Author Archives: odeboyz

Desirable building land – apply Chancellor of the Exchequer

Posted on June 1, 2020 by odeboyz
Posted in Economics, Humour, photography | Tagged | Leave a comment

Karl Marx as a journalist

Posted on June 1, 2020 by odeboyz

The ethos of the [Russian Crimean] army was dominated by the eighteenth-century parade-ground culture of the tsarist court, in which promotion, to quote Karl Marx, was limited to ‘martinets, whose principal merit consists of stolid obedience and ready servility added … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Hilary Mantel ~ The Mirror and the Light (2020)

Posted on June 1, 2020 by odeboyz

The scale of the success of the Thomas Cromwell trilogy is that it’s a 2112 page story about a Tudor civil servant. Cromwell’s speciality was as a courtier and sycophant endlessly grovelling to Henry VIII. He was also a ruthless … Continue reading →

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Lunchtime

Posted on May 28, 2020 by odeboyz
Posted in Health, Humour, wildlife | Tagged | Leave a comment

Heaven and Hell Defined

Posted on May 28, 2020 by odeboyz

In heaven, the English are the policemen, the French are the chefs, the Germans the mechanics, the Italians are the lovers, and the Swiss organize everything. In hell, the Germans are the policemen, the English are the chefs, the French … Continue reading →

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Failing Maths at Sir Philip Magnus school, 1958

Posted on May 28, 2020 by odeboyz

In June 1958 our class was told about the annual mathematics examination. This didn’t fill me with enthusiasm. I feared exams and I especially hated maths. Our teacher, Mr Jones, a hard Welshman from the Rhonda, made the announcement with … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiography, education, Mathematics, School | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A J P Taylor on the Nuremberg Trials

Posted on May 25, 2020 by odeboyz

Twenty years ago [1963] I published a book about the origins of the Second World War. At the time it was dismissed as wrong-headed and controversial. Now it has become the accepted version for most people. But there still lurks … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Literature, Politics, Prison, War | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: P J O’Rourke ~ Holidays in Hell (1988)

Posted on May 25, 2020 by odeboyz

Satire notoriously ages badly. So much of it depends on the readers knowledge of the setting and personality of what is being satirised. Once the moment is gone so has the point of the humour. Consider the cartoon below. It … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Humour, Politics, Travel, War | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Soldier Soldier

Posted on May 25, 2020 by odeboyz

Great Granddad, soldier of the Dragoon Guards Impeccably immaculate, imperial in his uniform Young resolute, his features sit square He looks every bit, the soldier there. What was he thinking, as the photograph was snapped His portrait for posterity, generations … Continue reading →

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The uncharitable Sisters of Charity

Posted on May 21, 2020 by odeboyz
Posted in Humour, Religion | Tagged , | Leave a comment