Malcolm Blair-Robinson's Blog, page 131
March 26, 2016
Easter Book Sale: Download and Paperback Bargains
March 25, 2016
Compulsory Academies: An Absurd Policy
Even Tory councillors are beginning to rebel against the peculiar and absurd announcement that all schools paid for by the taxpayer and in the state system are to be forced to become academies. Peculiar because it was a key element of Osborne’s disastrous career breaking budget; this is not the usual way to announce fundamental changes to education. The councillors rightly protest because the policy is absurd. Academies were a good idea to address special situations of failing schools. Some have been a success, but by no means all. Statistically they are no better and no worse than the local authority led schools of like type. Fundamentally academies suffer serious shortcomings which play to advantage in certain specialist circumstances, but which rule out this misguided proposal that they become universal.
They are outside the control of anybody except the Secretary of State for Education, who while steeped in ideology and privately educated, is clueless of detail. That means that public money is being used to fund an education system which will be so detached from democratic control as to be beyond it. It means that parents will have nobody to turn to when things go wrong. It means that parents will no longer have representatives on the governing body. It means teachers will no longer be paid according to a scale because academies can pay what they like. Teachers will not even have to be qualified because academies can employ whomever they like. To cap it all they will also be allowed to teach what they like. We can be certain of a chaotic outcome. There will be a few which are amazingly good. a few that a good, a lot that are in a low average and far to many which will be abject disasters.
In case you wonder how I come to these conclusions I can add that through a large family I achieved the curious record of having at least one child continuously in full time education for 48 years, one is a teacher with experience at both LA schools and academies and I have twice been a school governor. On the last occasion I was parachuted in to a school in special measures by the local eduction authority and played a leading role in closing it down and reopening it as an academy. So I speak as an insider. Pay attention!
March 24, 2016
Lib Dem Cheer: A Comeback Kid?
Potentially the winners of the budget mayhem and Tory civil war are the Liberal Democrats. They now have a narrative. Compare the orderly one nation government of the Coalition with the chaos of the government of a Tory majority. It could be enough to win back a good deal of the West Country, some Home County suburbs and a few seats further north. Tim Farron is an articulate orator. It could be his moment. This could be a political sub-plot worth watching.
March 23, 2016
Easter Book Sale: Tor Raven Thrillers
Starting today four Tor Raven thrillers go on sale from £4.99 Paperback and from .99p Download. This is terrific value for page turning quality reads. Get your copies now and enjoy the Easter 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 seem to follow in his wake. Soon their anxiety turns to fear as they feel 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.
Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy and right hand man, flew to Scotland on a mysterious peace mission in 1941, which has never been convincingly explained, to meet unidentified politicians who wanted to end the war. The truth has been covered up for generations because to reveal it would somehow undermine the honour and constitutional fabric of the United Kingdom. Who was plotting against Churchill? What were the peace terms on offer? What happened to Hess? Was he killed in the War? Was the prisoner in Spandau a double?
There are many questions to which in the modern day one man, Saul Benedict has all the answers, because his parents were players in the drama involving Churchill, Hitler, leading politicians and an important Royal. Saul is an author and declares his intention to write a book to reveal all, but he is shot dead, apparently accidentally by a poacher. But was it an accident? Rick Coleman an investigative journalist determines to find out and in doing so to uncover the mystery.
Taking place in the modern day but with flashback chapters which gradually unfold the hidden secrets, the novel is a fast moving and compelling read based on the family knowledge of the author whose parents had connections to both Hess and Hitler and to British Intelligence.
The narrow, ordered life of a gentle but almost 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 quest to unravel a mysterious cover-up from World War Two, and in so doing finds intrigue, love and betrayal.
March 22, 2016
A Few More Hours of Free Downloads: Click Now
Here are FREE downloads of three of my most popular thrillers. U.S PT +midnight to -midnight Tuesday 22 March. GMT 9 am Tuesday- 8.59 am Wednesday. Click links at end of each synopsis.
