We absolutely do need to spend more on defence. You weren't expecting that were you. Defence is about more than spending on weapons of war though. Defence at its core is about ensuring that internal and external threats don't lead to the destruction of our society.

There are many challenges facing us as a country, a continent and a species. Most of the challenges we face have nothing to do with who has the biggest aircraft carrier or who can wipe out all life on the planet the most effectively in under an hour.

The best example of work life balance I've seen was when I was working in Further Education. A colleague of mine worked part-time as a lecturer whilst his partner worked part-time in a primary school. I believe she was the deputy head. They shared parental responsibilities, led active lives and had their own small-holding.

So why did I march? I hate crowds and noise, but I felt that it would be one of the most important marches in history. It promised to be big and it was - some 670,000 people marched peacefully with some amazing banners. One of my friends and her banner made it to the Guardian - a picture of a man shooting himself in the foot, a foot with a Union Flag sock.