Latest news with #GermanJewish
Extra.ie
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
How Guinness stars in one of the greatest spy stories of War
Guinness may be 'good for you', but it was also the code word used in Soviet spies' secret meetings in the last century. As two of Russia's best spies met undercover in London, one would say: 'Stout is not good… I prefer lager' to which their fellow agent would reply: 'I think Guinness is best.' One of the greatest spy stories, beginning before the Second World War, is told by historian Ben Macintyre – and Guinness played a vital role. Pic:Agent Sonya, his vivid depiction of Russian spy Ursula Kuczynski Burton, who conducted some of the most dangerous espionage operations of the 20th century, is a bestseller. Born to a German Jewish family, Kuczynski Burton–Sonya was a Communist activist who spied for the Soviet Union in the 1930s and 1940s, most famously as the handler of nuclear scientist Klaus Fuchs. Kuczynski Burton planned an assassination attempt on Hitler in Switzerland, spied on the Japanese in Manchuria and prevented nuclear war (or so she believed) by stealing the science of atomic weaponry from Britain to give to Moscow. Pic: Dave Rushen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) In London, Russian agent Alexander Feklisov would visit the Nag's Head pub while carrying a copy of the Tribune to meet Klaus Fuchs. Feklisov would bring over a beer to Fuchs and say: 'Stout is not good. I prefer lager.' To which Fuchs would reply: 'I think Guinness is best.' Every few months, Fuchs met Feklisov at various pubs drinking Guinness and lager, handing over a fresh trove of secret scientific intelligence: Britain's atomic bomb planning, the construction of experimental reactors, notes on plutonium production and precise calculations of the nuclear tests that would enable Soviet scientists to assess the Western nuclear stockpile. Macintyre's book tells how Fuchs returned from the US to take up a post as head of Theoretical Physics at the UK Atomic Energy Research Establishment, where scientists were designing a nuclear reactor to produce energy for civilian use. A second, secret agenda was the production of plutonium for making atomic weapons independently of the US. Fuchs was a pivotal member of the team. As a GRU (soviet military intelligence) officer, Kuczynski Burton was unaware of his return, for Fuchs was now a KGB asset. For a time, he eschewed spying, but after a year back in Britain, he received instructions to meet a KGB contact. An unidentified GRU chief is reported to have observed during the war, 'If we had five Sonyas in England, the war would end sooner'. Kuczynski Burton moved to East Germany in 1950 when Fuchs was unmasked, and published a series of books about her espionage activities, including her bestselling memoir, Sonja's Rapport. She died in 2000, aged 93
DW
19-06-2025
- General
- DW
Leo Baeck Institute: 70 years honoring German-Jewish culture – DW – 06/18/2025
Founded after the Holocaust, the Leo Baeck Institute marks 70 years of preserving the heritage of German-speaking Jews. When German rabbi Leo Baeck was liberated from the Theresienstadt concentration camp on May 8, 1945, the day the war ended, he no longer believed in a future for Jewish people in Germany. Who wanted to live in the country that had planned to exterminate German Jewry and murdered millions? "The era of the Jews in Germany," Baeck said at the time, "is over once and for all." This assessment was shared by most survivors at the time. But what would become of centuries of German Jewish culture? Who would remember the music of Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Arnold Schönberg, the literature of Joseph Roth, Franz Kafka, Alfred Döblin or Else Lasker-Schüler? Even during the years of persecution, preserving German-Jewish cultural heritage was part of the resistance, says the Israeli-Austrian historian, Doron Rabinovici. After 1945, when the full extent of the Holocaustbecame visible, this task seemed all the more urgent. "Remembrance was also resistance against forgetting, against erasure," he told DW of the attempted destruction of Jewish culture during 12 years of Nazi rule. The Leo Baeck Institute in New York is one of three set up in major emigration points for German Jewry Image: Max Stein/Imago Showing what the Nazis destroyed In 1955, ten years after World War II ended, a group of German-speaking Jewish intellectuals including philosopher Hannah Arendt and historian Gershom Scholem founded the Leo Baeck Institute (LBI) "to show what the Nazis had destroyed," explained Michael Brenner, professor of Jewish history and culture at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. The institute would celebrate "cultural achievements, but also the everyday life of German Jews," said Brenner, who has also been the president of the Institute since 2013. The LBI was named after Rabbi Leo Baeck, the "great religious and spiritual shining light of liberal German Jewry," the historian added. Baeck became the first president, but died in 1956, one year after the institute was founded. New York, London and Jerusalem were the most important destinations for Jewish emigrants after the war, and these were also the three