Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider was driving at twice the speed limit when he died in a crash early on Saturday, court officials have said. Mr Haider, 58, was travelling alone at 142km/h (88mph) in a 70km/h zone when his Volkswagen Phaeton V6 crashed. The accident occurred south of Klagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia, where he was the provincial governor. He was leader of the Alliance for Austria's Future, and was known for his anti-immigration and anti-EU policies. Mr Haider had crashed shortly after leaving a nightclub. However, prosecutor Gottfried Kranza would not say whether Mr Haider's body had tested positive for alcohol.
Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider was driving at twice the speed limit when he died in a crash early on Saturday, court officials have said.
Mr Haider, 58, was travelling alone at 142km/h (88mph) in a 70km/h zone when his Volkswagen Phaeton V6 crashed.
The accident occurred south of Klagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia, where he was the provincial governor.
He was leader of the Alliance for Austria's Future, and was known for his anti-immigration and anti-EU policies.
Mr Haider had crashed shortly after leaving a nightclub.
However, prosecutor Gottfried Kranza would not say whether Mr Haider's body had tested positive for alcohol.
Yes, I fiercely disagree with his political ideals and ideas.
Yes, he was a hindrance to further integration of EU and was fanning racist rhetoric.
Yes, he was a brainless idiot for relishing reckless speeding.
He still had a family - a wife and two daughters if Wikipedia is right, who will be devastated by losing a husband and a father.
We're better than them. We only have one chance on this earth - and Haider lost his, mostly by his own fault.
But his death, in all its pointlessness, pains me nevertheless, and I sympathise.
From a political point of view, we may say "good riddance". From a human point of view: I will never compromise on my own ethics to cherish and stand for human life.
That this discussion is actually being held. Ugh. Incredibly disappointing.
But they were not just individual human beings of no great consequence whose lives has no impact beyond that on their families. They were people of influence, whose words and deeds were the fulcrums that moved masses to change opinion, to act in certain ways, act and vote against other people's rights and endanger their lives. You cannot separate that.
In short, they were dangerous actors succesfully working against public civility. I did not wish Haider dead, but I cannot deny feeling that his untimely end, brought about, I note, by his own arrogance and recklessness, is convenient for the public good.
It would have been easy to have avoided commenting, but it is worth admitting that there are people in public life who make a "negative contribution" and we are better off without. Electorally defeated is best, discredited works too. After all, with bad ideas it is necessary to discredit the idea as well as the rabble-rouser. But when push comes to shove, a dead figurehead will do.
After all, in your heart of hearts, would you mourn the death of Mugabe ? Bin Laden ? And if you admit there are some people you would not mourn, all we're doing is drawing the line on who we would be rid of in slightly different places.
It's a difficult point that forces us to admit we are not wholly moral beings. Yes, perhaps we are better than them, but I'm wary of using "culture war", "values-based" arguments about being holier than thou because it's just a part of the them-and-us politics that has created so many tensions all around the world. If we're gonna be better than them, let it be about having politics that work to improve the lot of the overwhelming majority of people rather othering and ignoring entire populations for perceived or invented failings.
That said, I'm not willing to be so generous about individuals. As I said above, some individuals are dangerous. It is surely human to admit such things, none of us are perfect and a lot of the time we're maybe not as moral as we want to believe or project. Nevertheless, within that limitation I'll defend the honesty of my moral compromises anytime. Wherever you draw the line. keep to the Fen Causeway
So, I'll not only rate but add to what Helen said.
There are enough things to deal with without having to deal with rabble-rousers who bring hatred and death amongst us. I disagree that we only have one chance on this earth. We have new chances every moment. He choose to solve his problems by making problems for others.
To his family, yes, sorry they are going through a negative sense of loss. Myself, I go through a positive sense of loss at his passing. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
i'm sad that a man was so deluded, and had charisma to persuade others into hateful folly, i'm equally sad he died so stupidly without realising the error of his ways.
i am also somewhat lighter in heart that there is one less fascist asshole around to poison the public well.
not so hard, really.
faking feelings leads to trouble, especially to oneself! ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
Secondly, I did not use the word "mourn". But if you must know, I even felt a pang of sadness when they butchered Saddam Hussein with such unfettered glee.
Thirdly, I already made expressly clear that there is a difference between feeling relief about a political dynamic that will be affected, and having sympathy for a fellow human being. There's nothing morally ambiguous about this.
I find it hard to stomach that even people at ET choose their own political preference and own political judgements, above a universal sense of humanity and equality.
In fact, I'm out of this discussion as of now. It simply affects me too much.
