Malcolm Blair-Robinson's Blog, page 102
January 23, 2017
Tor Raven Mystery: Free Download
DOWNLOAD FREE TODAY this powerful retro thriller, written for women but enjoyed by men, in which raw innocence confronts darkest evil.
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Trident: Misfire or Hack?
There is some very fishy about this report of a Trident missile going off course on test, while at the same time the submarine and crew, recommissioning after a refit, are passed A1. Evidently it was all hushed up and angry Labour is demanding explanations of why this was held back from disclosure during the Trident renewal debate. Either May was not told or she is not telling. Certainly she refused to answer Andrew Marr’s probing, Michael Howard style, on TV yesterday. Various former Naval high rankers have suggested that there is no reason not to accept a misfire and to hush it up is to create greater eventual disclosure than would have been the case with a routine announcement at the time. After all, things do go wrong. Yes, but with Trident?
Trident is a very well established and tested system. It is possible that some malfunction occurred and the government decided to play politics of unusual naivete in thinking that it could hush it up for fear of losing the commons vote. But that was never in doubt as there is a large built in cross party majority for the deterrent renewal. So what else? Suppose it was hacked? Not by an enemy (this is a bit sophisticated for a teenager) but by us. From an Astute class submarine several hundred miles away, testing a new missile defence capability involving the disruption of the guidance system via jamming or hacking. This is right up there with modern defence planning. So maybe the reason we heard nothing was because the test was a success.
Having heard the evasive responses to probing in the House Of Commons today by the Secretary of Defence, few can now believe that this was a misfire. Exactly what it was is not entirely clear, but it is not that unclear either. It was a cyber warfare test.
January 22, 2017
Tor Raven Promo: The Hastings Option: Free Download
DOWNLOAD FREE TODAY this powerful retro thriller, written for women but enjoyed by men, in which raw innocence confronts darkest evil. The narrow, ordered life of a gentle but reclusive artist, Jane Block, is disturbed when a bequest, intended for her dead mother, passes to her. Mystery surrounds the nature of the inheritance and Jane is led on a sinister trail to secrets of the past, forcing her to confront her own fears and inhibitions. She finds herself caught in a frightening game of cat and mouse, laced with intrigue, love and betrayal.
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Trump: The EU and NATO
There has not been an inaugural address like it. The first I remember watching on TV was JFK. I was impressed, especially the notion that he was the first western leader born ‘this century’, now the last century. Up till then everybody had been born in the nineteenth century. Since Kennedy nobody has said anything much. Safe, worthy, uplifting, unifying, optimistic, yes, but always according to the brand image of the peaceful transfer of power. Until Friday. Wow! The stunned faces of the phalanx of former Presidents said it all. The political certainties and expectations in every capital across the world imploded, except for three. Moscow, Jerusalem and London, for different reasons.
Moscow expected something new, Israel breathed a sigh of relief that it again has a friend in the White House. The UK was entertained by the drama but heartened because the unspeakable ogre whom it reviled, turns out to be our new Best Friend. And as Churchill said (I am quoting him a lot at the moment) a friend in need is a friend indeed. Britain, going over the cliff with hard Brexit, finds Trump is a fan. He too plans to go it alone in defiance of everything you can think of, so he likes the only other capital is the western world which does not have a clothes peg on its nose (any longer) even at the mention of his name.
There will be loads more about all this as times goes on, but for now lets us take a quick peak at our local political dynamic. Trump thinks NATO is obsolete and is minded to stop funding it and he does not care if the EU unravels. I am pro EU as you know, but I have always, since the end of the cold war, objected to the way it has regarded America as the guard who not only guarantees its security, but pays for most of it.
This is unfair on America and very bad for Europe. It is also poor strategy because Europe has no incentive to work out what its post Soviet relationship should be with Russia, which offers almost limitless opportunities for trade for the EU and supplies even now most of its gas to power its heat and lights. The EU economy stagnates because of its own stupid sanctions and because America’s phobias over Russia dictate a policy fundamentally opposed to European interests. Moreover a Europe in an alliance with Russia would act as a buffer between America and the country it seems to fear most. Instead Europe is a potential flash point.
Furthermore the EU economy is a big as America’s and it is more than capable of paying for its own protection. Both France and Britain are nuclear powers with submarine based deterrence 24/7. By not paying, the EU has felt free to expand ever eastwards without giving a thought what impact that may have on Russian fears, or the cost of the consequences. Likewise NATO, run by the likes of Norway, with under equipped obsolete token forces, except from the US to the tune of 70%, aided by the UK and France, upon whom it relies for its military punch.
