Category Archives: Finance

Bourgeois Vengeance: The Sycamore Tree Two

Posted on July 23, 2025 by odeboyz

Background Karl Marx would call Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham ‘lumpen proletariat’ or,less elegantly, ‘losers.’ They achieved 15 minutes of fame by destroying an iconic tree. It was owned by the National Trust. The Trust has millions of middle-class influencers … Continue reading →

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War Studies: Falklands War, 1982 ~ The price of pride

Posted on June 4, 2025 by odeboyz

The Falkland Islands in 1982 had a dwindling, ageing population.1 Worse: they were of no economic or strategic importance for the UK. Falklanders were excluded from British citizenship in 1981 by Margaret Thatcher. She wanted to off-load them. Thatcher’s solution … Continue reading →

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Trump, Musk and Tesla

Posted on March 19, 2025 by odeboyz

“Tesla has lost more than one-third of its market value since mid-December as Musk deepens his association with Trump.”1 Reputational damage is lethal. Gerald Ratner called his jewellery ‘crap’2 and within two years had lost his chain of companies. Tesla … Continue reading →

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Film Reviews: Bank of Dave (part one)(2023) and Bank of Dave: The loan ranger (part two)(2025) Netflix

Posted on February 19, 2025 by odeboyz

Rory Kinnear as Dave Fishwick is outstanding. Dave is a self-made millionaire selling second-hand vehicles. Second hand vehicle salesmen are notorious for skullduggery, which makes the story even more astonishing. Tales of hardship and negative banking experiences from people he … Continue reading →

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Selected Quotes: Winter Fuel Debate, 10th September 2024

Posted on September 14, 2024 by odeboyz

Mel Stride (Con) The decision to remove winter fuel payments has come as a complete shock to millions of pensioners—pensioners on as little as £11,500 a year. We have had no adequate explanation as to why this measure is so … Continue reading →

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Gerald Ratner: Honesty Isn’t Always the Best Policy

Posted on July 10, 2024 by odeboyz

Gerald rejected his grammar school to work on his father’s stall in London’s famous Petticoat Lane market. It was a cut-throat trading environment where traders were predators. He loved it. Gerald worked the crowds, seducing them into buying his goods. … Continue reading →

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George Orwell Lives On!

Posted on May 25, 2024 by odeboyz
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Isaac Newton and Other Failures

Posted on April 17, 2024 by odeboyz

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”Winston Churchill People who triumph over failure are the stuff of legends. Seemingly they possess a recipe: “If you do as I do then good things will be yours!” … Continue reading →

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Selected Quotes from the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill 12th December 2023

Posted on December 16, 2023 by odeboyz

James Cleverly (minister) I am confident, and indeed the conversations I have had with the Government’s legal advisers reinforce my belief, that the actions we are taking, while novel and very much pushing at the edge of the envelope, are … Continue reading →

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Modern Inflation: Shrinkage

Posted on October 29, 2023 by odeboyz
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