David Richards

Britain is sleepwalking to disaster, because London has abandoned all forms of proper strategy. That is the sobering message of this powerful analysis exposing the great failings of British security and defence policy. Britain long ago abandoned the art and science of grand strategy, even though this is crucial for establishing the country’s direction of travel. Without grand strategy, national strategy has been reduced to little more than a political game of how much threat Britain can afford, and who gets what from an ever-shrinking resource pot. However, it is Britain’s defence policy where the contradictions and self-delusion of abandoned strategy are most apparent, and which explains why the balance between ends, ways and means—as sound strategy would demand—has become not just elusive, but nigh on impossible. This essential, incisive book offers Britain a pathway back to strategic realism, by ending the profound confusion of interests with values that has done so much damage to Britain and its vital place in the world of the twenty-first century.

In an era of fiscal constraint, rising public demand, and fragmented governance, the UK's approach to public spending is under unprecedented strain. At the centre of this system sits HM Treasury, long regarded as the most powerful department in British government yet questioned for its ability to deliver effective financial control in an increasingly complex and fragmented policy landscape. This book offers a bold and timely reassessment of the Treasury's role in shaping the UK's public finances over the last thirty years. Drawing on over 150 interviews with senior officials, policymakers, and frontline practitioners, it reveals how the Treasury's traditional model of top-down control has failed to adapt to the realities of modern governance over the last three decades. Through detailed case studies of prisons, special educational needs, and homelessness, the authors expose the systemic consequences of short-termism, siloed budgeting, inadequate evaluation, centralised performance budgeting, and accountability deficits that undermine both fiscal sustainability and public service outcomes.

Cargo claims are the most frequent form of third-party liability incurred by carriers by sea and their P&I insurers. They are the bread-and-butter work of ship operators and P&I clubs, with each club handling thousands of cargo claims every year. This new book examines every aspect of cargo claims from a legal and practical perspective and complements other legal textbooks which specialise in bills of lading or charterparties. Following the life of a typical cargo claim, the book analyses the basis upon which carriers face liability for cargo loss and damage; the law on delay and deviation; cargo interests’ responsibilities for the cargo they ship; defences to cargo claims; the role of cargo insurers and subrogation; P&I cover for cargo claims; and the recovery options available to a carrier facing a cargo liability. Cargo Claims also includes a detailed clause-by-clause commentary on the InterClub Agreement. Written for practitioners and those working on cargo claims day-to-day, the book will be invaluable for ship operators, shipping law firms, barristers’ chambers, cargo recovery agencies and P&I insurers. Readers will gain a comprehensive guide to the handling of cargo claims by way of a detailed analysis of the underlying legal principles and through practical guidance.

In a small neighborhood nestled in a southern North Carolina town, a small tri-colored beagle becomes part of a very special community family. With unmatched speed, this beagle is hard to keep up with when he lacks a collar and quickly becomes part of the family's daily routine. With his familiar furry face popping up throughout the families' daily lives, he becomes a constant reminder that love can come in many forms." Speed Beagle" is based on a real-life event of a beagle that approached the author one day, leaving a permanent mark on her heart. Though the beagle did not stick around, his story was still full of love. As a tribute, the beagle in the story is a combination of the four beagles the authors have had over the span of 25 years.

The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was created by Winston Churchill in 1940 to "set Europe ablaze," but its most significant success occurred in the jungles of Burma, where its guerrilla operations were vital to the reconquest of the country. SOE’s greatest commander was Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Peacock. Born in India in 1893, Edgar Peacock missed WWI due to his employment in Burma’s Jungles. In 1940, aged 46, he lied about his age and enlisted as a Private, ending the war as a highly decorated special forces Lieutenant Colonel, who had conceived, planned and led the most successful guerrilla operation of WW2. Approximately 130 British officers and NCOs parachuted in, raised about 12,000 indigenous guerrillas and prevented the Japanese from halting General Slim's advance on Rangoon. Over eight months of intense, continuous, combat in enemy territory, Operation Character accounted for 11,874 Japanese casualties for the loss of 22 British troops. For a period they outperformed the entire British 14th Army! Monsoon rains, scarce supplies, dense mountainous jungle, tigers, snakes, leeches and a determined enemy, all combined to make this an operation like no other. Eminent historian, Richard Duckett, given exclusive access to private family files, has produced an extraordinary biography of an exceptional man, exploring Edgar’s truly fascinating life 'warts and all'.

