Post by QPR Report on Jul 4, 2009 8:21:48 GMT
Update: Given all the publicity, the explanation/apology at the top
The Times - July 7, 2009
I was a fool to talk about admiring Hitler
The Formula 1 boss has an explanation - Bernie Ecclestone
First, an apology. As readers of The Times will know, I remarked in an interview with this newspaper that Hitler was able to get things done. I have no complaints about the quote — it is what I said — but it was not what I meant to say. Not surprisingly it has upset a number of people in the Jewish community, in Germany and elsewhere. Those who don’t know me think I support Hitler’s atrocities; those who do know me have told me how unwise I was to articulate my points so badly that it should have been so widely misunderstood.
In a sense it illustrates the point I was really trying to make. Politicians these days struggle to get things done. They are trying to put themselves in a position where they can win an election, so they constantly have to compromise, rather than saying what they really believe. As a result, when faced with a serious financial crisis, things aren’t being done that should be done.
In a time of 24-hour news politicians constantly have to answer questions. Their remarks get picked up by their opponents, who can steal their ideas or use their words to pick an argument. Why should someone who has to make decisions all the time constantly have to talk about it? If you were running a business, you wouldn’t have to put up with that. You can put up strong barriers.
Politicians don’t have that luxury. If they make a mistake, everyone knows they did something stupid. I’m in the same position now.
During the 1930s Germany was facing an economic crisis but Hitler was able to rebuild the economy, building the autobahns and German industry. That was all I meant when I referred to him getting things done. I’m an admirer of good leadership, of politicians who stand by their convictions and tell the voters the truth. I’m not an admirer of dictators, who rule by terror.
Politicians live in fear of public opinion. If they weren’t so nervous, they might have anticipated the economic problems and the banks wouldn’t have been allowed to get away with what they did. But they didn’t want to see the problems on Wall Street.
They are like doctors faced with patients suffering from a serious disease. Instead of telling them what is really wrong, they give them a course of tablets and send them away. I don’t blame the politicians; it’s the system we’ve created.
The downside of democracy is the belief that everyone should have a say in how things are run; but it’s not that easy. The upside of democracy is that it allows people to say what they think — even when it’s about me.
Bernie Ecclestone is chief executive of the Formula One Group
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6652501.ece
July 6, 2009 - Jewish Chronicle - Ecclestone: I was an idiot over Hitler - Simon Rocker
Bernie Ecclestone, the head of Formula One motor racing, has apologised to the JC for remarks in which he was seen to praise Hitler’s leadership.
They came during an interview with the Times on Saturday in which he criticised MPS for their lack of leadership and referred to the Nazi leader’s ability to “get things done”.
He later told a German newspaper it was “a big misunderstanding" and, during a 30-minute interview with the JC at his Knightsbridge office, said: “I’m just sorry that I was an idiot. I sincerely, genuinely apologise.”
The remarks brought calls for his resignation from the president of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder. And a senior German Jewish official called for him to be boycotted by Formula One teams. Dieter Graumann, a vice-president of the Central Council of Jews, said: “No team should work with him any more."
But Ecclestone, 78, told the JC: “I never supported Hitler, I don’t think there’s anybody in this world who could support Hitler and the atrocities they carried out.
“In the end he got lost so he wasn’t a very good dictator. Either he knew what was going on and insisted or he just went along with it – either way he wasn’t a dictator.”
He said he had been horrified at what he saw at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. “It takes quite a lot to make me cry and I cried when I came out of that place.
“What I regret is people who have taken this the wrong way and have been offended, I’m really, really sad about because I have done an awful for Jewish community throughout, charities and whatever.
“Most of my mates are Jewish people, I spoke to two or three very prominent people today, Jewish people. One of them said to me, ‘Bernie, you’re more Jewish than all of my friends’.
Mr Ecclestone argued that his remarks had been taken the wrong way. After discussing the difficulties of getting democracy to work, the subject had got on to dictators and he had been asked what he thought of Hitler.
“I said I suppose he did, early days, a good job. He took Germany from a bankrupt country to a superpower in five years so he probably couldn’t have done that unless he made things happen…All sorts of people have done that in the past.
“The problem is we shouldn’t use the word dictators, we should use the word leaders. It’s a leader you want not a dictator, because most dictators get things done by terrorising people, whereas a leader like Mrs Thatcher gets things done because people think what she’s doing is leading them in the right direction and people support her"
www.thejc.com/articles/ecclestone-i-was-idiot-over-hitler
July 6 - Motorsport- Ecclestone says Hitler storm a 'misunderstanding'
Racing series F1 Date 2009-07-06
Bernie Ecclestone has dismissed as a "big misunderstanding" the international furore created by his recent interview with London's Times newspaper.
