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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 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 »
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 »
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.
The change in America came inconveniently for Australians, but handily for journalists preparing peak-hour morning newscasts.
By 5 am Sydney and Melbourne time on Sunday the traditional chief outlet for verified results, Associated Press (AP), after giving the Democratic Party candidates, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the state of Pennsylvania, posted their electoral college vote to 290 – clear of the 270 needed to win. … Read More »
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, came out of the European Union summit last week all smiles, saying the deal just reached on eventually getting over CORVID-19 was an “historic” game-changer.
It had set up spending forthwith of €750-billion (A$1230-bilion) to repair and re-start the European economy, an act proclaimed by Macron as signalling strong unity, the emergence of not only an economic union, but political and strategic – “sovereign, unified, democratic”. … Read More »
It came to France, scene of the epic battles of the Great War (1914-18), to host the celebration of its centenary on 11 November.
Lee Duffield says it also fell to the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to post a reminder about the ideal of civilisation which the savagery of that war had jeopardised. … Read More »