Blog 2023 Malcolm Blair-Robinson

MY LATEST BLOCKBUSTER THRILLER IS NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE AND IN PAPERBACK! GET IT NOW.

It is written in a modern style in a scene by scene format, with punctuation which follows reading flow rather than traditional rules. This creates a compelling  narrative, easy to read and hard to put down. This book is a work of fiction, but at its heart there is a real historical cover-up. This drives the plot, but almost all the events and characters are fictional. Some characters appear also in Hitler’s First Lady, but that is a novel much more closely linked to known historical facts and the true story of a family, which appears in both books as the Benedicts. Here most of their story is fiction, as are all the modern characters within the family and in the world beyond.

 AMAZON.COM                                   AMAZON.UK

About the Book

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.

Regular readers will know that this blog is highly critical of Cameron’s position over the Ukraine and in particular his clumsy attempts to influence Russia’s President Putin. This opposition stems not from ideological conviction but from pragmatic analysis of history, diplomacy and the best interests of the UK, Europe and Russia going forward.

Just let us remind ourselves what is happening. Ukraine is one of the very old eastern European territories with a valued and individual culture rooted in centuries past. It has at different times been independent as well as part of Russia and of Germany. Throughout the Soviet era it was part of Russia and Ukrainians saw themselves as Russian.  Khrushchev, one of the most dynamic Soviet leaders, was born in the Ukraine. During WWII quite a lot of bad blood developed between west and eastern Ukraine, because many in the west sided with the invading Germans and signed up with the Waffen SS and other repressive Nazi elements.

With the defeat of the Nazis Ukraine returned to the Soviet Empire where it remained until the empire collapsed. It then became independent and did not join the Russian Federation. It evolved into a democracy which was polarised between parties from the east of the country, mainly inhabited by ethnic Russians who still looked to Russia as their cultural and economic partner and who looked east for culture, trade and security, and parties in the west of the country which looked to Europe. A series of bad governments presided over a disunited country. Eventually the lid blew off and the Russian leaning President fled as his government collapsed in the face of street demonstrations and a breakdown in public order. It was replaced by a west leaning coalition containing some really unsavoury far right elements who openly declared their admiration of Hitler and the Nazis.

The ethnic Russians were terrified, Crimea broke away and joined the Russian federation and a separatist movement established itself in the east. Kiev sent in troops and inaugurated civil war. Russia sent weapons, volunteer  formations in uniforms without insignia using armour and transport without markings, a device which fools nobody, to enable the separatists to resist. Russia is very nervous about western expansion east and both the EU and NATO have made little conscious effort to allay her fears.

Although Thatcher’s rapport with Gorbachev broke the mould, the British establishment is, and always has been emotionally anti-Russian. In  this they are supported by the Royal family who still recoil at the shooting of all their cousins in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yekaterinburg in 1917. Yet the plain fact is Germany would have won, but for the extraordinary Soviet resistance in WWII which cost Russia somewhere between 26 million and 40 million civilian and military dead, depending on the database used. This compares with 183,000 for the US in the Nazi theatre and about 450,000 for the whole British Empire including the Japanese theatre. You need to read these figures twice and let them sink in.

Without the Soviets, Germany would have won the war in Europe. Or if Britain and America had had to go it alone their casualties would have risen into many millions each. Russia took the full brunt of the losses and destroyed the German fighting machine, 90% of whose losses where on the Russian front. This blog therefore finds the comparison that Cameron makes between Putin and the Nazis as impertinent and insulting and demonstrating woeful historical ignorance. It will also achieve nothing useful and represents a childish diplomatic nihilism.  I have lived through Chamberlain, Churchill, Attlee, Eden, Macmillan, Home, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan,Thatcher, Major, Blair, Brown and Cameron. Some did better than others, but they were all Prime Ministers who commanded a degree of respect in  their own way. Cameron is the only one of whom I am ashamed. Which is a pity because he is basically a good man.

Furthermore if a case is to be made about the illegality of minorities being allowed to join the country of their ethnic origin, Britain is the least appropriate country in the world to make it. British control of Northern Ireland, The Falklands and Gibraltar depends on the principle that these minorities have the right of self determination and referenda conducted which show a majority wishing to be part of Britain are both legal and binding. We cannot thus assert, as Cameron does repeatedly and goads others to follow, that just such votes held in eastern Ukraine by the Russian minority are illegal. This blog does not like humbug either.

