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Last update - 11:25 05/07/2009
Formula One Chief: Hitler got things done
By The Associated Press
Tags: Hitler, Israel news 

Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One chief, said on Friday that he preferred totalitarian regimes to democracies and praised Adolf Hitler for his ability to "get things done" in an outspoken interview with London's The Times.

The remark drew sharp criticism from politicians and Jewish groups on Saturday.


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n the interview, Ecclestone expressed a preference for "strong leaders," citing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Max Mosley, outgoing head of Formula One's governing body, as examples.
He was quoted as saying that democracy "hasn't done a lot of good for many countries - including this one."

"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," Ecclestone was quoted as saying.

"In the end he got lost, so he wasn't a very good dictator."

"Politicians are too worried about elections," he said. "We did a terrible thing when we supported the idea of getting rid of Saddam Hussein. He was the only one who could control that country. It was the same [with the Taliban]. We move into countries and we have no idea of the culture. The Americans probably thought Bosnia was a town in Miami. There are people starving in Africa and we sit back and do nothing but we get involved in things we should leave alone."

The Board of Deputies of British Jews told The Times that Ecclestone's views were "quite bizarre," and Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard said he was "either an idiot or morally repulsive."

Labour Party lawmaker Denis MacShane told the newspaper that the remarks revealed ignorance of history and "a complete lack of judgment."
Calls to Ecclestone's London office were not immediately returned Saturday.

Ecclestone, who owns Formula One's commercial rights, is no stranger to controversial remarks. He once said women should dress in white "like all other domestic appliances."

In The Times interview, Ecclestone said that had been a joke, adding "I would love to have a good lady race driver and preferably black and Jewish too, but they might take maternity leave."

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      1.   Mussolini "Got Things Done" Too 01:28  |  Jeff Northridge 05/07/09
      2.   The soul of fascism alive and well 02:20  |  Mark Lincoln 05/07/09
      3.   Mosley sr. must have inspired him! 03:43  |  Tom Lobo Meyer 05/07/09
      4.   Ecclestone shouldn`t lead even a street race. Boycott Formula One 04:17  |  Zvi 05/07/09
      5.   Bernie the Buffoon 05:34  |  Joan 05/07/09
      6.   Formula 1 05:43  |  dariush 05/07/09
      7.   Oh He Got Himself In The News! 06:30  |  Yosemite 05/07/09
      8.   Well...yes and no... 06:40  |  Steve Grumman 05/07/09
      9.   Lol! What a simplistic neanderthal! 06:49  |  Magnus K 05/07/09
      10.   whats the difference between the two? 07:03  |  VIPER 05/07/09
      11.   Bernie Ecclestone is an Idiot 07:04  |  John Q. Public 05/07/09
      12.   Who gives a hoot: 07:51  |  Mark Lincoln 05/07/09
      13.   Met with this fellow, some years back. 10:07  |  Stephen. 05/07/09
      14.   Necrophile 11:12  |  Freudian 05/07/09
      15.   Maybe but....... 13:22  |  MiddleStanian 05/07/09
      16.   VIPER by the way 13:32  |  PETER SM 05/07/09
      17.   Sad and Angry Hearts 13:34  |  Matthew Houston 05/07/09
      18.   Karl Marx got things done 13:52  |  Gully Foyle 05/07/09
      19.   SO did Stalin,his ally,till Hitler double crossed him 13:55  |  PETER SM 05/07/09
      20.   Peter SM and his expertise 16:03  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/07/09
      21.   Saddam got things done 16:25  |  Harold 05/07/09
      22.   Bernie Ecclestone 17:46  |  Georg K. 05/07/09
      23.   Buffon Bernie Ecclestone 18:18  |  Georg K. 05/07/09
      24.   It depends on what the dictator gets done 18:19  |  David Israel 05/07/09
      25.   ecclestone 18:42  |  marco sbandi 05/07/09
      26.   Marx did not do anything but theorize 19:00  |  David Israel 05/07/09
      27.   Re# 1 Well Trains in Germany may run on time 19:33  |  Ines 05/07/09
      28.   Re# 2 Strong leaders ??? 19:42  |  Ines 05/07/09
      29.   Re # 3 Sexual phantasies aside..this guy... 19:46  |  Ines 05/07/09
      30.   Re # 5 Bernie... Put once again his very very 19:48  |  Ines 05/07/09
      31.   Re # 7 Not only genious get themselves in the news 19:51  |  Ines 05/07/09
      32.   Got things done ??? 19:54  |  Ines 05/07/09
      33.   Re # 10 Democracy is a very big word 20:01  |  Ines 05/07/09
      34.   Re # 11 This guy is insensitive to ... women 20:07  |  Ines 05/07/09
      35.   Re# 13 ... Well... Adolf Hitler.... in my opinion 22:28  |  Ines 05/07/09
      36.   Re# 15 Sorry which dictator got what done ...??? 22:38  |  Ines 05/07/09
      37.   Poor Adolf 23:54  |  Reconstructer 05/07/09
      38.   above 00:56  |  moishe 06/07/09
      39.   lol 01:34  |  Ali 06/07/09
      40.   LINTHWAITE 07:09  |  PETER SM 06/07/09
      41.   Cheney tried to get things done, but failed 07:46  |  Gay Mary 06/07/09
      42.   Ecclestone 08:04  |  David Zukerman 06/07/09
      43.   #26 - Marx did not do anything but theorize 13:33  |  Gully Foyle 06/07/09
      44.   #43 - thank youfor the article 18:57  |  David Israel 06/07/09
      45.   In defence of Marxism 16:21  |  ky 07/07/09
      46.   Armed robbery, arson, mass murder 06:35  |  sara Weis 25/07/09
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