Anthony C. Grayling Quotes
Western secularism and representative democracy were hard won, over centuries, and reside at the core of Euro-American identity. They are amendable to discussion but not compromise.
Anthony C. Grayling, British Philosopher, 2004
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The University Presidents had written to the American Public arguing that the German aggression was the result of the militarists in the German society dominating the people and pushing them to war. They argued that most German people were not really responsible. Lamprecht took exception and argued that the German policy was the democratic will of the majority of the German people. He claimed that Germany at the time was more of a de facto democracy than America—as the Untied States did not have a Voting Rights Act or any way of de facto ensuring that all citizens could vote—particularly Negroes in the South. While he was accurate about the voting aspects of a democracy, Germany neither had the Constitution nor a judiciary that was independent and co-equal to the executive and legislature, but Germany did not have the institutions with democratic traditions. The greatest embarrassment to modern Germans is that Adolf Hitler was actually elected by a majority of Germans and was very popular until things in Germany started to go poorly. This quotation is very important in that it shows the importance of a Constitution to limit the powers of even a popularly elected government.
Although friendly to America, Canning was a monarchist and did not share America's enthusiasm for democracy and concern about Spanish Princes in Mexico and Brazil.
When ambassador to Great Britain, he was very supportive of the British Fascists, and was an admirer of Adolf Hitler. Once war with Germany was commenced, Kennedy predicted that England would lose the war and became a fascist puppet state controlled by Germany. He opposed Lend Lease and the other efforts of the Roosevelt administration to assist England to fight off the Germans. Ironically his oldest son died in a dangerous volunteermission fighting Germany in the War. Kennedy's earlier pro-German views ended his political career and was an embarassment to his sons when they entered politics.
This was his version of the governing body of a republican commonwealth. His assumption was that the ablest men would be the nobility, the educated and religious (Catholic) elite.
