Monthly Archives: October 2020

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” (flips to the back of the book) I’m not going to read 380 pages if he can’t even make up his mind in the first two sentences. [an … Continue reading →

The halo effect has…. pernicious consequences. In one study, the same examination scripts were rewritten twice, once in good handwriting and once in bad handwriting. They were then given to two sets of examiners: each saw all the scripts with … Continue reading →

“He [Speer] also told the orchestra’s manager to schedule a series of last concerts. ‘When I asked them to play Bruckner’s Romantic Symphony, I told him, it would mean the end was near and the musicians should get ready to … Continue reading →

Darroch was Britain’s ambassador in Washington, 2016-19. He famously resigned after a confidential briefing note from him to the Foreign Office was leaked and the leading candidate for the leadership of the Conservative party, Boris Johnson, didn’t support him. His … Continue reading →

Kate Green (Lab) “More than 1.4 million children benefit from free school meals. Nearly 900,000 eligible children live in areas now subject to tier 2 and tier 3 covid restrictions. Their families face an upcoming furlough cliff-edge, an inadequate replacement … Continue reading →

The British empire grew after the war, despite US president Woodrow Wilson’s self-determination principle. This was intended to break empires up. Needless to relate the only empires broken up were those of the losers: Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottomans and Russia. … Continue reading →

St Peter said, “I’d like to let you in, but God says you’ve got to choose between Hell and Heaven.” He took Boris to the elevator. Down there he met thousands of friends. They hugged him and reminisced about the … Continue reading →

The Daily Telegraph’s expose* of MP’s expenses shook Britain. MPs were engaged, as a group in shameless systemic fraud. It sickened the public and destroyed the reputation of them all, the innocent and the guilty. There were significant changes to … Continue reading →