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Hitler got things done, says Ecclestone

Sat 04 Jul, 01:41 PM


Bernie Ecclestone

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LONDON (AFP) - Formula One commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, on Saturday stoked up controversy by praising Adolf Hitler for being a man who "was able to get things done".

In an interview with 'The Times' newspaper, Ecclestone praised strong leadership and said that he preferred totalitarian regimes to democracies.

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."

Saying he liked "strong leaders" like Margaret Thatcher, Ecclestone suggested that FIA president Max Mosley would make a good Prime Minister.

"I don't think his background would be a problem," said Ecclestone of Mosley, the son of Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists.

He added: "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 (Brown) and Tony (Blair) are trying to please everybody all the time ... Max would do a super job, he's a good leader."

"Politicians are too worried about elections. We did a terrible thing when we supported the idea of getting rid of Saddam Hussein, he was the only one who could control the country. It was the same (with the Taliban.)," added Ecclestone, who in 1997 donated 1million pounds to the Labour Government

A spokesman for the board of Deputies of British Jews said: "Mr Ecclestone's comments regarding Hitler, female, black and Jewish racing drivers are quite bizarre. He says 'Politics are not for me' and we are inclined to agree."

Ecclestone previously stirred controversy when he suggested in 2008 that racist comments on a website about British driver Lewis Hamilton had "started as just a joke".

 

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  1. Surely Ecclestone was in or around during the second­ world war. If so he should listen to a few stories of­ relatives of thier families who were imprisoned during­ the conflict. Better still make him spend a night in a­ sleeping bag in one of the concentration camps to let­ him know what it feels like to be horrified.
    And then­ sit in the space where millions were gassed so make him­ sit in the gas chamber or there abouts. I think he­ should step down and hand his Job over to Nigel­ mansell.
    From s cosburn from plymouth uk monday 6th­ july 2009 02.10am

    From sandycosburn, on Mon 6 Jul 2:39AM

  2. One thing we all know who is HERO is.

    From hommy the clown, on Sun 5 Jul 11:22PM

  3. Unfortunately Bernie doesn't know and can't­ even imagine where he would be if Hitler's­ ideologies were supported. I don't think we would­ have F1. Look around in systems where they lack­ democracy. Its all religion and no sports (may just­ coming up out of curiosity).

    Thank God many are not­ interested to be drawn into this time wasting debate.­ If Bernie wants to advertise F1 through controversies,­ let him pick some logically intelligent ones and not­ this Hitler rubbish. Grow up Bernie.

    From emanyaleni, on Sun 5 Jul 10:37PM

  4. HELLO MY LITTLE F1 BUDDIES THIS IS YOUR FRIEND­ MARINARO4 FROM CHILE, THIS IS INTERSETING REVELATIONS­ COMING OF OF THE LITTLE POISONED DWARFS MOUTH, PRAISING­ HITLER, THIS SOUNDS LIKE SUPPORT FOR MAD MAX. THE TRUTH­ I SEE IS COL KLINK BEING MAD MAX AND SEG SCHULTZ BEING­ THE POISONED DWARF, AND THE FIA BEING THE NAZI REGIME.­ BUT MY LITTLE F1 BUDDIES CAN YOU TELL ME, WHY ARE THEY­ BRITISH AND LIVING IN THE UK, HAS THE UNITED KINGDOM­ BECOME NEW GERMANY, ARE YOU ALL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF­ THE THIRD RIECH, UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.­ MAYBE THATS WHY THE BRITISH FANS ACCEPTED MC LAREN AND­ LOVE MC LAREN SO MUCH, MC LAREN IS SPONSERED AND­ ENGINES ARE SUPPLIED BY GERMAN CAR MANUFACTURER­ MERCEDES BENZ. I THOUGHT THAT THE ROYAL PALACE GUARDS­ MARCH WAS VERY­ RECOGNISABLE..............................THANK GOD I­ DON'T LIVE IN THE UK, OR I WOULD BE BLONDE AND BLUE­ EYED.

    From David, on Sun 5 Jul 2:29PM

  5. i think we cant force anyone to change his views , i­ also like adolf hitler in some ways.
    why media ask this­ type of question , its not Bernie fault.

    From mohsin_pbi, on Sun 5 Jul 12:20PM

  6. THIS JUST PROVES THAT BOTH "MAX AND BERNIE"­ ARE NOT FIREING ON ALL CYLINDER'S ITS TIME WE HAD­ SOME ONE THAT DOSN'T SOUND LIKE HE'S PAST HIS­ EXPIRY DATE AND TALKED ABOUT MEANINGFULL IDEA'S­ AND POSITIVE ATTATUDES TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF GRAND/PRIX­ RACING WORLD WIDE !

