READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?

[Wendyf]

It opened in 1958, you will need to find the next Handbook!

[PanBiker]

We stayed in the YHA at Malham after day one of our coast to coast bike ride. It was afar cry from what I remembered as a lad. Clean and warm, that's all we needed after a day on the bike with Settle Highside at the end.

[Stanley]

Hess book dishing the dirt on the royals particularly Duke of Kent and Queens Mary and Elizabeth.

[Stanley]

Hess is still going down well. I am reading it very carefully, partly because, as any good historian should, I am looking for the loopholes in their arguments. They are a bit long winded but so far I can find no flaw in their reasoning. It's an interesting read, P was right!
Incidentally it puts flesh on many things I have suspected over the years. Bottom line is regard all 'official' announcements with scepticism and never trust the aristocracy. Their position is mainly based on historical acts of theft and they will go to almost any lengths to protect it, including in this case appeasing a dictator.

[plaques]

Hess and conspiracies, Not in the book but something I've added to the list. A big supporter of releasing Hess early.
Airey Neave.
Airey Middleton Sheffield Neave, DSO, OBE, MC, TD was a British soldier, lawyer and Member of Parliament. During World War II he was the first British prisoner-of-war to succeed in escaping from Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle, and later worked for MI9. Wikipedia
Born: 23 January 1916, Knightsbridge, London
Assassinated: 30 March 1979, Westminster

A secondary conspiracy theory goes... (in the Wikipedia)
Cahill claims they did not believe INLA killed Neave. Instead, it was an "inside job". Cahill concluded that Neave was killed by MI6 agents working with the CIA because Neave sought to prosecute senior figures in the intelligence establishment for corruption.

[Stanley]

I have a suspicion you are right David insofar as there are so many things that we never get to know the full facts or the truth. There are too many of them. I never 'bought' the hype about Lord Louis Mountbatten and suspect that there is a vast untold story there. Unfortunately (or perhaps it is just as well!) history is full of mis-information.
In Hess we have had the first mention of Le Tissier who was at Spandau and conversed with me about what I have said about Hess in there. It was he who told me that the diplomatic quarter guard duty that always puzzled me was that the VIP was Princess Margaret. I wonder if she would have been reassured to know we were too cold to move let alone defend her and we were not issued any ammunition? I look forwards to the description of the Spandau years, I am just getting into that.

[Stanley]

I finished Hess yesterday.
Have they proved their case? The answer to that one is no, there are too many conjectures and assumptions.
Was the book worth reading? Definitely, many facts I wasn't aware of and what they have demonstrated very clearly is that much of what we were told at the time was propaganda and untruths. No surprise there but a valuable exercise in examining a complicated matter like this. I would definitely recommend it! Thanks P for bringing it to my attention....
I started on War of the Windsors by the same team. This is going to be a goody if Hess is anything to go by. They have started off well by examining the affair of the name change during the Great War and have already touched on Louis Mountbatten and his machinations!
I have ordered 'The Second Sleep' by Robert Harris. I like the look of it.

[plaques]

Stanley, War of the Windsors. Don't forget you may need blood pressure tablets to get through this one. Easy captivating read, I think you will like it. That is when you have calmed down.

[Stanley]

I've been watching the buggers for years P. I doubt if there will be many surprises, just confirmation of many 'blood pressure moments' I have enjoyed over the years.....
(They are starting well with Lord Louis......)

[Stanley]

Harris, 'Second sleep' arrived yesterday, I've had a peep into it and have a good feeling about it.
My copy of the Ingleton Mine research is on its way, this was published after I did my research and is the book that Cathy led me to that contains the reference to the Old Coates engine and Bracewell's ownership of Wilson Wood Colliery. I'm looking forwards to that.

[Wendyf]

A few years ago I read an old newspaper report about Bracewell never really recovering from damaging his arm in a railway accident on the way back from visiting his colliery, I failed to find it again when I looked recently.

[Stanley]

Never seen any mention of that Wendy.....
There is no doubt he would travel by rail to Ingleton, it was access to the Midland Railway for his coal and delivery to Barnoldswick that was a major factor in buying Wilson's Colliery. The information I have up to now is that he used half the output for his Barlick Mills and sold the rest on the open market.
Not very good coal, he had to extend the stack at Butts 40ft to get enough draught to burn it. For that reason I suspect he never used it at Wellhouse which was his other mill at the time.

