The German chancellor from 1930 to 1932 should be a warning to all who believe that centrist remedies are the answer in polarised times, writes Emma Jones

Larry Elliott compares Macron to Angela Merkel’s predecessor, Schröder (as well as Blair, Clinton and De Gaulle), in his thoughtful piece on the French troubles (Macron’s vision belongs to the past. A backlash was inevitable, 6 December).

A greater spectre must be another of Mrs Merkel’s predecessors, Heinrich Brüning (dubbed the “Hunger Chancellor”), a technocrat who refused to heed the cries from the street until it was much too late. Brüning’s scorched-earth economics, use of emergency powers, and hostility to the unions contributed to the colossal tragedy that engulfed his country and the world in 1933.

He should be a warning to all who believe that centrist remedies are the answer in polarised times, who would put their trust in an establishment lockout rather than a popular movement against fascism, or who fail to see where the real threat lies. The toxic politics of the far right take hold once the wounds created by austerity are allowed to fester.

Emma Jones

Abingdon, Oxfordshire

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