locations of the LBI. The myth of Germany's post-Nazi 'zero hour' explained To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Research institute promoting German Jewish heritage What made the LBI special from the very beginning was its collection of historical objects that came mostly from Jewish refugees or their descendants: Books, letters, photos, and also works of art. Today, the LBI is the most important research institute for the heritage of German Jewry. The majority of the LBI collections have been digitized and made accessible online, with scholars and descendants of Jewish survivors globally using the service comprising more than 3.5 million pages. An annual yearbook is also published, events are organized, and young people in science are supported. The LBI also produced the four-volume standard work, "German-Jewish History in the Modern Era." Work is currently underway on a history of the German-Jewish diaspora. Some might be surprised to know that the LBI has existed so long, but few might have expected a branch to open in Berlin. As contemporary witnesses die out and descendants lose touch with their origins, the LBI is trying to keep interest in German-Jewish cultural heritage alive with new projects. These include the podcast "Exil," (or "Exile") narrated by German actress Iris Berben, which is based on letters, diaries and interviews from the LBI archive. Aimed at a younger audience, the podcast tells stories of people whose lives have been shaped by exile, flight or persecution. Commemorating the victims of World War II and Nazi Germany To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Attacks on academic life also threaten the LBI While the renowned research institute is celebrating its 70th birthday in 2025, this should not obscure the fact that its members, especially in the US, feel that their academic work is under threat. "The situation in the USA has not been made any easier by the attacks on academic life," said Michael Brenner of US government policies to cut funding across universities. Historian and author Doron Rabinovici also sees a further threat from the global rise of right-wing parties. Leo Baeck's assessment in 1945 that Jewish life in Germany was over has not come true. But what will the next few years bring? A "resurgent Jewish existence" is only possible in an open society in which antisemitism is combatted, warns Rabinovici. And fightingantisemitismis not possible with right-wing extremists. In Germany, the 70th anniversary of the Leo Baeck Institute will be celebrated with a ceremony under the patronage of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Speakers at this event will include LBI president Brenner and Rabinovici. Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer dies To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This article was edited by Sarah Hucal.
DW
18-06-2025
- General
- DW
Resisting oblivion: 70 years of the Leo Baeck Institute – DW – 06/18/2025
The Nazis wanted to destroy Jewish life in Germany. Jewish intellectuals founded the Leo Baeck Institute ten years after the Holocaust to save the nation's diverse German-Jewish heritage. When the German rabbi Leo Baeck was liberated from the Theresienstadt concentration camp on May 8, 1945, the day the war ended, he no longer believed in a future for Jewish people in Germany. Who wanted to live in the country that had planned to exterminate German Jewry and murdered millions? "The era of the Jews in Germany," Baeck said at the time, "is over once and for all." This assessment was shared by most survivors at the time. But what would become of centuries of German Jewish culture? Who would remember the music of Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Arnold Schönberg, the literature of Joseph Roth, Franz Kafka, Alfred Döblin or Else Lasker-Schüler? Even during the years of persecution, preserving German-Jewish cultural heritage was part of the resistance, says the Israeli-Austrian historian, Doron Rabinovici. After 1945, when the full extent of the Holocaustbecame visible, this task seemed all the more urgent. "Remembrance was also resistance against forgetting, against erasure," he told DW of the attempted destruction of Jewish culture during 12 years of Nazi rule. The Leo Baeck Institute in New York is one of three set up in major emigration points for German Jewry, including London and Jerusalem Image: Max Stein/Imago Showing what the Nazis destroyed In 1955, ten years after World War II ended, a group of German-speaking Jewish intellectuals including philosopher Hannah Arendt and historian Gershom Scholem founded the Leo Baeck Institute (LBI) "to show what the Nazis had destroyed," explained Michael Brenner, professor of Jewish history and culture at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. The institute would celebrate "cultural achievements, but also the everyday life of German Jews," said Brenner, who has also been the president of the Institute since 2013. The LBI was named after Rabbi Leo Baeck, the "great religious and spiritual shining light of liberal German Jewry,' the historian added. Baeck became the first president, but died in 1956, one year after the institute was founded. New York, London and Jerusalem were the most