MY LATEST BLOCKBUSTER THRILLER IS NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE AND IN PAPERBACK! GET IT NOW.

It is written in a modern style in a scene by scene format, with punctuation which follows reading flow rather than traditional rules. This creates a compelling  narrative, easy to read and hard to put down. This book is a work of fiction, but at its heart there is a real historical cover-up. This drives the plot, but almost all the events and characters are fictional. Some characters appear also in Hitler’s First Lady, but that is a novel much more closely linked to known historical facts and the true story of a family, which appears in both books as the Benedicts. Here most of their story is fiction, as are all the modern characters within the family and in the world beyond.

 AMAZON.COM                                   AMAZON.UK

About the Book

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.

John Major made a powerful speech in Germany yesterday, directed at European policy makers. He pleaded for some support for the UK, which finds itself the number one destination for EU migrants to the point where the public perception is that too many are arriving for the services and communities to cope. He pointed up the very real risk that the UK will leave if its pleas are ignored. Is that what Europe wants? No it isn’t. But, and this is a BUT, Europe has decided that the UK cannot be a spoiler and if it demands too much then it’s bye-bye.

Is that what the UK wants? Well England very well might, but not Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England’s population outvotes everyone else, so if England votes to go with a decent majority, the UK is off. That will be the last thing the UK ever does, because for certain it will then break up. Scotland will hold another referendum and leave for sure. The EU, having lost England will welcome Scotland on board. This will leave Wales and Northern Ireland outside the EU from which they gain great benefit, while Ireland and Scotland will be in. No guesses how their minds will tick or where they will seek to go.

So England will be on its own. On the threshold of a new Golden Age? Or up a creek without a paddle?

MY LATEST BLOCKBUSTER THRILLER IS NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE AND IN PAPERBACK! GET IT NOW.

It is written in a modern style in a scene by scene format, with punctuation which follows reading flow rather than traditional rules. This creates a compelling  narrative, easy to read and hard to put down. This book is a work of fiction, but at its heart there is a real historical cover-up. This drives the plot, but almost all the events and characters are fictional. Some characters appear also in Hitler’s First Lady, but that is a novel much more closely linked to known historical facts and the true story of a family, which appears in both books as the Benedicts. Here most of their story is fiction, as are all the modern characters within the family and in the world beyond.

 AMAZON.COM                                   AMAZON.UK

About the Book

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.

There is no doubt David Cameron is a decent compassionate man with whom most people would feel they have a lot in common. He is courageous and patriotic and always does what he thinks is best for his country. Setting up the Coalition government was a bold move that few would have made in a country averse, up till now, to the notion of coalition. His weakness is judgement over policy and where it will lead, allied to misjudgement of opponents as well as allies. In a Prime Minister this is like an  up to the minute airliner with every refinement of technology, but with faulty engines. Both prime minister and plane are dangerous.

On economic policy he and his chancellor elected to go for an economic recovery driven by house price inflation, funded by a QE programme that meant the benefits of that recovery fell into the lap of the financial sector and the top two per cent of the population. To prevent the house price bubble exploding measures restricting lending have come into force, which has slowed the price rise but also is slowing the recovery. Wages are falling in real value while the salaries of the top managers are accelerating many times faster than inflation. The tax take is falling and the deficit is rising, whilst the accumulated debt mountain, both of government and households, is getting bigger. The only thing left to offer is more cuts. This is not a good place to be and especially not before a general election.

Foreign policy, if anything, is worse. The first bold move was Libya. This has proved a monumental error of judgement leading to yet another failed state in which many foolish hands played their part, but in which Cameron was a prime mover. Next comes the bust up with the EU with whom Cameron is on a collision course on almost every single issue. This may be good for the Tory Right and those legions of his members who have debunked to UKIP, but these are a minority both in his party and in the country. The TUC, the CBI and the Great Silent Majority are very concerned at the idea of leaving the EU, especially as nobody has a clue what would come after. So business investment is slowing up.

