Category Archives: Politics

Britain’s Fantasy Economics 1530-2016: a short history

British governments from Henry VIII to David Cameron funded unaffordable aspirations by using other people’s money. This tactic is increasingly difficult to achieve as time passes. British politicians, nonetheless, are addicted to sources of revenue which are unconventional. They believe … Continue reading

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Putin frightens a Drunk

A drunk fell down into a St Petersburg gutter. Looking up he saw a gigantic floodlit poster of Putin towering above him. A policeman on patrol heard him say; Drunk: “I’ll never drink again. I’ll never touch another drop.”Policeman: “Why … Continue reading

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Boris Johnson’s Masterclass in Political Instability: 2019-22

Boris Johnson is now officially a ‘has-been’. His rejection by Conservatives MPs confirmed this in the October 2022 leadership ‘contest’. A legacy of bad government lives on. Johnson preferred incompetent people who didn’t threaten him. Only five cabinet members lasted … Continue reading

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The Suffragettes: Terrorists?

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Seventy years of decline: Two Conservative Prime Ministers

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The Importance of the Battle of Warsaw, 1920

Tsarist Russia was engulfed in a revolutionary civil war, which led to a Bolshevik government in1917. The leader of the Red Army, Leon Trotsky, wanted to end capitalism in Europe. He believed Germany was the key to this. If the … Continue reading

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Britain’s new Health Secretary: Theresa Coffey

She said that she isn’t a ‘role model’ and the NHS breathed a sigh of relief

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Book Review: George MacDonald Fraser ~ Flashman at the Charge (Flashman 4) (1973)

 I made the mistake of thinking about the direction of travel that Britain is on. The Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, believes Britain is a global military power. He’s a True Believer not allowing trivialities like evidence to interrupt his beliefs. … Continue reading

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The Purchase of Commissions in the British Army, 1683-1871

The 17th century was transformative. It began with the attempted assassination of James I and ended with a successful invasion and three quasi-legitimate monarchs. The century included three civil wars, the execution of a king, a warrior class seizing power, … Continue reading

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Miles Davis on racism in classical music, 1940s

“…I knew that no white symphony orchestra was going to hire a little black motherfucker like me, no matter how good I was.” Note Miles attended the Julliard School of Music, which is world renowned and for a black student … Continue reading

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