Category Archives: Politics

Thirteen Ships and Thirty-six Admirals: The Royal Navy, 2022

Posted on March 17, 2022 by odeboyz

“Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves:“Britons never will be slaves.”1 The Royal Navy guaranteed British independence for centuries. The last successful invasion of Britain was in 1688 by the Dutch, who’d made sure they got a good reception when they … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics, statistics, War | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Bertrand Russell on power and ethics

Posted on February 28, 2022 by odeboyz

We can destroy animals more easily than they can destroy us; that is the only solid basis of our claim to superiority. We value art and science and literature, because these are things in which we excel. But whales might … Continue reading →

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Three German Generals, 1906-16

Posted on February 17, 2022 by odeboyz

During the Great European Peace, 1871-14, German generals were redundant. There hadn’t been a German army on a battlefield since 1871. To compound their misery, German society was militaristic. Kaiser Wilhelm II wore full military uniform on every occasion. He … Continue reading →

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The politics of begging

Posted on February 10, 2022 by odeboyz
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George Osborne, The Age of Austerity and Children

Posted on January 24, 2022 by odeboyz

Osborne, the chancellor, caused alarm and anger when he talked about the unfairness of a “shift-worker” leaving for work early in the morning who looks up and sees “the closed blinds of their next door neighbour sleeping off a life … Continue reading →

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Black Lives Matter: Segregation in Education

Posted on January 20, 2022 by odeboyz

This is George W. McLaurin in 1948 being segregated from the rest of his University class. He was the first African-American to attend the University of Oklahoma. He became a Professor and because of his courage he enabled minority groups … Continue reading →

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Book Review: John Crace ~ A Farewell To Calm: The new normal survival guide (2021)

Posted on January 17, 2022 by odeboyz

John Crace is the Guardian newspapers parliamentary sketch writer and satirist. He’s very witty and this book is a collection of his articles which cover the pandemic and, especially, Boris Johnson. It’s fair to say that Crace despises Johnson. As … Continue reading →

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Climate Emergency: A Temporary Quick Fix

Posted on January 13, 2022 by odeboyz

During the 1970s the Saudis led the OPEC group of nations as they massively increased oil prices in retaliation for European and American support for the Israelis. The USA responded by introducing a speed limit of 55 mph to reduce … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, environment, Politics, Technology | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

When Does an Election Become an Undemocratic Lottery?

Posted on December 20, 2021 by odeboyz

The basic premise of British democracy is that if anyone at all votes, an election is deemed to be democratic. Therefore if only three people vote and one candidate receives two votes, that’s enough. Even if the electorate is 64,831. … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: Tim Bouverie ~ Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War (2019)

Posted on December 13, 2021 by odeboyz

This is a ground breaking account of the 1930s. It’s meticulous history. The front cover ‘blurb’ quotes Antony Beevor saying, “An astonishing debut.’ and Beevor is one of the Britain’s greatest historians. Great history writing is literature. Bouverie welds his … Continue reading →

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