Latest news with #Nazi
Spectator
35 minutes ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Lord Hermer's ‘Nazi jibe' at Reform won't work
It is an axiom of political debate that once you compare your opponents to Hitler's Nazis you have definitely lost the argument. That golden rule seems to have escaped the notice of the Attorney General Lord Hermer, who, in a speech to the Royal Institute for International Affairs (RUSI) defence think tank did just that. Hermer, a close friend and fellow human rights lawyer colleague of Sir Keir Starmer, told RUSI that both Nigel Farage's Reform UK and Kemi Badenoch's Tories were echoing Nazi ideology that placed national law above international agreements with their threats to withdraw Britain from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR):
Spectator
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Lord Hermer's ‘Nazi jibe' shows his naivety
Amid talk of a summer reshuffle, I recently asked a senior member of the Labour party if he thought the Attorney-General was likely for the chop. He paused and reflected. 'No', he eventually replied. 'But he's going the right way about it.' Similar sentiments will no doubt be expressed in Downing Street today as they pore over the morning papers. 'Law chief in Nazi jibe at Tories and Reform', screams the splash headline of today's Times: Richard Hermer KC has done it again. The cause of the headline is a speech which Hermer made to the RUSI think tank yesterday on the government's commitment to international law. The Labour peer made a thoughtful, lucid speech critiquing Bismarckian notions of realpolitik and offering a reasoned defence of the rules-based order – including Britain's commitment to the European Court of Human Rights. But one section of the speech leaps out from the page:
Eyewitness News
3 hours ago
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Elon Musk's rocket-fuelled ride with Trump flames out
WASHINGTON - Elon Musk stormed into US politics as President Donald Trump's chainsaw-brandishing sidekick. Four turbulent months later it's the tech tycoon himself on the chopping block. Trump hailed Musk as "terrific" as he announced that they would hold a joint press conference on Friday as the South African-born magnate leaves the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump said on his Truth Social network on Thursday. But the warm words could not hide the open frustrations that Musk, the world's richest man, had expressed in recent weeks about his controversial cost-cutting role for the world's most powerful man. Once a fixture at the Republican president's side, dressed in t-shirts and MAGA baseball caps, Musk had shown growing disillusionment with the obstacles faced by DOGE even as it cut a brutal swath through the US bureaucracy. He leaves far short of his original goal of saving $2 trillion, with The Atlantic magazine calculating he saved just one thousandth of that, despite tens of thousands of people losing their jobs. Instead, he will focus on his SpaceX and Tesla businesses, as well as his goal of colonising Mars. ROCKET-LIKE RISE It was all very different at first, as the 53-year-old Musk rose through Trump's orbit as rapidly as one of his rockets, though they have been known to blow up now and again. Musk was the biggest donor to Trump's 2024 election campaign, and the pair bonded over right-wing politics and a desire to root out what they believed was a wasteful "deep state." READ: Musk to exit US government role after rare break with Trump DOGE was jokingly named after a "memecoin," but it was no joke. Young tech wizards who slept in the White House complex shuttered whole government departments. Foreign countries found their aid cut off. A shades-wearing Musk brandished a chainsaw at a conservative event, boasting of how easy it was to save money, and separately made what appeared to be a Nazi salute. Soon, the man critics dubbed the "co-president" was constantly at Trump's side. The tycoon appeared with his young son X on his shoulders during his first press conference in the Oval Office. He attended cabinet meetings. He and Trump rode on Air Force One and Marine One together. They watched cage fights together. Many wondered how long two such big egos could coexist. But Trump himself remained publicly loyal to the man he called a "genius." One day, the president even turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla dealership after protesters targeted Musk's electric car business. 'GOT INTO FIGHTS' Yet the socially awkward tech magnate also struggled to get a grip on the realities of US politics. The beginning of the end "started [in] mid-March when there were several meetings in the Oval Office and in the cabinet room where basically Elon Musk got into fights," Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution told AFP. One shouting match with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent could reportedly be heard throughout the West Wing. Musk publicly called Trump's trade advisor Peter Navarro "dumber than a sack of bricks." Nor did Musk's autocratic style and Silicon Valley creed of "move fast and break things" work well in Washington. The impact on Musk's businesses also began to hit home. A series of SpaceX launches ended in fiery failures, while Tesla shareholders fumed. Musk started musing about stepping back, saying that "DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism" that would carry on without him. Finally, Musk showed the first signs of distance from Trump himself, saying he was "disappointed" in Trump's recent mega-spending bill. Musk also said he would pull back from spending time on politics. The end came, appropriately, in a post by Musk on Wednesday on the X network, which he bought and then turned into a megaphone for his right-wing politics. But Musk's departure might not be the end of the story, said Kamarck. "I think they genuinely like each other, and I think Musk has a lot of money that he can contribute to campaigns if he is so moved. I think there will be a continued relation," she said.
