Democracy endangered
Australia’s second biggest media company dealt a blow to democracy on World Press Freedom Day. The next day, 4 May, Facebook announced its revenue for the quarter to 31 March rose 49% to $8.03 billion. The sacking of 125 journalists by Fairfax Media is the latest in a plethora of editorial staff cuts at the company. It’s not alone. Media […]
Turkish democracy RIP
Democracy is the worst form of government, British statesman and war-time leader Winston Churchill said, “except for all the others.” Democracy died in Turkey yesterday. The yes vote in the referendum to extend presidential powers was won 51.3% to 48.6%. But it was much more than that. It was a decision to abandon the modern […]
Enabling distress
A devastating blow was dealt to Germany’s fledgling and fragile democracy on 24 March 84 years ago. The German legislature voted away its power by supporting the Law to Remedy the Distress of the People Bill (Enabling Act). The law caused devastating distress. It gave the Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, unchecked power. He could pass laws without parliamentary […]
Burning democracy
Imagine the Capital building in Washington on fire. Or Westminster in London. Or Parliament House in Ottowa or Canberra. Imagine the enormity of it. Germans waking up on 28 February 1933 didn’t have to imagine it. The Reichstag was on fire. That was the message the Berlin Fire Department received at 9pm on Monday, 27 […]
Under radar
Another step towards World War II was made when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler secretly authorised the founding of the German airforce, the Luftwaffe on 26 February 1935. The airforce contravened the Versailles Treaty that forbade a German military airforce. World War I air ace and long-term Hitler crony Hermann Göring was appointed Luftwaffe commander in […]
Democracy threatened
The President of the United States’ latest threat to democracy: journalists should have to name sources. Not long before he made the comment in a speech, his staff briefed journalists on the condition of anonymity to discredit a New York Times story about contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials. Let’s put aside the hypocrisy of […]
Strike a page-turning chord
I devour books about the inter-war period. There’s a plethora of non-fiction and fiction. I post my thoughts from time to time about my reading journey. Here’s my review of The Black Orchestra by JJ Toner. When committed Nazi and Abwehr signalman Kurt Muller discovers the body of a colleague his life changes forever. Police […]
No return
Democracy did not end when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933. Its demise began with the legislative election of September 1930 and was hurried along by Hitler’s three predecessors. Germany had three chancellors in 1932: academic economist Heinrich Brüning, an aristocratic dilettante, Franz von Papen, and the ambitious scheming soldier, General Kurt von Schleicher. One […]
Borrowed tune
The 84th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s assumption of power is in just a few days. There will be a vote in Turkey in just a few months for a new constitution that could give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (above) unchecked power. History has a litany of examples of the disastrous consequences of unchecked power. “Absolute […]
Election of firsts
The first election in Germany after the Great War was just 14 months after the signing of the Armistice. Voting method was proportional representation for the election of 421 legislators on Sunday, 19 January 1919. Proportional representation is often criticised on the basis it was the system that “elected Hitler”. Hitler was never elected in a free and democratic […]