An alternative history of the world that exposes some of the biggest lies ever told and how they've been used over time. English, Otto (2021). Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World. London. ISBN 978-1-78739-639-5. OCLC 1246540717. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) The problem is that there is no easy way to fight this battle and, with the internet (especially via Facebook) the challenge is growing. Trump could never have become President nor Johnson PM without all the factors that Otto so rightly shows. Their lies are bought into by millions and continue to be as so many have been transfixed in the past.

I have finished reading “Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World” by Otto English. Fact Articles predominantly based on historical research, official reports, court documents and open source intelligence. At Waterloo 65,000 French were defeated by Wellington’s 70,000, about 8,000 French were defeated by Blucher’s eventual 50,000, and 33,000 French at Wavre weren’t defeated by anybody at all. The 65,000 Wellington defeated included all the heavy cavalry and the Old Guard. If he had not held off the French, the last intact Prussian corps would have been defeated too leaving four broken corps stranded between two French armies. I guess the complexity comes from the fact that there is no bright-line between opinion and fact. To say that the middle ages were a benighted era of superstition has some basis in fact and is an opinion that can be held with the historical record. To say that medieval thinkers thought the world was flat can easily be disproven with a visit to Hereford cathedral to see the Mappa Mundi with one’s own eyes.

I wish Labour had continued like that in every respect but it hasn’t. At least Stalin insisted on patriotism. Some times I wonder if Labour really wanted to give us socialism, perhaps it is different to be a Marxist from outside to be a Marxist from inside and to get elected, I wonder. Almost two decades and countless reality shows later, we’re still hostage to the cult of celebrity. Only now there’s a new buzzword in town: fake.

Evidently, some leaders use fake news like any other weapon of war. But our collusion plays a role, too. I mean, I did enjoy your books on post-war Britain a lot, and they seem to be based on extensive research and evidence. As far as I am awar “Otto English” is an entertainer and not a scholar, so I don’t really feel his paltry offerings have much to offer themselves to the study of history. But you are a serious and profound historian who should perhaps not get entangled with the nonsense of people such as this individual. Perhaps this is more of a way of thinking that appeals to modern historians who have an over-abundance of data and multiple available interpretations than to ancient and early medieval historians who, like archaeologists, have to more closely cleave their ideas to the scraps of evidence that there are.However I’m sure that, in the 70s, my father’s family would have fallen over themselves to be connected to him. By the late 90s, of course, the claim to fame would have been conveniently forgotten. Argument Honestly held opinions and provocative argument based on current events or our recent reports. When I was at school, we were challenged to question everything. I became a pain throughout my career and wider life as a result. I can't help it but am amazed at the vast majority that are willing to accept the most nonsensical of lies.