[Tripps]

M. Piketty seems to have written a new book. Just been interviewed on Newsnight. He's younger than I imagined. He has some fans on here I understand. A large book, and in it he's in favour of redistributing wealth. He recommends that everyone be given an 'endowment' on their 25th birthday of about 120.000 euro to spend as they wish - education or start a business etc. When challenged about this concept, he defended it by saying - 'what about the rich people who are given millions' ?

They say he's very clever. . . .

Reminded me of the maxim - when robbing Peter to pay Paul you are unlikely to get any objections from Paul. What could possibly go wrong?

[Stanley]

You're an old cynic David. He's not the only economist to advocate a maintenance payment for all. Thanks for the heads up, I shall seek it out. Why not ask for his 'Capital in the 21st Century' at the library and give it a go? He talks sense.... A rare thing these days in economics!

[plaques]

The main points of Piketty's 'Capital in the 21st Century' is that he backs up his argument using masses of charts and graphs that show the drift of capital into fewer and fewer hands. Nobody has contested his findings its just that those at the top don't like his proposed solution.

[Stanley]

Like you, I think he's very reliable P.
The Windsors.... The authors are filling in many gaps in my knowledge. I always knew they were a dysfunctional family held together for the benefit of the welfare of the higher establishment bu they were even bigger shysters than even I imagined. Just been reading the section on the 1936 Abdication of Edward VIII and the General Strike in 1926 and there are some fascinating insights. I am impressed by the depth of their research.
Incidentally, they lay bare the unconstitutional origins of the way the Duchy of Cornwall is taxed which is particularly relevant today in view of Chuck's finances and his support of Harry and Megan.....
If you or I were to try the same trick HMRC would drop on us from a great height!

[Tripps]

Tryal of Witches book

This looks interesting and old (1682) - at auction tomorrow. It's been plugged extensively on the local TV news. reserve is £500 - £800 though the boss said he thought that may be conservative.

30% commission looks a bit strong though. . .

[Stanley]

John Clayton's book on the Pendle Witches would be a lot cheaper David and more accurate!

[Stanley]

I am impressed/appalled by the new facts I am learning from 'War of the Windsors'. I knew some of it already, suspected a lot more and now my worst fears and beyond are being confirmed. What a load of shysters! (And traitors....)

[Tripps]

John Clayton's book on the Pendle Witches would be a lot cheaper David and more accurate!

Certainly cheaper - the book sold for £5,400. then there's 30% to add on. They said the estimate was 'conservative'.

[Tripps]

I am learning from 'War of the Windsors'.

What's the full title and author? I think my prejudices need to be reinforced.

PS. Cancel that request. I've found it. Must be this one from the review -

"Better than a century's worth of 'Hello' or 'People' magazine! Well-researched and extensively referenced, this expose of the German family who rule Britain, and their European rellies, should dispel forever any forelock-tugging tendencies."

[plaques]

Franklin D Roosevelt, A Political Life. By Robert Dallek. ISBN 978-0-141-98659-3, Oct 2019. Lancashire Libraries.

Written through the 1930s depression and WW2 the book details Roosevelt's problems in dealing with an almost fascist right-wing political regime. Profit and maintaining the status quo were the only things on the Republicans minds. The author brought out a lot of detail which we in the UK were never privy to. Roosevelt wasn't totally altruistic in his dealings with the UK but without him Hitler could have easily won the war.
At 600 pages a good indepth read. In it you can see Trump and his cohorts trying to turn the clock back to the 'good of days' of serfdom.

[Stanley]

Lots of fascism in the 1930s..... See current Tory policies. Fascism became popular as a way of getting back to the laisser faire regime bordering on feudal serfdom of the 19th century. Figures largely in the Hess book and 'War of the Wndsors.
David, P advised me well when he recommended the Hess book which is a prequel to the War of the Windsors. Same authors. Get that as well and read both!

[Stanley]

Getting to the end of the Windsors and it isn't any improvement. I am about to get into the death of Diana...

[Stanley]

I've given son in law Mick the Hess book, he asked for it. He also wants to read War of The Windsors as well. He has some interesting insights from when he was on guard duty at Buck house, Both Andrew and Diana were mentioned yesterday.... We had an interesting conversation yesterday.....