As for the EU unraveling, there is a strong chance that it will and I would very much regret that. But if the reason is Brexit and Trump proving too much, then it was never really there in the first place. We shall see. Everything now depends, EU wise, on Berlin, Paris and Rome. All face elections. All have a lot of angry voters looking for disruptive change. Those voters now have inspiration and a new confidence in their cause. All options are open.
Meanwhile, as predicted by this blog, Britain is again turning to the New World when vexed by the Old. May becomes the first foreign leader to meet the new President. She arrives at the White House on Friday. Brussels is left wondering not only about Britain, but about itself.
January 20, 2017
Tor Raven: Gothic Crime From .99p Download £4.99 Paperback
Two Tor Raven chillers from £4.99 Paperback and from .99p Download. This is terrific value for page turning quality reads. Get your copies now and enjoy a break with relaxing drama on your phone, tablet or in hard copy. Click links at the end of each synopsis.
St.John Whilloe is the black sheep member of a wealthy legal family, whose firm of solicitors looks after the affairs of many of the top families in the country. He is consulted by a young woman who claims to be frightened by her husband. Things are not as they seem and St.John finds himself drawn into a complex web of intrigue and murder. He is soon in a race against time to solve a mystery with roots in a tortured family history, with sinister paranormal undertones.
An English village slumbers on the Surrey/Sussex borders, but the pastoral exterior hides a number of nightmare secrets. The return of a young man, Philip, after a long absence stirs memories of the horrific murder of his mother and uncle years earlier and of an ancient curse delivered upon the family in Napoleonic times. The villagers’ unease grows as Philip embarks upon an affair with the local farmer’s daughter, and a series of mysterious deaths follows in his wake. Soon anxiety turns to fear as they sense evil in their midst. Could Philip be in league with the Devil? Set in the 1920s and full of authentic period detail, this is a tale which will haunt readers long after the last page has been turned. US UK
Trump: The World Holds Its Breath
Never since the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln has so much in the free world hinged upon the intentions of one man coming fresh to the Presidency. Freedom then was a very different concept to freedom now, but Lincoln set in train a change of direction for the United States which broadened the notion of what freedom meant and ultimately projected America to leadership of the free world. But Lincoln’s mission was achieved at enormous cost.
Now Donald Trump, the outlandish candidate who should not be chosen, would not be nominated and could not run and when all those predictions failed, would lose big and drag the Republican party down with him, is about to take the oath of office as the 45th President of the United States. He has not only won the Presidency, but he has delivered the rare victorious combination of Republican control of both the House and the Senate. Never in history has so much political commentary from so many seasoned pundits proved so wrong.
So now nobody dares predict what comes next. This blog believes there will be disruptive change and a new perspective both at home and abroad. At what cost we cannot tell, nor whether that cost will be justified by outcomes which reach out to those who have been left behind, as well as ease tensions in a world where so much needs to be calmed. One can only hope that this billionaire’s ability to make a profit will attend him in politics as it has in business. We know he will leave the world and his country in a different place. The test is whether it will be a better one.
January 19, 2017
Free Download: Ends Tonight: Get Yours Now!
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Lise Bauer is born in Africa in 1906, brought to England by her parents from where she is expelled with them in 1914, because her father is an East Prussian. They settle in America and become Americans, but return to Europe in the 1920’s. Here Lise is involved in the rise of the Nazi party, marries one of Hitler’s closest associates and later has a relationship with Hitler himself, before divorcing her husband and marrying an English friend of Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess. She settles again in England with the consent of the security services and she and her husband establish a cell to act as a secret communication channel between Hitler and Churchill at the critical period of WWII. The novel offers a new view of Hitler’s sexual relationships, a plot to overthrow Churchill and the flight to Scotland by Rudolf Hess. Using historical characters often portrayed in a new light, this dramatic account challenges the accepted view of recorded history.
January 18, 2017
May’s Hard Brexit: Over the Cliff?
The prime minister made a good speech yesterday which brought certain tabloids to a state of ecstasy, full of confidence and jingoism. At a certain level it was inspiring and it was good politics for sure. Most of it is rumoured be be written by Boris, who was trawling the media afterwards with back up. As you will know, if you are a regular follower of this blog, I am and always will be, for remain. I am emotionally, by family ties, by heritage and by conviction.
