Monthly Archives: April 2020

A 1950s Ronald Searle cartoon

Posted on April 30, 2020 by odeboyz

From Down with Skool by Willans and Searle

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Book Review: John Lanchester ~ The Wall (2019)

Posted on April 30, 2020 by odeboyz

Lanchester builds on the absurdity of Trump’s impenetrable wall to prevent immigration. He conceives of a wall around the British Isles. Naturally a wall isn’t enough. It must be defended, as all walls must be, which consumes enormous manpower. That … Continue reading →

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Recycling, Craftsmen and Bonuses

Posted on April 30, 2020 by odeboyz

In the 1970s I worked for Hackney Council at the Defoe Road Depot, as a plumber. Once I was paired with George the roofer, and his labourer Tom. We had to strip and renew an ‘up and over’ slate roof … Continue reading →

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The new economic world for OAPs

Posted on April 27, 2020 by odeboyz
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Andrew Lansley’s ignorance of risk and the NHS

Posted on April 27, 2020 by odeboyz

“The reduction in spare capacity is a management imperative imposed in order to survive the regular scrutiny of analysts and auditors. Increasingly this applies to the public sector and utilities, too. For instance, the stocks of oxygen bottles, bandages, spare … Continue reading →

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Time

Posted on April 26, 2020 by odeboyz

Shoulders slumped forward Elbows drag behind the chest Slightly tired bandy legs Above the flat feet, that ache. What happened, to that, once was physique The body that was so strong That mind that didn’t consider Time would take such … Continue reading →

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The perils of old age

Posted on April 23, 2020 by odeboyz

“It’s been so long since I’ve had sex, I’ve forgotten who ties up whom.” A Joan Rivers quip

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Why Stalin thought El Alamein was a Sideshow

Posted on April 23, 2020 by odeboyz

“Churchill sent a telegram to Stalin on 7th July [1941] promising every possible help…”* Churchill wrote the script of British understanding of the Second World War. One result of this is that the Soviet Union’s gigantic battles are virtually unknown. … Continue reading →

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First things first!

Posted on April 20, 2020 by odeboyz
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SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Heydrich’s widow: an unrepentant Nazi

Posted on April 20, 2020 by odeboyz

The German authorities, too, turned a blind eye to the Heydrich case. Lina never stood trial for the maltreatment of her slave labourers in Jungfern-Breschan. On the contrary, in the context of the so-called de-Nazification process, she was officially cleared … Continue reading →

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