important destinations for Jewish emigrants after the war, and these were also the three locations of the LBI. The myth of Germany's post-Nazi 'zero hour' explained To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Research institute promoting German Jewish heritage What made the LBI special from the very beginning was its collection of historical objects come mostly from Jewish refugees or their descendants: Books, letters, photos, and also works of art. Today, the LBI is the most important research institute for the heritage of German Jewry. The majority of the LBI collections have been digitized and made accessible online, with scholars and descendants of Jewish survivors globally using the service comprising more than 3.5 million pages. An annual yearbook is also published, events are organized, and young people in science are supported. The LBI also produced the four-volume standard work, "German-Jewish History in the Modern Era." Work is currently underway on a history of the German-Jewish diaspora. Some might be surprised to know that the LBI has existed so long, but few might have expected a branch to open in Berlin. As contemporary witnesses die out and descendants lose touch with their origins, the LBI is trying to keep interest in German-Jewish cultural heritage alive with new projects. These include the podcast "Exile,' narrated by German actress Iris Berben, which is based on letters, diaries and interviews from the LBI archive. Aimed at a younger audience, the podcast tells stories of people whose lives have been shaped by exile, flight or persecution. Commemorating the victims of World War II and Nazi Germany To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Attacks on academic life also threaten the LBI While the renowned research institute is celebrating its 70th birthday in 2025, this should not obscure the fact that its members, especially in the US, feel that their academic work is under threat. 'The situation in the USA, has not been made any easier by the attacks on academic life," said Michael Brenner of government policies to cut funding across universities. Historian and author Doron Rabinovici also sees a further threat from the global rise of right-wing parties. Leo Baeck's assessment in 1945 that Jewish life in Germany was over has not come true. But what will the next few years bring? A "resurgent Jewish existence" is only possible in an open society in which antisemitism is combated, warns Rabinovici. And combating antisemitismis not possible with right-wing extremists. In Germany, the 70th anniversary of the Leo Baeck Institute will be celebrated with a ceremony under the patronage of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Speakers at this event will be the President of the LBI, Michael Brenner, and the Austrian historian and writer Doron Rabinovici. Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer dies To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Cruelty returns to haunt me in the dead of night
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is."
New European
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New European
Letters: Tory members have killed their own party
Critical was the Faustian bargain Tory MPs made in allowing Boris Johnson to reach the last two, so going forward to the inevitable coronation from the membership. Tory MPs knew perfectly well that Johnson was without integrity, but allowed him to become leader anyway, for short-term electoral gain. Well, they got their reward, but reaped the long-term destruction of their party. Re: 'The Tories are dead' (TNE #435). I trace the root of the Conservative Party's decay (so ably chronicled in Matthew d'Ancona's piece) to allowing the members to vote for their leader. Apart from David Cameron, I think it's fair to say most of the subsequent choices have been either poor or disastrous. I presume it is now impossible for a 'One Nation' candidate to become leader, given that the membership will invariably select the least electorally suitable candidate. Martin Treacey Superb piece. Puts me in mind of my old MP, Dominic Grieve, an intelligent, thoughtful, and incredibly decent man (whom I never voted for, but I would today). Such figures are now as far from today's Conservative Party as the Earth is from the moon. RSP Zatzen Robert Jenrick will end up as Tory leader and do a deal with Nigel Farage, who will demand a very high price – he will want to be leader of a combined 'Conservative and Reform Party'. I guess as the decades go by that may get shortened to simply 'Conservative', and then younger generations without first-hand memory of the merger may treat it as a continuation of the Conservative Party of old. It will, of course, be very different, a bit like how Donald Trump's Republicans are very different to Dwight D Eisenhower's (or even George Bush's). A revolutionary rather than evolutionary change. David Roberts Matthew d'Ancona's obituary for the Tories is, I fear, premature. They are very much alive and as cruel, self-serving and misguided as always. The same policies. The same disgusting rhetoric. They just call themselves the Labour Party these days. Clive Foster Nottingham, Notts To celebrate, or not? 