    From RON, on Sun 5 Jul 8:54AM

  7. Ape! Can you explain to me, or anyone else? Why you. So­ obviously enamoured by Herr Mosley - who really fancies­ himself as the leader of the “Fourth Reich.”
    Would be­ posting this "Anti Nazi" baseless rubbish?­
    Ape. Max is going to take you off his Christmas list­ if you keep insulting his heritage!!!!
    By the way BMW,­ Audi, Mercedes all had their versions of “Oskar­ Schindler” God bless him.

    From Walking quiet, on Sun 5 Jul 6:21AM

  8. The film included testimonies from survivors who­ attested to the subhuman working and living conditions,­ as well as from former Nuremberg war-crimes prosecutors­ who asserted that, based on the evidence previously­ hidden by the Quandts and now revealed, the family­ would have been convicted of war crimes

    From Ape, on Sun 5 Jul 12:36AM

  9. For the good of the sport, Ecclestone has got to go­ immediately!

    From DavidO, on Sat 4 Jul 9:56PM

  10. Bernie makes this announcement during the run up to the­ German Grand Prix! Hmmmmmmm

    From markrose260, on Sat 4 Jul 7:55PM
  11. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    it was only a publicity tool, like the distractions­ obama throws out everyday

    From Chris Gaither, on Sat 4 Jul 7:34PM

  12. the nazis also found it to be inadeqauate for military­ purposes until near the end of the war because the­ railway system was much more vast and went to places­ that were more military advantages

    From Chris Gaither, on Sat 4 Jul 7:33PM

  13. mr mackenzie the foirst part of the autobahn was­ started in 1909
    I beleive hitler may have been only 11­ or so at the time and it's deveolpment proceeded­ rapidly long before hitler renamed it in 1933 to his­ road

    From Chris Gaither, on Sat 4 Jul 7:31PM

  14. The old @#$% has finally gone senile!

    He must be­ raving mad.....

    From Futchi, on Sat 4 Jul 6:45PM

  15. Yep, Hilter got things done, responsible for the deaths­ of millions, the destruction of Europe, committed­ atrocities never before heard of in the civilized­ world.

    Yep, that's getting things done.

    Bernie,­ commit seppuku to repent for your ignorance and­ stupidity.

    From quikdraw67, on Sat 4 Jul 6:12PM
  16. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    The Quandts, the documentary asserted, had close ties­ to high Nazi party officials. Adolf Hitler himself­ acted as witness to the second marriage ceremony of­ family patriach Gunther Quandt's first wife Magda­ to Nazi propoganda mastermind Joseph Goebbels, and the­ infamous couple raised Gunther's son Harald. The­ Quandts, according to the research, used the wealth­ amassed from the suffering of victims of the Nazi­ regime fifteen years after the war to buy BMW, and­ continues to hold 47% stake in the automaking­ conglomorate

    From Ape, on Sat 4 Jul 5:55PM

  17. I have never, ever seen a bunch of postings on this­ board agree as much as you all do - well done all.

    From B Mackenzie, on Sat 4 Jul 5:22PM

  18. Spot on Mr Mackenzie. All dictatorship does is wreak­ despair and suffering on the 'little people'.­ Unfortunately, Mr Ecclestone will follow Mr.­ Mosley's example in lacking the decency to resign.­ And the F1 teams have halted their plans to breakaway­ from leadership like this? Unbelievable.

    From markrose260, on Sat 4 Jul 5:17PM

  19. hahahahahahahahahaha this man is an imbecile does he no­ what he is saying this should be put all over the front­ pages as these comments are despicable

    From donald, on Sat 4 Jul 5:12PM

  20. Chris I am sorry but iain.wyllie is 100% correct on the­ reasons for building the Autobahns, they were built for­ military purposes as he said.

    This view of­ Bernie's is quite unbelievable and shows such­ ignorance. The absurd thing about it is that Hitler­ never got things done. The German economic miracle was­ an illusion, the German state was in such debt that­ there was little option but to go to war. Where do you­ think that the money for the Army and the Autobahns­ came from? German industry wasn't earning any more­ money, yes it all came from debt.

    There is so much­ more I want to say about this nonsense but I might lose­ my rag if I carry on. But the one thing that shows how­ Hitler got things done is to look at Germany in 1933­ and then look again in 1945 - 12 years into the 1000­ Jahr Reich. As one German said in 1945 "In 1933­ Hitler said we wouldn't recognise Germany in the­ future and he was right.".

    That's ignoring­ what disaster was visited on the rest of Europe and the­ World.

    From B Mackenzie, on Sat 4 Jul 5:06PM
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