But I do see the other side of the argument and I do understand those who think it better to leave. Many of my posts have highlighted all that is wrong with the EU. Now we know where we are headed, or at least where our government is headed (I did not vote for these people) I have no hesitation in opposing the whole thing hook, line and sinker and declaring this hard Brexit programme an act of international vandalism for which a price will one day be paid.
My first objection is that I believe the EU is the greatest diplomatic achievement since the fall of Rome and one which has brought an extraordinary period of peace and harmony in Europe, underpinned by a new sense of fellowship, shared heritage and belonging. It is held up by three pillars, Germany, Britain and France. If one pillar goes, as I have already argued, the structure may fall. To suppose that we will profit from that in the long term is ridiculous.
My second objection is the legal, financial and human consequences which will be felt in every corner of the land by ordinary people who will be caught in chain reactions which they will be unable to control. Every tiny part of the business, legal and trade infrastructure and every centre of expertise, is built to the European model and integrated into a European whole. To order the amputation of all this, without a clear idea of what comes next, is to play fast and loose with people’s lives and livelihoods, for which no government has a licence nor this government a mandate.
Third, the younger generation voted overwhelmingly to remain. They are the ones who are going to have to live with this. They have been ignored and moreover abused. because many of the youngest adults have obtained degrees and run up vast debts on student loans, to find the whole horizon for their career opportunities has been changed on wave of prejudice and ignorance.
Fourth, the strain has already caused the collapse of the power sharing government in Northern Ireland. Nobody is sure it can be put back together. Remember NI voted to remain. The Democratic Unionists, for which this blog has no time at all, voted to leave. With their strident new leader, the DUP has nothing to offer but tension and discord. Meanwhile the latest polls show that Wales, which voted leave, would now vote remain and, as we know only too well, hard Brexit will almost certainly trigger another independence referendum in Scotland. So the suggestion that there is unity among the home nations for this hard Brexit plan is rubbish. Only England supports it and even that is now doubtful.
Finally the deal to leave the EU and all its works requires only the approval of the council (Heads of Government of the 27) and the European Parliament by majority. So that is quite straightforward. But some kind of trade agreement with the EU and or the Customs Union requires ratification by all 27 states individually. How long that will take and whether it is politically even possible is anybody’s guess. As for the WTO, just remember that to return to membership as a sovereign state, GB will have to gain the approval of all the members unanimously, 157 of them. That is when Gibraltar and the Falklands will appear on the menu.
The tabloids praise May to the skies. They compare her to the Iron Lady. The difference is Thatcher knew what she was doing. Until the poll tax. That sank her. If May is wrong over this it could sink us all. Of course Britain has a great tradition of being inspired by rhetoric. Churchill is the gold standard, but even he could not have won the war, indeed would have lost it, if not rescued by the Americans. Trump is a great fan of Brexit, although is not perhaps a master of its detail. But he offers a fast track trade deal. Maybe history will repeat itself. But the price that Churchill paid was a bankrupt country and loss of the British Empire. We do not know what price May will pay, but be assured it will be something.
January 17, 2017
FREE DOWNLOAD: Read Of Hitler’s Secrets
![Hitler's First Lady by [Blair-Robinson, Malcolm]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1484703385i/21743580.jpg)
Click on image to download free UK
This Nazi era drama, it is available free to download NOW. The cover image shows Karl Kaufmann, Gauleiter of Hamburg, and husband of the woman on whose life the character of Lise is based in the book, riding with Hitler in his Mercedes in the 1930s, at the height of the Nazi consolidation of power.
Lise Bauer is born in Africa in 1906, brought to England by her parents from where she is expelled with them in 1914, because her father is an East Prussian. They settle in America and become Americans, but return to Europe in the 1920’s. Here Lise is involved in the rise of the Nazi party, marries one of Hitler’s closest associates and later has a relationship with Hitler himself, before divorcing her husband and marrying an English friend of Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess. She settles again in England with the consent of the security services and she and her husband establish a cell to act as a secret communication channel between Hitler and Churchill at the critical period of WWII.
The novel offers a new view of Hitler’s sexual relationships, a plot to overthrow Churchill and the flight to Scotland by Rudolf Hess. Using historical characters often portrayed in a new light, this dramatic account challenges the accepted view of recorded history.
