Category Archives: Uncategorized

Emperor Meiji began a modernisation programme of Japan’s armed forces from 1868 onwards by partnering with Britain and Germany. Naval officers were sent to Britain and army officers to Germany. These officers imbibed the military culture of their hosts. Equipment … Continue reading →

“Remember you’re fighting for this woman’s honour, which is probably more than she ever did.” Groucho Marx as Rufus T Firefly – Duck Soup (1933)

Anyone familiar with the history of Nazi Germany will know Speer was a senior member of Hitler’s entourage and therefore find the title surprising. The ‘Truth’ Gitta highlights is whether or not Speer knew about the Holocaust. It hardly seems … Continue reading →

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” (flips to the back of the book) I’m not going to read 380 pages if he can’t even make up his mind in the first two sentences. [an … Continue reading →

The halo effect has…. pernicious consequences. In one study, the same examination scripts were rewritten twice, once in good handwriting and once in bad handwriting. They were then given to two sets of examiners: each saw all the scripts with … Continue reading →

“He [Speer] also told the orchestra’s manager to schedule a series of last concerts. ‘When I asked them to play Bruckner’s Romantic Symphony, I told him, it would mean the end was near and the musicians should get ready to … Continue reading →

Darroch was Britain’s ambassador in Washington, 2016-19. He famously resigned after a confidential briefing note from him to the Foreign Office was leaked and the leading candidate for the leadership of the Conservative party, Boris Johnson, didn’t support him. His … Continue reading →

Kate Green (Lab) “More than 1.4 million children benefit from free school meals. Nearly 900,000 eligible children live in areas now subject to tier 2 and tier 3 covid restrictions. Their families face an upcoming furlough cliff-edge, an inadequate replacement … Continue reading →

The British empire grew after the war, despite US president Woodrow Wilson’s self-determination principle. This was intended to break empires up. Needless to relate the only empires broken up were those of the losers: Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottomans and Russia. … Continue reading →