France 24
4 hours ago
- Business
- France 24
Elon Musk's rocket-fueled ride with Trump flames out
Trump hailed Musk as "terrific" as he announced that they would hold a joint press conference on Friday as the South African-born magnate leaves the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump said on his Truth Social network on Thursday. But the warm words could not hide the open frustrations that Musk, the world's richest man, had expressed in recent weeks about his controversial cost-cutting role for the world's most powerful man. Once a fixture at the Republican president's side, dressed in t-shirts and MAGA baseball caps, Musk had shown growing disillusionment with the obstacles faced by DOGE even as it cut a brutal swath through the US bureaucracy. He leaves far short of his original goal of saving $2 trillion dollars, with The Atlantic magazine calculating he saved just one thousandth of that, despite tens of thousands of people losing their jobs. Instead he will focus on his Space X and Tesla businesses, as well as his goal of colonizing Mars. Rocket-like rise It was all very different at first, as the 53-year-old Musk rose through Trump's orbit as rapidly as one of his rockets -- though they have been known to blow up now and again. Musk was the biggest donor to Trump's 2024 election campaign and the pair bonded over right-wing politics and a desire to root out what they believed was a wasteful "deep state." DOGE was jokingly named after a "memecoin," but it was no joke. Young tech wizards who slept in the White House complex shuttered whole government departments. Foreign countries found their aid cut off. A shades-wearing Musk brandished a chainsaw at a conservative event, boasting of how easy it was to save money, and separately made what appeared to be a Nazi salute. Soon the man critics dubbed the "co-president" was constantly at Trump's side. The tycoon appeared with his young son X on his shoulders during his first press conference in the Oval Office. He attended cabinet meetings. He and Trump rode on Air Force One and Marine One together. They watched cage fights together. Many wondered how long two such big egos could coexist. But Trump himself remained publicly loyal to the man he called a "genius." One day, the president even turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla dealership after protesters targeted Musk's electric car business. 'Got into fights' Yet the socially awkward tech magnate also struggled to get a grip on the realities of US politics. The beginning of the end "started (in) mid-March when there were several meetings in the Oval Office and in the cabinet room where basically Elon Musk got into fights," Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution told AFP. One shouting match with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent could reportedly be heard throughout the West Wing. Musk publicly called Trump's trade advisor Peter Navarro "dumber than a sack of bricks." Nor did Musk's autocratic style and Silicon Valley creed of "move fast and break things" work well in Washington. The impact on Musk's businesses also began to hit home. A series of Space X launches ended in fiery failures, while Tesla shareholders fumed. Musk started musing about stepping back, saying that "DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism" that would carry on without him. Finally, Musk showed the first signs of distance from Trump himself, saying he was "disappointed" in Trump's recent mega spending bill. Musk also said he would pull back from spending time on politics. The end came, appropriately, in a post by Musk on Wednesday on the X network, which he bought and then turned into a megaphone for his right-wing politics. But Musk's departure might not be the end of the story, said Kamarck. "I think they genuinely like each other and I think Musk has a lot of money that he can contribute to campaigns if he is so moved. I think there will be a continued relation," she said.
The Citizen
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Elon Musk could shake up SA's government
Elon Musk's departure from US politics may offer South Africa a shot at reform if he returns with his disruptive energy and ideas. Elon Musk looks on as US President Donald Trump meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) The bromance between Donald Trump and tech mega-billionaire Elon Musk hit the rocks this week, when Musk left his job as head of the department of government expenditure (Doge), accusing the US president of increasing the country's deficit rather than reducing it as he promised. Musk has a point about Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill Act' – which offers sprawling tax relief and spending cuts and is the centrepiece of his domestic agenda. But, according to AFP, critics warn it will decimate health care and balloon the national deficit by as much as $4 trillion (about R71.5 trillion) over a decade. ALSO READ: Elon Musk unceremoniously steps down from Trump administration However, there's no doubt the SA-born oligarch underestimated the global backlash which followed his commitment to Trump and then with his wild moves at Doge and what looked suspiciously like a Nazi salute at a public rally. Sales of his Tesla electric vehicles have gone flat across the globe as buyers baulked at the anti-green, fascist-leaning actions of the new regime in Washington. Musk will, no doubt, bounce back from this ill-considered foray into right-wing politics. But, if you are at a loose end, Elon, come home for a while, set up Starlink (if the ANC lets you) and take your chainsaw to our bloated government.
