Over the last 18 months of his life Harry Leslie Smith recorded a series of audio tapes. On them, he spoke about how the 21st century was beginning to resemble the Great Depression world of his youth.
"I refuse to remain quiet while the world my generation built turns feral in the hands of right-wing populists and capitalists indifferent to the wellbeing of ordinary workers. Too many people died, and too many lives were cut short or mangled by the Great Depression and the Second World for me to not speak out. I will oppose to my the last breath the 1% and their politicians who destroyed liberal society constructed on the foundation of a Welfare State and are now attempting to erect a fascist, authoritarian society."
My dad wanted his memories used as a weapon against those who were privatising healthcare, waging never ending wars, dehumanising refugees and making life a sun up to sundown struggle to exist on wages not suitable to afford the expenses of modern times. He would have been profoundly saddened at how prescient his predictions were for democracy.
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Take care, John
History isn't repeating itself as farce but as fascism.