Lubor J. Zink
Encyclopedia
Lubor J. Zink was a Czech-Canadian writer and columnist known for his anti-Communism
.
Zink was born in Klapý
, Czechoslovakia
. He was a student at Prague University in March 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied
the country. A member of the Czech underground
movement, Zink fled to Britain and joined the exiled Czech army. He earned three commendations for bravery during World War II.
Following the war, Zink returned to his homeland and joined the Czech language service of Radio Prague
, the international broadcasting
station operated by the Foreign Ministry. Zink's reports were heard by Czechs living abroad and, after the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
took power in a 1948 coup, his broadcasts became anti-government. He subsequently lost his job and went into hiding until he, his wife and two-year old son could flee to England.
He moved to Canada in 1958 and became editor of the Brandon Sun
in Manitoba
. His editorials won him a National Newspaper Award in 1961 and he was offered a job with the Toronto Telegram
as an Ottawa-based columnist. When the Telegram folded in 1971 he moved to the Toronto Sun
, becoming one of the paper's original staffers.
Although he was a member of the Ottawa press gallery
and his column was ostensibly on national affairs, it was generally a forum for his ardent anti-Communist views. It often attacked Soviet foreign policy, Western liberals who favoured negotiations with the Soviet Union, Cuba, as well as then-Canadian Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau
whom Zink viewed as a "crypto-Communist". Zink also ridiculed social programs
being introduced by the federal government in the 1960s and 1970s, writing in 1965, "After medicare
, what is next on the womb-to-tomb welfare list? Well, there are legalcare, morticare, carcare, housecare, leisurecare, and endless other possibilities."
Zink's columns on federal politics were published in three collections, Trudeaucracy (1972), Viva Chairman Pierre (1977) and What Price Freedom? (1981).
Zink ran for a federal seat in the riding of Parkdale
twice as the Progressive Conservative
candidate. On both occasions he was not successful but managed to poll second in the 1972
and 1974
federal elections.
His anti-Communist themes continued through the era of détente
and glasnost
resulting in many of his critics ridiculing him as a relic of the Cold War
era or a "one-trick pony who never got over the communist era".
Having outlived the fall of the Soviet Union and in declining health, Zink discontinued his column in 1993.
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
.
Zink was born in Klapý
Klapý
Klapý is a village and municipality in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 534 ....
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. He was a student at Prague University in March 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
the country. A member of the Czech underground
Czech resistance to Nazi occupation
Czech resistance to German Nazi occupation during World War II is a scarcely documented subject, by and large a result of little formal resistance and an effective German policy that deterred acts of resistance or annihilated organizations of resistance...
movement, Zink fled to Britain and joined the exiled Czech army. He earned three commendations for bravery during World War II.
Following the war, Zink returned to his homeland and joined the Czech language service of Radio Prague
Radio Prague
Radio Prague is the official international broadcasting station of the Czech Republic.Radio Prague broadcasts in six languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Czech and Russian. It broadcasts programmes about the Czech Republic on shortwave, satellite and on the Internet...
, the international broadcasting
International broadcasting
International broadcasting is broadcasting that is deliberately aimed at a foreign, rather than a domestic, audience. It usually is broadcast by means of longwave, mediumwave, or shortwave radio, but in recent years has also used direct satellite broadcasting and the Internet as means of reaching...
station operated by the Foreign Ministry. Zink's reports were heard by Czechs living abroad and, after the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
took power in a 1948 coup, his broadcasts became anti-government. He subsequently lost his job and went into hiding until he, his wife and two-year old son could flee to England.
He moved to Canada in 1958 and became editor of the Brandon Sun
Brandon Sun
The Brandon Sun is a daily newspaper printed in Brandon, Manitoba. It is the primary newspaper of record for western Manitoba.It was founded by Will White, with the first edition being printed on January 19, 1882....
in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. His editorials won him a National Newspaper Award in 1961 and he was offered a job with the Toronto Telegram
Toronto Telegram
The Toronto Evening Telegram was a conservative, broadsheet afternoon newspaper published in Toronto from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the Conservative Party at both the federal and provincial level. The paper competed with the liberal Toronto Star...
as an Ottawa-based columnist. When the Telegram folded in 1971 he moved to the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
, becoming one of the paper's original staffers.
Although he was a member of the Ottawa press gallery
Press gallery
The press gallery is the part of a parliament, or other legislative body, where political journalists are allowed to sit or gather to observe and then report speeches and events...
and his column was ostensibly on national affairs, it was generally a forum for his ardent anti-Communist views. It often attacked Soviet foreign policy, Western liberals who favoured negotiations with the Soviet Union, Cuba, as well as then-Canadian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
whom Zink viewed as a "crypto-Communist". Zink also ridiculed social programs
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
being introduced by the federal government in the 1960s and 1970s, writing in 1965, "After medicare
Medicare (Canada)
Medicare is the unofficial name for Canada's publicly funded universal health insurance system. The formal terminology for the insurance system is provided by the Canada Health Act and the health insurance legislation of the individual provinces and territories.Under the terms of the Canada Health...
, what is next on the womb-to-tomb welfare list? Well, there are legalcare, morticare, carcare, housecare, leisurecare, and endless other possibilities."
Zink's columns on federal politics were published in three collections, Trudeaucracy (1972), Viva Chairman Pierre (1977) and What Price Freedom? (1981).
Zink ran for a federal seat in the riding of Parkdale
Parkdale (electoral district)
Parkdale was a Canadian federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1979. It included the community of Parkdale in the western part of Toronto...
twice as the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
candidate. On both occasions he was not successful but managed to poll second in the 1972
Canadian federal election, 1972
The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...
and 1974
Canadian federal election, 1974
The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...
federal elections.
His anti-Communist themes continued through the era of détente
Détente
Détente is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War...
and glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
resulting in many of his critics ridiculing him as a relic of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era or a "one-trick pony who never got over the communist era".
Having outlived the fall of the Soviet Union and in declining health, Zink discontinued his column in 1993.
Source
- "Pugnacious expatriate Czech outlived the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - Journalist fought first the Nazis and then the Red Menace, denouncing Soviet-style communism till its fall" By Randy Ray, The Globe and Mail, Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - Page R5