Not only was the F1 chief executive's apparent defence of Adolf Hitler condemned by Jewish groups, it is believed sections of the Formula One world argue it is evidence the 78-year-old should retire.
"All this is a big misunderstanding," Ecclestone told Germany's Bild newspaper.
"In the interview we were talking about structures and that it can sometimes be good to act and make strong decisions without reservation," he explained.
"I wasn't using Hitler as a positive example, but pointing out that before his dreadful crimes he worked successfully against unemployment and economic problems," said Ecclestone.
The wide-circulation German newspaper asked the Briton if he felt the need to apologise.
"It was never my intention to hurt the feelings of any community," Bernie replied. "Many people in my closest circle of friends are Jewish.
"Anyone who knows me knows that I would never attack a minority," he added"
www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=335465&FS=F1
The Initial comments
The Times - July 4, 2009
Hitler? He got things done, says Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone
(Ben Gurr/The Times)
Bernie Ecclestone expressed an admiration for strong, decisive leaders
Steve Bird, Ruth Gledhill and Sam Coates
Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One chief, said yesterday that he preferred totalitarian regimes to democracies and praised Adolf Hitler for his ability to “get things done”.
In an outspoken interview with The Times, the 78-year-old billionaire chastised contemporary politicians for their weakness and extolled the virtues of strong leadership.
Mr Ecclestone said: “In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done.
“In the end he got lost, so he wasn’t a very good dictator because either he had all these things and knew what was going on and insisted, or he just went along with it . . . so either way he wasn’t a dictator.” He also rounded on democracy, claiming that “it hasn’t done a lot of good for many countries — including this one [Britain]”.
Instead, Mr Ecclestone endorsed the concept of a government based on tyranny.
“Politicians are too worried about elections,” he said. “We did a terrible thing when we supported the idea of getting rid of Saddam Hussein. He was the only one who could control that country. It was the same [with the Taleban]. We move into countries and we have no idea of the culture. The Americans probably thought Bosnia was a town in Miami. There are people starving in Africa and we sit back and do nothing but we get involved in things we should leave alone.”
Mr Ecclestone, who plunged the Blair Government into a row about donations in 1997 after it emerged that he had given the party £1 million, has a reputation for being outspoken. Last month he said that Formula One needed a “black, Jewish woman who, if possible, wins some races”.
In 2008 he provoked uproar when he suggested racist comments directed at Lewis Hamilton on websites in the build-up to the Brazilian Grand Prix “started as just a joke”. However, he told The Times yesterday that he was deeply concerned when he saw fans “blacking up” to mock Hamilton, an act he described as racist.
However, his latest comments could prove deeply damaging.
Claiming he likes “strong leaders”, such as Margaret Thatcher, Mr Ecclestone suggested that Max Mosley, his close friend, the president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), would make a good Prime Minister.
Mr Mosley, the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists, was recently accused by Formula One racing teams of being a “dictator”.
Mr Ecclestone said: “I prefer strong leaders. Margaret Thatcher made decisions on the run and got the job done. She was the one who built this country up slowly. We’ve let it go down again. All these guys, Gordon and Tony, are trying to please everybody all the time.
“Max would do a super job. He’s a good leader with people. I don’t think his background would be a problem.”
Mr Ecclestone’s remarks last night drew a strong reaction from Jewish groups and politicians.
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “Mr Ecclestone’s comments regarding Hitler, female, black and Jewish racing drivers, and dictatorships are quite bizarre. He says [in the interview], ‘Politics is not for me’, and we are inclined to agree.”
Stephen Pollard, Editor of the Jewish Chronicle, said: “Mr Ecclestone is either an idiot or morally repulsive. Either he has no idea how stupid and offensive his views are or he does and deserves to be held in contempt by all decent people.”
Denis MacShane, the Labour MP and chairman of the all-party inquiry into anti-Semitism, and chairman of the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism, condemned Mr Ecclestone’s decision to align himself to a “growing” anti-democracy movement.
“Of course democracy and the politicians are imperfect and full of fault,” he said.
“But this fashionable contempt for the right of people to elect their own leaders is frankly frightening.
“If Mr Ecclestone seriously thinks Hitler had to be persuaded to kill six million Jews, invade every European country and bomb London then he knows neither history and shows a complete lack of judgment.”