'The wrong way to celebrate VE Day' was a good and apt piece by Patience Wheatcroft (TNE #435). There is a difference between patriotism and nationalism which many fail to distinguish. I'm tired of these over-the-top jingoistic celebrations marking VE Day. It's part of looking backwards to a bygone 'golden age' when Britain 'ruled the waves'. Of course defeating Nazism and fascism was the right thing to do (my parents came to Britain as small children – German Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany), but it's time to move on. We are friends with Germany now and have been for many years. We desperately need a new relationship with the EU that lays the foundations for the new course this country will need to take in a rapidly changing world. Katherine Eisner Patience Wheatcroft deserves absolute praise. The painful and embarrassing union jack-adorned Mall last weekend was terrifying. Remember this was Victory in EUROPE Day. Where were the flags of our numerous allies and the countries that suffered under the yoke of abject nationalism? More column centimetres for Patience, please. Neil Davies Brixham, Devon I didn't enjoy Patience Wheatcroft's piece. The entire article had this running theme of shame for the idea that people would be happy to celebrate a monumental day of achievement for the allied nations. What is branded as 'zealous patriotism' adds up to face painting and waving a flag. The author rightly highlights the solemn experiences of the soldiers in both world wars and beyond, and we do in fact have a national day of mourning; Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday are a time of solemn reflection and mourning for the countless lives that have been lost in conflict. VE Day is important specifically because it is a celebration. It celebrates the end of six years of conflict that engulfed Europe and beyond, which culminated in the defeat of an evil fascist government and its conquest and subjugation of millions of people. VE Day is a pinnacle achievement that denotes the hardship and sacrifice that came before it. The current political climate isn't lost on any of us. The increase in support for Reform is concerning, the clear evidence that Britain is not great but is in fact in a state of managed decline isn't lost on anyone. VE Day is one of the few days of legitimate pride I believe we can feel as a country for doing something unequivocally good, for having something to actually celebrate and bring us together as a country. Antony Lee Labour's hollow victory Re: 'A complete unknown', by James Ball on Morgan McSweeney. The election Ming Vase strategy suggested there was a grand plan to protect. We now know there never was any plan. The government is as clueless as Liz Truss's government. That's one hell of an achievement. Guy Masters If anything, blame should have been levelled at Morgan McSweeney last July for the amazing lack of depth there was in Labour's 'victory'. It took years for the combined might of the Tories to make themselves unelectable. McSweeney has done it for Labour on his own in little time at all. Steve Buch Choosing your time The most inappropriate feature of Sonia Sodha's 'Assisted dying: a price too high' (TNE #435) was the emphasis she placed on her survey of SEND 16-year-olds. I know from personal experience that when you are in your 80s, your perspectives change, even if you have made it so far without any terminal or even threatening condition. Much more germane, then, is the experience related by Esther McVey MP of a visit to a care home in her constituency. While admitting to being instinctively drawn to the 'slippery-slope' side, to her credit she described how, in a discussion of the issue among the 50 or so residents, the question was put, 'When your time comes, would you rather it came in a setting, in company, at a time, and in a manner of your choosing, or to just let nature take its course?' How many takers were there for option B? One. Charles Baily Bedford, Beds Assisted dying is for people who are suffering in a way intolerable to them from a currently incurable disease that is likely to result in death within six months. The conditions covered by AD could be listed (and not include anorexia, for instance). No suffering is inflicted on a person who is expected to die in six months but dies slightly earlier. Huge suffering is relieved by allowing people to avoid some small part of the final agonies of cancer, dementia etc if they wish. Peter Basford Trump's strategy I think Paul Mason may have missed the point in 'A reality PM in a fantasy world' (TNE #435). Trump doesn't want a strong Europe. He knows Europe is stronger with the UK than without it, just as the UK is stronger in Europe than outside it. In doing a unique deal with the UK, Trump is not doing Starmer a favour – he is trying to do his best to ensure that the UK and Europe don't develop closer ties again. He is trying to divide and conquer. Dave Norton Market Rasen, Lincs No regrets, no respects A few years ago I went to Paris in the winter. I wanted to visit Père-Lachaise ('Where Paris goes to die', TNE #435). It was a snowy day, and on reaching the entrance, I was stopped from going in and told the snow meant only those attending that day's funerals could enter. I told the