Moreover Cameron nearly lost the Union and might very well have, but for the dynamic intervention of a Gordon Brown, rejuvenated and in campaigning form unseen before in his career. If Cameron bumbles and blusters to the EU exit, Scotland will definitely exit the UK. Is this the right way forward?

And then there is Russia. Even the anti-Putin Gorbachev is critical. All this nonsense about the break away provinces having an illegal vote. In a true democracy no mass vote of free people can be ‘illegal’. This only happens when votes occur in police states. Popular votes of those in residence in a territory is how Britain lays claim to the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and the northern provinces of Ireland. A new cold war will be hugely economically damaging to the West, as well as very much more dangerous than the last cold war, not least because of the ineptitude of so many Western politicians. Russia still has the capacity to wipe out the US in approximately thirty minutes. In that scenario Britain would be a cinder, whatever its Trident submarines did.

And then there is ISIS. This product of the West’s misguided policies in the Middle East and Afghanistan cannot be defeated as it will simply re-emerge in another form. It has to be contained and at some point tamed. This cannot be done without two key allies. Russia and Iran. Oh dear, but they are Cameron’s baddies.

It is not Milliband’s leadership which should be under threat, but Cameron’s.

MY LATEST BLOCKBUSTER THRILLER IS NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE AND IN PAPERBACK! GET IT NOW.

It is written in a modern style in a scene by scene format, with punctuation which follows reading flow rather than traditional rules. This creates a compelling  narrative, easy to read and hard to put down. This book is a work of fiction, but at its heart there is a real historical cover-up. This drives the plot, but almost all the events and characters are fictional. Some characters appear also in Hitler’s First Lady, but that is a novel much more closely linked to known historical facts and the true story of a family, which appears in both books as the Benedicts. Here most of their story is fiction, as are all the modern characters within the family and in the world beyond.

 AMAZON.COM                                   AMAZON.UK

About the Book

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.

Mikhail Gorbachev was right to warn the West against instigating a new Cold War with Russia. The whole business of the Ukraine has been mishandled from the very beginning by the West. It does not take a super brain to work out that when the government in Kiev was overthrown and replaced with a Western leaning revolutionary coalition with some very unsavoury far right elements, there would be fear and anxiety among the Russian speaking majority in the Eastern provinces. A little common sense and a spirit of give an take would have readily diffused the tensions and produced a solution. It would have been very easy to work with Russia and allay her fears of an eastward march of NATO, which are every bit as real in Moscow as fear of a westward march of the Russians in the capitals of Europe.

Instead a path of demonisation of Putin and all things Russian became the prevailing mood which informed seriously misguided policy decisions. Sanctions are damaging western economic interests every bit as much as they are damaging Russia, witness the slowdown in Europe. Add the shambles in the middle east and you have a record of incompetence in statecraft rarely before equalled. It is time to get real.

MY LATEST BLOCKBUSTER THRILLER IS NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE AND IN PAPERBACK! GET IT NOW.

It is written in a modern style in a scene by scene format, with punctuation which follows reading flow rather than traditional rules. This creates a compelling  narrative, easy to read and hard to put down. This book is a work of fiction, but at its heart there is a real historical cover-up. This drives the plot, but almost all the events and characters are fictional. Some characters appear also in Hitler’s First Lady, but that is a novel much more closely linked to known historical facts and the true story of a family, which appears in both books as the Benedicts. Here most of their story is fiction, as are all the modern characters within the family and in the world beyond.

 AMAZON.COM                                   AMAZON.UK

About the Book

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.

Osborne and Cameron have demeaned the UK and made themselves a laughing stock in Europe by kicking up a crisis which was never there about money due which they will have to pay and about which the Treasury at least (Osborne) knew all along. This was presented as a bolt from the blue, which it turned out not to be, and it is now being promoted as a triumph of reduction, when it is nothing of the kind.

This is disgraceful and shows a lack of maturity in the government as well as significant disrespect for voters who are expected into buy into this spin doctor’s nonsense. It has certainly rescued Milliband in the short term, he may be geeky but he is not this stupid, and it has made Balls look fiscally credible. Both of these things would have been thought impossible a week ago.

Dear me! It reminds us of the omnishambles budget.