Stand tall in defence of our democracy

George Soros is the ultimate one percenter. His personal wealth of more than $30 billion comes from stock and currency trading (he made $4 billion in 2013 alone). Known as ‘the man who broke the Bank of England,’ he manipulated the British pound, forcing the B of E to spend 15 billion pounds to support the currency. His action led to devaluation of the pound, increased inflation, and reduced the purchasing power of millions of ordinary Britons.

While making more than a billion-pound profit, he felt no remorse at the consequences of his actions. Interestingly enough, as a tireless supporter of the European Union, the reasons for his opposition to Brexit are currency devaluation, inflation and loss of purchasing power. It is a whole goose and gander thing. He has been convicted of insider trading in France and currently owes the U.S. Treasury more than $6 billion.

Soros declared himself akin to a god, and as a businessman, amoral. It must only be his large financial support of liberal causes that keeps him from media crucifixion.

Soros’s non-governmental organizations operate in more than 100 countries promoting his philosophy of ‘Open Society,’ which includes free speech, human rights, economic freedom, and universal participation in the political process — all laudable goals. The difficulty is that philosophy and delivery are often unrelated.

Take the example of Viktor Orban, the centrist, democratically elected, populist PM of Hungary. His sin was to attempt to limit Soros’s political influence in Hungary by eliminating these NGOs and by bringing the Soros-funded Central European University (whose president is Michael Ignatieff, ex-Liberal leader) under government legislation. Unlike the CEU, no Canadian university can exist without provincial authorization, or hire foreign professors without a least some form of visa, or grant degrees in foreign countries. Soros, who is reputed to be the only private citizen with a foreign policy, was greeted by the EU like royalty while Orban was treated as a petulant schoolboy. Using this intimate relationship, the EU quickly moved to punish Orban and Hungary for their transgressions.

Populism is not part of Soros’s democratic vision. He would create a world in his own image because he can afford to.

The meeting between Soros and Justin Trudeau was just a conversation between like minded individuals. Free movement of refugees, legalization of marijuana, and democratic reform (Trudeau’s as yet unrealized electoral changes and Soros’s ‘Open Society’ likely dominated the discussion. Both fervently believe that market capitalism is enormously successful at creating wealth, but that government regulation must be used to limit its influence.

When the billionaire with his millions comes knocking at the door, one can only hope that we take a little inspiration from Orban, and all stand tall in the defence of our Canadian democracy, as imperfect, illogical and messy as it is.

Immanuel Moritz Medicine Hat