The recent elections in Sweden and Italy, which went towards extremist parties campaigning against immigrants, and the Brazil election where they were narrowly knocked back, are a warning for democracy. Lee Duffield sets about finding psychological causes for what he calls the crop of “off-balance” players, “demagogues” on the right wing. … Read More »
Lee Duffield looks at the media circus surrounding the royal death and succession in England, and asks what it might mean for freedom and good government. … Read More »
Lee Duffield records impressions of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev the Russian statesman who changed history. As a news correspondent he tracked the man’s progress across Europe as he tried to get support and negotiate a peaceful ending to the Cold War. … Read More »
Learning from history: It can be done but may require work and won’t tell everything you want to know.
The invasion of Ukraine by the neighbouring Russian Federation this year is a crisis of history, if this definition of such a crisis is accepted: an event affecting many people in a life-changing way, confounding all expectations, that will divert the general course of history from its pathway so far – the change will involve opportunity and danger.
Lee Duffield writes:
Elections in Europe have shown up the extent of a pro-Russia sympathy, whether drawing on some traditional alignments in Eastern Europe or stirred up by the far-right.
The voting has put a dent in solidarity against the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war of aggression against neighbouring Ukraine. … Read More »
The horror and brutality of the siege of Mariupol is demonstrating a futility to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia under Vladimir Putin.
A month after Russian forced crossed border on 24 February, it appeared that Putin might still get some kind of quick conquest – but any lasting great victory remains much more elusive. … Read More »
There was a spurious relief in the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February: no more need for pretending, or false diplomacy, even no need for talk about rights and wrongs.
It is back to the raw power days, Russian tanks in Budapest in 1956, then again in Prague in 1968. Attempts at political reform and opening to the West came to that.