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RIP Vaclav Havel
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aber-fan View Drop Down
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    Posted: 23 December 2011 at 8:39am
Havel was a writer who produced satirical plays to subversively criticise the communist regime in Czechoslovakia (and by implication, all totalitarian governments). He spent several years in prison as a result, and later was elected president during the collapse of communism in eastern Europe.

Havel was not a 'natural' politician, partly because he never took himself too seriously.My favourite memory of him is the way he made fun of the secret police, who were camped on his doorstep, during a BBC documentary. Part of that film can be seen at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngHldh6UDbs


(sorry, can't seem to make links work any more)




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kcreg View Drop Down
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not being disrespectful,but i've never heard of him.
I WAS THERE-LIBERTY STADIUM 11/9/07

OSPREYS 9-SCARLETS 14!
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Points: 4574 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aber-fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 December 2011 at 1:24pm
Originally posted by kcreg kcreg wrote:

not being disrespectful,but i've never heard of him.


Try

1. watching today's news bulletins and/or

2. looking him up on Wikipedia.

A fantastic human being, a brave man who stood up for his principles.
I share no-one's ideas. I have my own.
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Points: 21024 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lofty evans Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 December 2011 at 10:37pm
Originally posted by aber-fan aber-fan wrote:


Originally posted by kcreg kcreg wrote:

not being disrespectful,but i've never heard of him.


Try

1. watching today's news bulletins and/or

2. looking him up on Wikipedia.

A fantastic human being, a brave man who stood up for his principles.



Good post Aber and spot on with the last line.
In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"

Member of Dublin Welsh male voice choir, second from the left, backrow.
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Points: 2017 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote omri jones Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 December 2011 at 12:08am
Unfortunately his principles included turning over his country over to the free market wolves and joining NATO.
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Points: 4574 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aber-fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 December 2011 at 2:55pm
Originally posted by omri jones omri jones wrote:

Unfortunately his principles included turning over his country over to the free market wolves and joining NATO.


This is unfair - Havel was a dissident who never expected to find himself in the position of president - he was never a politician (unlike Mandela).

He poked fun at the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, got locked up for several years as a result, and was pretty surprised to be elected president.

He should be judged for his role as a stirrer, not so much for what came later -which no doubt was a result of political horse trading rather than writing satirical plays ( what Havel was best at).

In any case, the Czechs have done pretty well out of the move to a free market (just look at Skoda), unlike the poor Russians, where all the money has ended up in the pockets of a few gangsters and Putin's mates.
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Points: 1843 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maldwyn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 December 2011 at 11:08pm
Originally posted by aber-fan aber-fan wrote:

Originally posted by omri jones omri jones wrote:

Unfortunately his principles included turning over his country over to the free market wolves and joining NATO.


This is unfair - Havel was a dissident who never expected to find himself in the position of president - he was never a politician (unlike Mandela).

He poked fun at the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, got locked up for several years as a result, and was pretty surprised to be elected president.

He should be judged for his role as a stirrer, not so much for what came later -which no doubt was a result of political horse trading rather than writing satirical plays ( what Havel was best at).

In any case, the Czechs have done pretty well out of the move to a free market (just look at Skoda), unlike the poor Russians, where all the money has ended up in the pockets of a few gangsters and Putin's mates.
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maldwyn View Drop Down
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Points: 1843 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maldwyn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 December 2011 at 11:12pm
Originally posted by kcreg kcreg wrote:

not being disrespectful,but i've never heard of him.
Try a bit of googling before being so 'disrespectful' you beaut.
Up the bum no harm done.
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