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 fictional account challenges the accepted view of recorded history. It leaves readers wondering why they were they never told about the double lives and events shrouded in secrecy. UK US
Dr. Rachael Benedict is an American historian and a best-selling author. She has a British connection through her estranged father Saul, an English thriller writer. Saul, whose parents were of Anglo-German origin, has spent much of his life plotting to expose secrets from World War Two, which are so sensitive they have been subject to an extensive cover-up lasting seventy years. As the time approaches for him to make his move to expose duplicity, murder and lies at the heart of the British State, he seeks Rachael’s help. This provokes a killing spree as parts of the security services of both Britain and the United States become engaged in the drama, with one side determined to get the secrets out and the other determined to keep them hidden.
Set equally in the United States and Britain, the narrative grips from the first page, transporting the reader to the heart of government both in Washington and London and on into the darkest corners of the secret states on each side of the Atlantic. Rachael battles forward to unearth the truth both from intrigues of the Nazi era, but also within her own family, surviving three attempts on her life, before finally achieving her goal. Not only does she expose the truth from history and from her own roots, she has to delve deep into her own emotions to find the truth about herself. UK US
Set in the mid nineteen nineties, this fast moving thriller lifts the curtain on sex, sleaze and corruption in high places as the long reign of the government totters to an end, following the ousting of the iconic Margaret Thatcher. Downfall catches the mood of those times with a host of fictional characters who engage in political intrigue, sex, money laundering and murder, pursued by an Irish investigative journalist and his girlfriend, the daughter of a cabinet minister found dead in a hotel room after bondage sex.
Free One Day Offer: Download Now!
Here are FREE downloads of three of my most popular thrillers. U.S PT +midnight to -midnight Tuesday 22 March. GMT 9 am Tuesday- 8.59 am Wednesday. Click links at end of each synopsis.
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 fictional account challenges the accepted view of recorded history. It leaves readers wondering why they were they never told about the double lives and events shrouded in secrecy. UK US
Dr. Rachael Benedict is an American historian and a best-selling author. She has a British connection through her estranged father Saul, an English thriller writer. Saul, whose parents were of Anglo-German origin, has spent much of his life plotting to expose secrets from World War Two, which are so sensitive they have been subject to an extensive cover-up lasting seventy years. As the time approaches for him to make his move to expose duplicity, murder and lies at the heart of the British State, he seeks Rachael’s help. This provokes a killing spree as parts of the security services of both Britain and the United States become engaged in the drama, with one side determined to get the secrets out and the other determined to keep them hidden.
Set equally in the United States and Britain, the narrative grips from the first page, transporting the reader to the heart of government both in Washington and London and on into the darkest corners of the secret states on each side of the Atlantic. Rachael battles forward to unearth the truth both from intrigues of the Nazi era, but also within her own family, surviving three attempts on her life, before finally achieving her goal. Not only does she expose the truth from history and from her own roots, she has to delve deep into her own emotions to find the truth about herself. UK US
Set in the mid nineteen nineties, this fast moving thriller lifts the curtain on sex, sleaze and corruption in high places as the long reign of the government totters to an end, following the ousting of the iconic Margaret Thatcher. Downfall catches the mood of those times with a host of fictional characters who engage in political intrigue, sex, money laundering and murder, pursued by an Irish investigative journalist and his girlfriend, the daughter of a cabinet minister found dead in a hotel room after bondage sex. U
Brussels Carnage
The news coming out of Belgium is appalling. A coordinated attack causing mass murder and injury where those in the firing line are both innocent and unaware. Everyone is at risk. Nobody is safe. Belgium is paying a high price for its success in capturing the Paris attackers and although it is the Headquarters of the EU and NATO, as one of Europe’s smaller nations, it is now hard pressed. For now one can do no more than support the Belgian people in their trauma, grieve for the dead and pray for the recovery of the injured, many of whom are in a critical state. Stricken families must have all the support they can be given.
But later on we have to ask questions about the strategic posture of the West and where it is leading us. The warning at the very start that the more you attack terrorists the more the violence grows is proving frighteningly true. There is no military solution with terrorism. In the end somebody will have to start talking.