Britain is sleepwalking to disaster, because London has abandoned all forms of proper strategy. That is the sobering message of this powerful analysis exposing the great failings of British security and defence policy. Britain long ago abandoned the art and science of grand strategy, even though this is crucial for establishing the country’s direction of travel. Without grand strategy, national strategy has been reduced to little more than a political game of how much threat Britain can afford, and who gets what from an ever-shrinking resource pot. However, it is Britain’s defence policy where the contradictions and self-delusion of abandoned strategy are most apparent, and which explains why the balance between ends, ways and means—as sound strategy would demand—has become not just elusive, but nigh on impossible. This essential, incisive book offers Britain a pathway back to strategic realism, by ending the profound confusion of interests with values that has done so much damage to Britain and its vital place in the world of the twenty-first century.

This book offers both a philosophical and psychological theory of an aspect of human love, first noted by Plato and used by Freud in developing psychoanalysis (transference love), namely, lovers as mirrors for one another, enabling them thus better to see and understand themselves and others. Shakespeare's art makes the same appeal theater as a communal mirror expressing the artist holding a loving mirror for his culture at a point of transitional crisis between a shame and guilt culture. The book shows how Shakespeare's plays offer better insights into the behavior of violent men than Freud's, based on close empirical study of violent criminals; develops a theory of violence rooted in the moral emotions of shame and guilt; and a cultural psychology of the transition from shame to guilt cultures. The work argues that violence is, contra Freud, not an ineliminable instinct in the nature of things, requiring autocracy, but arises from patriarchally inflicted cultural injuries to the love of equals that undermine democracy, and that only a therapy based on love can address such injuries, replacing retributive with restorative justice, and populist fascist autocracy with constitutional democracy. Love, thus understood, underlies a range of disparate phenomena: the appeal of Shakespeare's theater as a communal art; the role of love in psychoanalysis; in Augustine's conception of love in religion (disfigured by his patriarchal assumptions); in Kant's anti-utilitarian ethics of dignity; in a naturalistic ethics that roots ethics in facts of human psychology; the role of law in democratic cultures as a mirror and critique of such cultures; and the basis of an egalitarian theory of universal human rights (inspired by Kant and developed, more recently, by John Rawls). In all these domains, uncritically accepted forms of culture (the initiation of men and women into patriarchy) traumatize the love of equals, and thus disfigure and distort our personal and political lives.

David is a man who has spent his entire mortal life searching for a single woman on a planet with billions of people. At the start of the pandemic, he sees a post on Instagram of a woman; he knows he has seen the picture before. As the pandemic spreads, he wrestles with the dark night of his soul, only to begin to awaken to his identity. Then, with the fog of mortality lifting from his mind, David realizes his mission: unite the nations of Abraham and bring about heaven on earth. The time has come to awaken the gods. His greatest quest will be finding the strength to lift a certain hammer. His greatest challenge will be coming to terms with who he is.

"They may have a knack for murder but when it came to kidnapping, they were woefully inadequate." After the events of "The 'Lovely' Old Dears", Pam and Jean go on the run to evade the long arm of the law. Holed up in a Bed & Breakfast, and with a hostage in tow, they try to come up with a plan. Easier said than done for this pair of over the hill serial killers. Praise for The 'Lovely' Old Dears 2: "The author's sharp, campy humour leaps out of every page""A terrifically written sequel that hooks you right in, full of warmth, humour and murder.""Another rip roaring read by David Richards. Very addictive."

In 1915, at the height of World War I, the Central Powers sent a secret mission, led by Oskar Ritter von Niedermayer and Werner Otto von Hentig, to the court of the emir of Afghanistan, Habibullah Khan. Jointly operated by the governments of Germany and Turkey, the aim of the mission was to persuade the emir to declare full independence from the British Empire, enter the war on the side of the Central Powers and attack British India. Britain saw this mission as a serious and credible threat - so much so that they tried to intercept the travellers in Persia en route to Kabul and subsequently implemented their own intelligence mission to ensure that Afghanistan would retain its neutral position. Jules Stewart provides a gripping account of the expedition, highlighting a previously little-known aspect of World War I.