John Whittingdale, the Tory chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said: “These are extraordinary views and I’m appalled that anybody could hold them
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article6633340.ece
The Times - July 7, 2009
I was a fool to talk about admiring Hitler
The Formula 1 boss has an explanation - Bernie Ecclestone
First, an apology. As readers of The Times will know, I remarked in an interview with this newspaper that Hitler was able to get things done. I have no complaints about the quote — it is what I said — but it was not what I meant to say. Not surprisingly it has upset a number of people in the Jewish community, in Germany and elsewhere. Those who don’t know me think I support Hitler’s atrocities; those who do know me have told me how unwise I was to articulate my points so badly that it should have been so widely misunderstood.
In a sense it illustrates the point I was really trying to make. Politicians these days struggle to get things done. They are trying to put themselves in a position where they can win an election, so they constantly have to compromise, rather than saying what they really believe. As a result, when faced with a serious financial crisis, things aren’t being done that should be done.
In a time of 24-hour news politicians constantly have to answer questions. Their remarks get picked up by their opponents, who can steal their ideas or use their words to pick an argument. Why should someone who has to make decisions all the time constantly have to talk about it? If you were running a business, you wouldn’t have to put up with that. You can put up strong barriers.
Politicians don’t have that luxury. If they make a mistake, everyone knows they did something stupid. I’m in the same position now.
During the 1930s Germany was facing an economic crisis but Hitler was able to rebuild the economy, building the autobahns and German industry. That was all I meant when I referred to him getting things done. I’m an admirer of good leadership, of politicians who stand by their convictions and tell the voters the truth. I’m not an admirer of dictators, who rule by terror.
Politicians live in fear of public opinion. If they weren’t so nervous, they might have anticipated the economic problems and the banks wouldn’t have been allowed to get away with what they did. But they didn’t want to see the problems on Wall Street.
They are like doctors faced with patients suffering from a serious disease. Instead of telling them what is really wrong, they give them a course of tablets and send them away. I don’t blame the politicians; it’s the system we’ve created.
The downside of democracy is the belief that everyone should have a say in how things are run; but it’s not that easy. The upside of democracy is that it allows people to say what they think — even when it’s about me.
Bernie Ecclestone is chief executive of the Formula One Group
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6652501.ece
July 6, 2009 - Jewish Chronicle - Ecclestone: I was an idiot over Hitler - Simon Rocker
Bernie Ecclestone, the head of Formula One motor racing, has apologised to the JC for remarks in which he was seen to praise Hitler’s leadership.
They came during an interview with the Times on Saturday in which he criticised MPS for their lack of leadership and referred to the Nazi leader’s ability to “get things done”.
He later told a German newspaper it was “a big misunderstanding" and, during a 30-minute interview with the JC at his Knightsbridge office, said: “I’m just sorry that I was an idiot. I sincerely, genuinely apologise.”
The remarks brought calls for his resignation from the president of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder. And a senior German Jewish official called for him to be boycotted by Formula One teams. Dieter Graumann, a vice-president of the Central Council of Jews, said: “No team should work with him any more."
But Ecclestone, 78, told the JC: “I never supported Hitler, I don’t think there’s anybody in this world who could support Hitler and the atrocities they carried out.
“In the end he got lost so he wasn’t a very good dictator. Either he knew what was going on and insisted or he just went along with it – either way he wasn’t a dictator.”
He said he had been horrified at what he saw at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. “It takes quite a lot to make me cry and I cried when I came out of that place.
“What I regret is people who have taken this the wrong way and have been offended, I’m really, really sad about because I have done an awful for Jewish community throughout, charities and whatever.
“Most of my mates are Jewish people, I spoke to two or three very prominent people today, Jewish people. One of them said to me, ‘Bernie, you’re more Jewish than all of my friends’.
Mr Ecclestone argued that his remarks had been taken the wrong way. After discussing the difficulties of getting democracy to work, the subject had got on to dictators and he had been asked what he thought of Hitler.
“I said I suppose he did, early days, a good job. He took Germany from a bankrupt country to a superpower in five years so he probably couldn’t have done that unless he made things happen…All sorts of people have done that in the past.
“The problem is we shouldn’t use the word dictators, we should use the word leaders. It’s a leader you want not a dictator, because most dictators get things done by terrorising people, whereas a leader like Mrs Thatcher gets things done because people think what she’s doing is leading them in the right direction and people support her"
www.thejc.com/articles/ecclestone-i-was-idiot-over-hitler
July 6 - Motorsport- Ecclestone says Hitler storm a 'misunderstanding'
Racing series F1 Date 2009-07-06
Bernie Ecclestone has dismissed as a "big misunderstanding" the international furore created by his recent interview with London's Times newspaper.
