Author Archives: odeboyz

Begging and Beggars: London Borough of Havering, August 2018

Just the other day*, my wife and I went to Sainsbury’s in Hornchurch High Street. We passed three beggars sitting near the entrance – none actually saying anything, each looking pathetic. I suppose the older woman seemed more needful, but … Continue reading

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Book review: Anonymous ~ The Secret Barrister: stories of the Law and How It’s Broken

The Secret Barrister quickly establishes his non-traditional background. He was educated at a comprehensive school and isn’t a high-flyer. His post-2000 career has been blighted by reductions in legal aid payments. He offers many examples of stellar legal work but … Continue reading

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An adroit Trade Union negotiator

Negotiations were at an impasse. The union denied their members were flagrantly abusing the company’s sick-leave provisions. During negotiations the H.R. director held up the morning edition of the newspaper, “This man called in sick yesterday!” There, on the sports … Continue reading

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The long road to chaos

Cameron hadn’t the courage To confront the Euro haters in his ranks So he call for a ‘peoples vote’ Bear in mind this was at the height of his Savage cuts and imposed austerity. “I’ll see this through, whatever the … Continue reading

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One for Theresa ‘Hostile Environment’ May’s scrapbook

“Kurdish refugee who fled to Britain from war in Iran wins mathematics’ highest honour” The Guardian 2nd August 2018 p3 Chris

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John Kenneth Galbraith’s Wealth and Poverty (1963)

“The modern conservative… not even especially modern… is engaged… in one of man’s oldest, best financed, most applauded, and, on the whole, least successful exercises in moral philosophy. That is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness….Social Security … Continue reading

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State Sponsored Kidnapping: Britain, Israel and the USA

1 Britain: Conscientious Objectors1 The British army was a volunteer force in 1914 until the war lost its popularity. The actuality of slaughter reduced the numbers of men volunteering. The government passed the Military Service Act in January 1916 to … Continue reading

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Jewish fathers and their sons

“Rabbi, I brought him up in the faith, gave him a very expensive Bar Mitzvah and spent a fortune educating him. Then last week he tells me he’s decided to be a Christian. Rabbi, where did I go wrong?” The … Continue reading

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Book Review: A A Dhand ~ Girl Zero

The hackneyed British thriller genre featuring maverick Detective Inspectors is moved on by Dhand. Detective Inspector Harry Virdee is British-Asian brought up in Bradford where his father owned a corner shop. As a teenager Harry murdered a thief who was … Continue reading

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Chris Grayling: A Tory extremist

…. Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Justice between 2012 and 2015, announced his populist plans to make prisons, already hideous tombs of violence, death and terror, ‘less lax’ and more ‘spartan’, introducing severe restrictions on prisoners’ ‘privileges’ – … Continue reading

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