Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Paddy Ashdown draws parallels between Britain today and 1930s Germany



The Guardian reports the former Liberal Democrat leader's comments at the Hay Literary Festival today:
“My next book is about the German resistance to Hitler, so I’m knee-deep into research of the 1930s and I am horrified by the parallels. I’m horrified." ...
"The way that we have retreated from internationalism to ugly nationalism in Britain. The way that we have retreated from international trade to protectionism. The sense that somehow or other democracy is failing. 
"The habit of lying in our public discourse. What was it Goebbels said? Tell it often, tell it big ... stick it on the side of a bus perhaps and drive it around the country. I’m not saying Hitler is around the corner, of course I’m not, although you might conclude the conditions for something like that to emerge are there."
I suspect that what happens after this election may be a lot more interesting than what has happened during it. And that Paddy fancies himself at the centre of affairs.

As to these comments... They ring true, don't they?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

In 1933 Hitler came to power. He wanted all Jews to'leave the country'.He had not the power to go any further. Then the Nazis's grew stronger, leading to the atrocities. Are we at the tip of the iceberg with Muslims and other 'unfrendly' foriegners at the tip?