Loony Benn
The London newspaper, The Independent, asked a number of prominent persons this question: "What is the legacy of the Holocaust?" Among those who contributed their opinions were, novelist Amos Oz, human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger, historian Sir Ian Kershaw, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Iraqi writer Fuad al-Takarli and former Labour cabinet minister Tony Benn. Here's what he said:
"The most important lesson of the Holocaust is that fear provides a power structure for political leaders. Hitler portrayed the Jews as the enemy and used it to instil fear and gain power. George Bush evokes the fear of terrorism and becomes a more powerful leader. The important thing moving forward is to look at history and understand. Only by seeing how such things develop can we be sure such atrocities will not happen again."
We began the day here with the Irish president, Mary McAleese, using the occasion of the liberation of Auschwitz to slide Northern Ireland's Protestants into the Nazi league, and now the man who sidled up to Saddam is placing the US president in the Hitler category. What's the old lunatic smoking these days?
Comments
I've just come across this website quite by accident, spotted the Irish name and decided to have a read. I know nothing about you but imagine you must be an American of Irish descent with fascist tendencies. Shame on you with such a lovely name. Tony Benn is a compassionate man who predicted what would happen in iRaq. Bush IS like hitler and we all stand unable to stop the madman.
Posted by: Sinead Mangan | January 31, 2005 10:43 AM
Oh no! This sounds like Ted again. Except he's wearing a dress.
Posted by: Matthew Logan | January 31, 2005 2:38 PM
Yeah, but not nearly as long winded.
Posted by: Edmund Burke | January 31, 2005 6:45 PM
Yes...apparently you can't possibly be Irish, never mind a European, if you don't subscribe to the Euro-trash elite left-wing intelligentsia's position, blah, blah...can't leftists like this even TRY to make a civil comment, based in logic and refraining from ad-hominem attacks? If Ted and "Sinead" are any example, no.
Posted by: Patrick | February 2, 2005 4:33 AM