(no subject)

[solitary_summer]

Dear god. Yes, he's 95, but he was a member of the European Parliament until not so long ago, his name is still Habsburg, and there are people who'll listen to him simply because of that, the speech was made in the parliament, for god's sake, with our current vice-chancellor and former chancellor sitting there grinning and applauding, even if, according to the article, Schüssel did slightly correct this rather particular view of history afterwards. Not that I'm very inclined to believe in his sincerity after seeing those pictures.

No European country has more of a right to call itself a victim [of nazi Germany?] What about, oh, Poland, Tchechoslovakia, France, the Netherlands, Russia-- every other occupied country where people didn't turn up by the hundred thousands to cheer?


95 isn't really an excuse. Or if it is, someone should have thought to check the manuscript beforehand.



[ETA: A country, too, that has treated those who were victims as outragously as Austria did after the war.]

Comments

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Some people seem to think that their time is coming and that they can come back from their holes into the light. In Italy, yesterday, a leading member of Berlusconi's party list in the coming elections - the builder and publisher Ciarrapico, candidate for Rome and Lazio - declared himself an "unrepentant Fascist". Fortunately I can say that the reaction has been bipartisan rage: both Fini, Berlusconi's ex-Fascist ally, and Bossi, head of the Northern League, have publicly attacked Ciarrapico, and several other members of his party have joined the left coalition in condemning him unreservedly. The worst thing, though, is that Berlusconi himself seemed to think nothing of the whole thing, and indeed that according to rumour he had himself recruited Ciarrapico to head the Rome list. Which shows that the old suspicions about Berlusconi and his peculiar notions of democracy are probably well founded. At least, however, even his own party and his allies have explained the facts of life to him - this time, at least.

[solitary-summer.livejournal.com]

I almost wish sometimes our far right was that explicit. Instead it's that particular nauseating mixture of courting the ex- and new nazis (as well as those who wouldn't call themselves that, but are, more or less) in terms perfectly well understood by them, but just veiled enough to make denial possible, if not plausible, and stay in office. Even after eight years I'm still bitter and disillusioned about the coalition between the ÖVP and FPÖ, and even though the EU sanctions gave them the chance to style themselves as martyrs, taking the whole country, including those who never voted for either party, hostage, (and, believe it or not, make a pilgrimage to Mariazell when the sanctions were lifted... I can't even find words for that) I could and can understand that reaction perfectly well. It was one of the few demonstration I went to in my life, totally spontaneously, totally disbelieving and outraged that they could do that, after everything we'd seen and heard from Haider & co over the last decade.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/editorial/e0000252.html
This editorial is addressed to Catholics, but you can read with interest - and disgust. As I was saying, this kind of freak is becoming ever more vocal and ugly. Perhaps they think that the young forget.

[solitary-summer.livejournal.com]

No duty or ability to make a pronouncement" on the authenticity of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion? I'm speechless.


Perhaps they think that the young forget.

Sadly, they may think right. I rather suspect that the greatest part of people below a certain age who'd even know what the Protocols are, would be those who agree with the above position.