Author Archives: odeboyz

George Osborne, VAT and Conservative Extremism

Posted on May 19, 2017 by odeboyz

On 4th January next year (2011), the main rate of VAT will rise from 17.5 to 20 per cent…. This single tax measure will by the end of this Parliament generate over £13 billion a year of extra revenues. That … Continue reading →

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Lenin’s cushy exile in Siberia 1897-1900

Posted on May 16, 2017 by odeboyz

He… received a steady stream of books on extended loan from libraries in St Petersburg and Moscow, via the good offices of his sisters, to supply his voracious appetite for reading. Despite his frustrations with the speed of the postal … Continue reading →

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Theresa May: Running for president

Posted on May 16, 2017 by odeboyz

The ‘C’ word is missing! Chris PS I did of course mean Conservative

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Theresa May: Full of unimpressive overconfidence?

Posted on May 12, 2017 by odeboyz

Theresa May’s endless talk of “strong and stable” leadership… poses the question: is she really strong or is this yet another example of overconfidence? Dogmatism and inflexibility are not the same as strength. Often, people boast of qualities they are … Continue reading →

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Morning Registration at William Tyndale School in the 1950s

Posted on May 11, 2017 by odeboyz

At my junior school in Upper Street, Islington, London as soon as the whistle was blown in the morning we all lined up in our classes and marched two by two into school from the playground. It was very regimented. The … Continue reading →

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‘100,000 Roofs’: Germany’s Green Energy Policy

Posted on May 9, 2017 by odeboyz

“Germany’s….’100,000 roofs’ programme to encourage residential and industrial investment in the technology… kicked the solar PV industry into high gear, and Germany grew its solar PV capacity from just 62 MWs in 2000 to over 24,000 MWs by 2011. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, housing, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Another time and in another place

Posted on May 9, 2017 by odeboyz

Growing up muscles became stronger Imagination, lent alternative scenarios To turn into, adventures of learning The mind did not develop as fast as strength. Encouraged to try Drawing, painting, model building, Even sculpture with clay Led to sometimes clumsy attempts … Continue reading →

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Theresa May: Confident in her bunker

Posted on May 5, 2017 by odeboyz

Chri

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George Osborne, child benefit and the Conservative hard-right 2010-7

Posted on May 5, 2017 by odeboyz

Hard-right chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne (2010-6) used the 2008 financial crash to reduce some British welfare payments. His ideological austerity programme was combined with political pragmatism. Child Benefit, which is paid to mothers as a tax free sum, … Continue reading →

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Solitary Confinement: US style

Posted on May 2, 2017 by odeboyz

Bruce Ward , imprisoned in Arkansas since 1990, has been in solitary confinement through-out that period i.e. 27 years. “He spends all day and night in a cell measuring 12 ft by 7.5 ft (3.6 metres by 2.3 metres) with … Continue reading →

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