Golden Girls meets American Psycho"Murder isn't easy. If it was, everybody would be doing it." Pam and Jean: Two no-nonsense ladies of a certain age have been best friends since school. After Jean's husband died, Pam came to stay to comfort her old friend. Many years later, and with Pam now a permanent houseguest, the two find themselves dealing with unwanted callers and noisy neighbours. The perfect time to take up a new hobby... Praise for The 'Lovely' Old Dears: "Murder should not be this funny""Just when you thought you knew what was coming next, BAM, a twist is only a page away ""The 'Lovely' Old Dears is a throbbing, gristle of a read""David Richards has the absurd talent of capturing the essence of a character in less than two sentences.""What a fabulous read, incredibly witty and well written.""This book has had me laughing out loud as I've been reading and I couldn't put it down."

Gritty, funny, and very NorthernAfter the funeral of his sister, Daniel finds himself somehow back in the past. Trapped in a childhood he'd tried to forget; can Daniel survive school, family, 80s fashion, and no internet long enough to save his sister? Praise for The 'Lovely' Past: "Grit and Drama set in the grim, smokey backdrop of 80's northern town. Sprinkled with love, nostalgia and northern wit ""I absolutely adored reading this book. It took me hurtling back to the 80's""I read this book over the summer and absolutely couldn't put it down.""Whether it is a pleasurable holiday read you seek, or generally a bit of an adventure, this time-travel treat has it all.""What can I say? This book is hilarious.""FABULOUS in every sense. ... Just read it. It's FUN "

"David's book is exceptionally unique and creative. I love Whiskey and Yoga. Timeless messages delivered in a way that can positively impact your life. Sit back, pour yourself a healthy drink and ingest this wonderful work of wisdom." Peggy McColl, New York Times Best Selling AuthorWhat if I told you that you CAN have a life that is rewarding beyond your wildest dreams? More wealth, more fulfillment; the financial freedom to live the life you've always imagined. For all of their differences, at their core, whiskey and yoga share one very important idea: they both involve the interaction between a spirit and a container. With this book, I will help you learn what is holding you back, so you can ignite your passion and have a more fulfilling and meaningful life. No matter what your age or current circumstance, it is my hope to help you get there, through Whiskey and Yoga.

General Sir David Richards is one of the best known British generals of modern times. In 2013 he retired after over forty years of service in the British Army and a career that had seen him rise from junior officer with 20 Commando to Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed Forces. He served in the Far East, Germany, Northern Ireland and East Timor. He was the last Governor of Berlin's Spandau Prison, when Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy, was its sole prisoner. In 2005 he was appointed Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Afghanistan and as commander of NATO forces became the first British General to command US Forces in combat since the Second World War. In 2000, Richards won acclaim when he brought together a collation of forces in Sierra Leone to stop the ultra-violent Revolutionary United Front from attacking the capital, Freetown. In so doing he ended one of the bloodiest civil wars to bedevil the region. He did so without the official sanction of London, and failure could have cost him his career. As Chief of the Defence Staff he advised the government during the crises and interventions in Libya and Syria and oversaw the controversial Strategic Defence and Security Review. Taking Command is Richards' characteristically outspoken account of a career that took him into the highest echelons of military command and politics. Written with candour, and often humour, his story reflects the changing reality of life for the modern soldier over the last forty years and offers unprecedented insight into the readiness of our military to tackle the threats and challenges we face today.

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In 21st century Britain, a 'perfect storm' seems to have engulfed many of its institutions. This book is the first wholesale consideration of the crisis of legitimacy that has taken root in Britain's key institutions and explores the crisis across them to determine if a set of shared underlying pathologies exist to create this collective crisis.

In 21st century Britain, a 'perfect storm' seems to have engulfed many of its institutions. This book is the first wholesale consideration of the crisis of legitimacy that has taken root in Britain's key institutions and explores the crisis across them to determine if a set of shared underlying pathologies exist to create this collective crisis.