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Journalism of Courage
MARCH 5: In 1933: President Paul von Hindenberg of Germany invited Adolf Hitler8217;s National Socialist Party into government. In 2000: President Thomas Klestil of Austria invited Joerg Haider8217;s Freedom Party into government. What Hitler did to humanity is written in the collective memory of Europe. What Haider may do to humanity has already been decided by the noble moralists of the Old Continent. This yuppy Hitler may send all immigrants and Jews to gas chambers. He may start a third world war. No, Europe cannot afford to be a passive spectator when an EU member is in the danger of becoming a threat to humanity. There was demonstration on the street and there was consternation in the other 14 EU capitals. EU acted by isolating Austria, by imposing a ban on bilateral ministerial contacts.
Overnight, despite the 27 percent of vote for his party, Joerg Haider became the dirtiest man in European politics. In the face of mounting international hysteria, Haider, governor of Carinthia Province, did the wisest andthe smartest thing. He resigned as the party boss, and anointed a protege as successor. But the storm continues to rage. The new European shrill is: it8217;s not the personality, it8217;s the politics. O really?
What is undemocratic is the EU intervention in Austria. It also brings to the fore the idea of sovereignty in the age of European integration. Certainly, the EU reaction, that too without proper consultation among the members, is an attack on the sovereignty of a member country. Of the globally threatening8217; intolerance of Haider, oh come on, how many European mainstream parties, as distinct from Haider8217;s unfreedom8217; party, are tolerant towards immigrants? Immigration, any honest European politician will admit, is a big issue in the continent. Haider spoke about it without elegance. Will the civilised France put Marie Le Pen under the guillotine? Will Bill Clinton he too is very much worried about Haider8217;s intolerance deny Pat Buchanan his First Amendment rights? Daniel Holdhagen, an American academic, once called the German people Willing Executioners8217;. Silly, Europe, in the name of history, is calling the Austrians who have voted for a minor, and generally stupid, demagogue the same thing.
