Anniversaries, tragedies and absurdities

Wow! It almost does not bear thinking about, but we must. Lest we forget.

Tomorrow, 4^th August is the 111^th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. It was the most horrendous conflict known to man. It quickly became known as the “war to end all wars,” until the outbreak of the Second World War.

Many historians argue that Gavrilo Princip’s bullets were the most destructive shots fired in human history. His assassination of the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne and his wife unleased a chain reaction of events that led to World War One.

Without World War One and its aftermath, especially the vengeful Treaty of Versailles, would the pre-conditions for Hitler’s rise to power have existed?  As Keynes reminds us “everything is connected to everything else.”

Wednesday and Saturday this week are the 80^th anniversaries of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The most destructive weapon ever conceived was used to end the world’s most costly human conflict.

Ever since the detonation of the atomic bombs, the world has lived under the threat of a nuclear Armageddon. Paradoxically, the threat of “mutually assured destruction” has arguably kept the peace, or at least prevented the outbreak of another worldwide conflagration.

Conservative estimates suggest that 60,000,000 lives were lost in the two World Wars.  Over twice the current population of Australia.

In the post-war era the creation of the United Nations in 1945 was a hopeful sign that the world was committed to “beating its swords into plowshares and its spears into pruning hooks”.

On December 10 1948, the United Nations published, with Eleanor Roosevelt at its spokesperson, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which sought to recognise the “inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family”  and to arrest the “disregard and contempt for human rights” which had resulted in “barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind.”

Lofty goals, indeed.  How strange it is that the notion of rights has been diluted to the point of absurdity. The intention that universal rights would be used as a bulwark to defend essential liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom from discrimination before the law, freedom of movement seems to have been lost.

The label “rights” is increasingly attached to whatever fashionable personal opinion or preference one may have. Rather than promoting a unifying of humanity, claims and counterclaims about the existence and/or recognition of rights have led to communities splintering.

In England and now in Australia court cases take place to argue that people have a right to deny identify as whatever gender they choose.  How can one have a right to deny biological destiny? More worryingly, how can this claimed right be used to justify a right to stigmatise those that disagree?

The latest announcement of absurdity camouflaged as a “right” has come from a State government in Australia. The Premier of Victoria has announced plans to legislate that private and public sector employees have a “right” to work two days a week from home. Just as the nation is about to have a talkfest on how to improve the country’s productivity along comes this gem.

If a right is to apply to all, how can this proposal? Teachers, amongst a host of other professions, will not be able to claim it. “Sorry Mr. Jones, I know you have been waiting for your operation for three years, but the surgeons are in need for a work/life balance, so please wait another six months.” Are employers meant to carry the burden of paying for a full week’s wages, outgoings, statutory charges and rent and accept that employees have the right to decide where and when they will work on their behalf? It is divisive, facile, and entirely ill-conceived.

Memo to the Victorian Premier: please do not attempt to eulogise a vote-seeking policy as a “right”. As the Treasurers of many Western democracies are discovering, the “right” to welfare payments only exists if there is the money to pay for them.

How many other important debates have been ruined by the ‘right of freedom of speech’ being hijacked by the illusory right of no offence being allowed? Memo to all influencers: an opinion does not equal an actionable outrage against body and soul.

Around the world, attention continues to be given to the Gaza conflict. The “barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind” to which the United Nations referred in 1948 naturally included the Holocaust. The staunchest critics of Israel in 2025 are saying its government is creating the conditions for a barbarous loss of life in Gaza. It has been a week where the world has been confronted with scarring images from the conflict , including emaciated children and a surviving hostage of Hamas digging his own grave.

In 1948 Western nations led by the United States and the United Kingdom led the campaign to create the recognised state of Israel. The Gaza conflict now sees the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Australia reaffirm their support for the creation of an immediate Palestinian State and the implementation of a “two- State” solution to the Middle East crisis.

It is an admirable “road map”, replete with good intentions.  However, World Wars, especially the need to defeat fascism were not fought to see democratic principles abandoned. How can the West ever support the creation of a Palestinian State run by a terrorist organisation, who launched the attacks on Israel in October 2023 and who have killed and continue to refuse to release remaining hostages? Has the West forgotten the abyss created by withdrawing from Afghanistan to let Taliban rule become consolidated? Would the West accept Syria reverting to rule by atavistic and undemocratic parties and rulers?

States rightfully exist because they can demonstrate essential qualities that the world recognises de jure: agreement on borders, a recognised capital , the recognition of other States to exist and stable leadership. None of these are close to being demonstrated by the current Palestinian leadership. By contrast, the Israeli government will have to account by its people for their prosecution of the war against Hamas in free and fair elections.

The tragedy for Australia is that the loud chanting of “rights” for Palestinians has led to antisemitic outrages that obliterate the true rights of all people. To see Melbourne’s major Art Gallery closed last week because of a protest against one of its galleries being named after its Jewish benefactors was deplorable. Terrifyingly, there was more than a whiff of an Orwellian “all Jews bad” miasma last week when Jewish primary school children attending Melbourne’s museum where subject to antisemitic chants from high school students.

Our democratic social contract, along with a true understanding of cardinal human rights,  are being tested like never before at home and abroad.  

More next week on the state of play on the tennis courts of the world where players are

preparing for the final Grand Slam of the year when the US Open begins on 24^th August. Who will rightfully be able to claim that they are the world’s best players come 7^th September?