gamekeeper that I wanted to pay my respects to Edith Piaf, who had entertained me, live, when I lived in the city in the 1960s. The gatekeeper solemly looked down the list of those about to be buried and told me he could not see her name. He did not understand the laughter from those near me in the queue. Anne Page Death by another name Re: Nauseating neologisms (TNE #433 & #434): 'pre-loved', 'specially abled' and 'crossing the rainbow bridge' (which means dying). Carolyn Beckingham Lewes, Sussex Dire extinctions Philip Ball (Critical Mass, TNE #434) is, rightly, massively critical of the hype around Colossal Biosciences' de-extinction of the dire wolf. All the same, we are living at a time of mass extinction, where species are being lost at a rate of knots. Maybe some of the last species lost could be brought back to life by biotech engineering. But is that pointless without also reversing the causes of habitat loss and harm? Reintroduction of some species into the wild risks other species' extinction if we don't fully understand the food chain. If we can undead extinct species, we will do it selfishly – for us, not for them. Life is for the living, but bringing back the dodo is for the birds. Roland Lazarus Billericay, Essex History foretold I have just finished reading a novel about an American president whose new far right Republican Party has won a landslide victory. With control of both houses, he sets about amending the constitution to cement his power while taking control of the judiciary, security services and the media. That might sound familiar, but this novel was written in 1998. June, 2004 was written by historian Laurence W Britt and contains eerily familiar scenarios. America's supposed economic recovery is achieved at the expense of isolation, even leaving the UN. Britt has his own version of Fox News; accusations of wrongdoing are simply denied before 'alternative facts' are disseminated through friendly media. Former friends and colleagues are promoted to senior positions in the military, security services and the judiciary, while the president enjoys the loyal support of a fanatical Christian militia. Without spoilers, it is fair to say that the book's epilogue reads like a recent edition of TNE. The final paragraph features an op-ed in the New York Times: 'Abuse of power is the greatest threat to democracy because it is the first step on the road to the end of democracy. If abuse is left unchecked, or worse, endorsed, then the path to a totalitarian state is wide open.' Avoiding spoilers may prove academic, however. Getting hold of a copy of July, 2004 is not easy. After a few months of fruitless search in this country, I finally struck lucky through a secondhand bookseller in Texas. The idea of an administration amending the Constitution may have been a little too fanciful for many potential readers, but how chillingly prescient. If you can get hold of a copy, it really is a compelling read. Stephen Rodgers BELOW THE LINE Comments, conversation and correspondence from our online subscribers Re: Germansplaining on free speech (TNE #435). The old maxim 'I disagree with every word you said, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,' was first (rightly) modified to outlaw inciting violence, then inciting hatred. And in Germany, of course, it's always been important to clamp down on lies about the Holocaust. But have we gone too far now? And in doing so, handed over a 'victim narrative' to extremists? Maybe we all need to relearn the art of debate, including ridicule of obvious nonsense! Tony Jones Rats in a Sack (TNE #435) reports rumours that Labour are pondering whether to abolish the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Given that this would be a terrible idea both in terms of finance and vote-losing potential, Keir Starmer will probably adopt it immediately. David Morris I could not agree more with Marie Le Conte on old-school photography (Dilettante, TNE #435). Our very good camera stopped working and the parts to repair it were no longer available. We bought a tiny, cheapish replacement, with a connection to upload your photos to an iPad, in a package deal. The camera is smaller than many mobile phones and easily fits in a pocket. I use it on our holidays by just pointing and clicking at whatever looks interesting, particularly architecture. It is amazing when you look at them later and see things in them you did not spot at the time. Adam Primhak 'Plato and the piano' (TNE #434) was a wonderful piece by Emily Herring. I am a lifelong music nut like her, loving all musical genres, and took up the drums in later life. I especially love the theory and the journey in getting from point A to B through persistence and practice. And I constantly seek that wonderful state of mind when it feels like the instrument is 'playing itself', which I have been lucky to experience on several occasions. I heartily recommend the book Effortless Mastery by jazz pianist Kenny Werner, which was recommended to me by my drum tutor, for those interested in the mindfulness of music. Plus anything by Howard Goodall on the music theory side. Keep playing! Mark Brandon JOIN THE CONVERSATION Subscribe and download our free new app to comment and chat with our writers
