme in Europe - with obviously the UK a favourite target. The cost of this scheme? $10bn per year. Why do we waste such money on these things? Aside from the defence contractors and their "cosy" relationship with government, of course... How many people could we feed with that? What kind of alternative-energy research would that fund? Why does so much money get concentrated in the wrong hands?

Mmm, organic porridge this morning...