Category Archives: Economics

An Italian economic boycott, 1848

Posted on July 12, 2021 by odeboyz

….the inhabitants of Milan, under Austrian rule, followed the principle of the Boston Tea Party by giving up smoking in order to stop the Austrians obtaining revenue from a tax on tobacco. Richard Evans The pursuit of power p189

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Costco: the value of decent wages

Posted on July 5, 2021 by odeboyz

“Unusually for a retailer, Costco invests in its employees….The average retail employee in the USA makes $12 (£8.51) an hour whereas Costco pays its employees around $24 (£17.02) an hour…..Paying a living wage benefits the business – Costco has an … Continue reading →

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Mathematical Knowledge is power

Posted on July 1, 2021 by odeboyz

A supposedly wise ruler asked a servant what he’d like as a reward for an act of bravery. The servant said he’d like a grain of rice on the first of the 64 squares on the emperor’s chessboard, two on … Continue reading →

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Ben Bradley MP (In a previous life a workhouse manager)

Posted on June 21, 2021 by odeboyz

“…..[Mansfield] Tory MP Ben Bradley has claimed that free school meals vouchers are “effectively” a handout to a crack den and brothel. Even if this is true – and the evidence for it is less than overwhelming – so what? … Continue reading →

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Why did so many Germans support Hitler?

Posted on May 10, 2021 by odeboyz

A well-respected German historian has a radical new theory to explain a nagging question: Why did average Germans so heartily support the Nazis and Third Reich? Hitler, says Goetz Aly, was a “feel good dictator,” a leader who not only … Continue reading →

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The Gaza Strip and Israel, 2014

Posted on February 18, 2021 by odeboyz

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has condemned the blockade of the Gaza Strip, describing the territory as a “prison camp”.1 Israel controls Gaza’s territorial waters and maintains exclusive control in the air space…[It] controls the entire ….border including the Erez … Continue reading →

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Two West Point* Speeches and American Foreign Policy

Posted on October 1, 2020 by odeboyz

The USA is the self-selected ‘policeman’ of the world. This has led to it being involved in conflicts every year since 2000. Consequently a significant part of the annual budget is devoted to military spending. Symbolic of this are two … Continue reading →

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Covid-19’s Death Rate: A Consequence of Austerity?

Posted on September 10, 2020 by odeboyz

The political consequence of the 2008 banking crisis was a Conservative led coalition, whose principal economic policy was austerity. This meant a dramatic reduction in the size of the state, especially local government and Britain’s welfare system. Unexpectedly there was … Continue reading →

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Canary Wharf Housing Opening Soon

Posted on September 3, 2020 by odeboyz
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The Politics of Obesity in Britain, 2010-20

Posted on August 13, 2020 by odeboyz

“purpose of government is not to do good,” but to “secure the rights of human beings to go about their lives peaceably, knowing that they will not be aggressed against by others.” “eat, drink and be merry” [for tomorrow we … Continue reading →

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