Budget Crisis: Key Issue
As Osborne goes to the Commons to explain himself and paste together the wreck of his budget, it is important to remind ourselves of what this is all about.
When the Coalition was formed in 2010 economists were divided over the best way forward. Some believed that at all costs the economy must continue to grow and to borrow to maintain public services and investment in infrastructure was necessary to expand it enough to raise income and close the gap between tax and expenditure. Others insisted that cutting expenditure was the way forward. Reducing the size of government and cutting welfare dependency would cut out the deficit within a parliament. Osborne chose that cuts road. Nobody was sure who was right. This blog backed Osborne.
Well that was wrong. Because here we are into the second parliament still running a deficit as tax receipts are consistently too weak to cover expenses. All public services are short of money and some, like social care and healthcare are in trouble. The poorest in society have been hardest hit. Austerity is never ending, forecasts are wrong, targets are missed, productivity is low, the march of the makers rebalancing the economy never crossed the start line and, this is the key, the inherited national debt of £900 million is now past £1.5 trillion. Yet all the fundamental problems remain unsolved.
Time is up George. If your boss has not got the guts to fire you, you should have the decency to walk. Bullington club and all that. You know, the honour thing.
March 21, 2016
Free One Day Downloads: Hurry!
Here are FREE downloads of three of my most popular thrillers. U.S PT +midnight to -midnight Tuesday 22 March. GMT 9 am Tuesday- 8.59 am Wednesday. Click links at end of each synopsis.
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 fictional account challenges the accepted view of recorded history. It leaves readers wondering why they were they never told about the double lives and events shrouded in secrecy. UK US
Dr. Rachael Benedict is an American historian and a best-selling author. She has a British connection through her estranged father Saul, an English thriller writer. Saul, whose parents were of Anglo-German origin, has spent much of his life plotting to expose secrets from World War Two, which are so sensitive they have been subject to an extensive cover-up lasting seventy years. As the time approaches for him to make his move to expose duplicity, murder and lies at the heart of the British State, he seeks Rachael’s help. This provokes a killing spree as parts of the security services of both Britain and the United States become engaged in the drama, with one side determined to get the secrets out and the other determined to keep them hidden.
Set equally in the United States and Britain, the narrative grips from the first page, transporting the reader to the heart of government both in Washington and London and on into the darkest corners of the secret states on each side of the Atlantic. Rachael battles forward to unearth the truth both from intrigues of the Nazi era, but also within her own family, surviving three attempts on her life, before finally achieving her goal. Not only does she expose the truth from history and from her own roots, she has to delve deep into her own emotions to find the truth about herself. UK US
Set in the mid nineteen nineties, this fast moving thriller lifts the curtain on sex, sleaze and corruption in high places as the long reign of the government totters to an end, following the ousting of the iconic Margaret Thatcher. Downfall catches the mood of those times with a host of fictional characters who engage in political intrigue, sex, money laundering and murder, pursued by an Irish investigative journalist and his girlfriend, the daughter of a cabinet minister found dead in a hotel room after bondage sex. UK US
Brexit Thoughts 5: Referendum Dangers
The collapse of the Government’s financial platform and the civil war now going on in the Tory party, rent asunder by almost everything, requires a new Chancellor to stop the rot. That is unlikely to happen because Cameron is fighting on two fronts. He has a public relations calamity over the budget and its aftermath and a chunk of his cabinet campaigning for Brexit. A government split is one thing but one bust into pieces is quite another. He cannot sack Osborne for dumping him in this reeking ordure of a budget, because Cameron needs his neighbour’s support for Remain. Unfortunately Osborne’s blessing may now be toxic and undermine the Remain campaign. Nobody has a clue which of his figures to believe, what are facts in his rhetoric and which bits he is making up.
The real danger is however more worrying. This blog warned at the beginning that referenda are notorious for becoming a vote about something other than the question on the ballot paper, most commonly a verdict on the government. If that happens in the midst of this Tory mayhem and voters turn on the two old Etonians and vote to Leave, Remain might lose quite badly. It would be better to get rid of Osborne now. Shelf life is short in politics and by June Osborne could be but a vague memory.