Not only was the F1 chief executive's apparent defence of Adolf Hitler condemned by Jewish groups, it is believed sections of the Formula One world argue it is evidence the 78-year-old should retire.
"All this is a big misunderstanding," Ecclestone told Germany's Bild newspaper.
"In the interview we were talking about structures and that it can sometimes be good to act and make strong decisions without reservation," he explained.
"I wasn't using Hitler as a positive example, but pointing out that before his dreadful crimes he worked successfully against unemployment and economic problems," said Ecclestone.
The wide-circulation German newspaper asked the Briton if he felt the need to apologise.
"It was never my intention to hurt the feelings of any community," Bernie replied. "Many people in my closest circle of friends are Jewish.
"Anyone who knows me knows that I would never attack a minority," he added"
www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=335465&FS=F1
The Initial comments
The Times - July 4, 2009
Hitler? He got things done, says Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone
(Ben Gurr/The Times)
Bernie Ecclestone expressed an admiration for strong, decisive leaders
Steve Bird, Ruth Gledhill and Sam Coates
Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One chief, said yesterday that he preferred totalitarian regimes to democracies and praised Adolf Hitler for his ability to “get things done”.
In an outspoken interview with The Times, the 78-year-old billionaire chastised contemporary politicians for their weakness and extolled the virtues of strong leadership.
Mr Ecclestone said: “In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done.
“In the end he got lost, so he wasn’t a very good dictator because either he had all these things and knew what was going on and insisted, or he just went along with it . . . so either way he wasn’t a dictator.” He also rounded on democracy, claiming that “it hasn’t done a lot of good for many countries — including this one [Britain]”.
Instead, Mr Ecclestone endorsed the concept of a government based on tyranny.
“Politicians are too worried about elections,” he said. “We did a terrible thing when we supported the idea of getting rid of Saddam Hussein. He was the only one who could control that country. It was the same [with the Taleban]. We move into countries and we have no idea of the culture. The Americans probably thought Bosnia was a town in Miami. There are people starving in Africa and we sit back and do nothing but we get involved in things we should leave alone.”
Mr Ecclestone, who plunged the Blair Government into a row about donations in 1997 after it emerged that he had given the party £1 million, has a reputation for being outspoken. Last month he said that Formula One needed a “black, Jewish woman who, if possible, wins some races”.
In 2008 he provoked uproar when he suggested racist comments directed at Lewis Hamilton on websites in the build-up to the Brazilian Grand Prix “started as just a joke”. However, he told The Times yesterday that he was deeply concerned when he saw fans “blacking up” to mock Hamilton, an act he described as racist.
However, his latest comments could prove deeply damaging.
Claiming he likes “strong leaders”, such as Margaret Thatcher, Mr Ecclestone suggested that Max Mosley, his close friend, the president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), would make a good Prime Minister.
Mr Mosley, the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists, was recently accused by Formula One racing teams of being a “dictator”.
Mr Ecclestone said: “I prefer strong leaders. Margaret Thatcher made decisions on the run and got the job done. She was the one who built this country up slowly. We’ve let it go down again. All these guys, Gordon and Tony, are trying to please everybody all the time.
“Max would do a super job. He’s a good leader with people. I don’t think his background would be a problem.”
Mr Ecclestone’s remarks last night drew a strong reaction from Jewish groups and politicians.
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “Mr Ecclestone’s comments regarding Hitler, female, black and Jewish racing drivers, and dictatorships are quite bizarre. He says [in the interview], ‘Politics is not for me’, and we are inclined to agree.”
Stephen Pollard, Editor of the Jewish Chronicle, said: “Mr Ecclestone is either an idiot or morally repulsive. Either he has no idea how stupid and offensive his views are or he does and deserves to be held in contempt by all decent people.”
Denis MacShane, the Labour MP and chairman of the all-party inquiry into anti-Semitism, and chairman of the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism, condemned Mr Ecclestone’s decision to align himself to a “growing” anti-democracy movement.
“Of course democracy and the politicians are imperfect and full of fault,” he said.
“But this fashionable contempt for the right of people to elect their own leaders is frankly frightening.
“If Mr Ecclestone seriously thinks Hitler had to be persuaded to kill six million Jews, invade every European country and bomb London then he knows neither history and shows a complete lack of judgment.”
John Whittingdale, the Tory chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said: “These are extraordinary views and I’m appalled that anybody could hold them
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article6633340.ece
