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Community Publishing for the community

Remembrance Day

8/11/2015

2 Comments

 
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 A purely personal comment from Gordon Lawrie.​

I found myself in an interesting debate yesterday with a friend regarding poppies and Remembrance Day. She rather objected to being forced to observe the rituals of a minute’s silence and the current rise of “poppy fascism” – the trashing of public figures who didn’t wear poppies at this time of year. Her perfectly valid point was that honouring “The Glorious Dead” was hypocritical and dishonest, given that there was nothing glorious about war at all and that so many of the wars Britain (let’s face it, most countries) have fought have been morally wrong. We both agreed that not everyone would observing the minute’s silence would actually be thinking about war dead, and people should be allowed to wear whatever they like.
 
I also had to accept her points about war. The Great War may have been historically inevitable but it was also futile and generally in pursuit of imperial gain. The Iraq war was always, always wrong.  Even where the wars have been morally right, as in Afghanistan (shame on the rest of the world for not joining in the attempt to ensure peace there) our armed forces have arguably achieved little so far. As a country, we don’t seem to pick our fights very well.
 
But that’s rather missing the point of Remembrance Day. In remembering those who died, we shouldn’t be grading the worth of each fallen individual according to the moral value of the conflicts they took part in. The armed forces – particularly in the United Kingdom which has no conscription and we rely on professional soldiers – do our dirty work for us. They act on behalf of an elected government, a government which we as a society elect to take war and peace decisions on our behalf.
 
Ah, I hear you say, but the Iraq war was ‘not in my name’. Well I opposed the Iraq war too, but if you try to walk away from your responsibilities to the armed forces, I’d suggest you’re treading a dangerous path. The last thing we want are politicised armed forces; experience across the world suggests that doesn't usually lead to good outcomes.

In Iraq, the armed forces loyally did as they were asked, as we would expect them to do in all situations except when they’re asked to flout the Geneva Convention and commit a war crime. If we don’t approve of the Iraq war, say, that’s a matter between us and our government, it’s not for the military to contradict a democratically arrived-at policy. (And it’s worth noting that Blair’s government was comfortably re-elected in 2005; we care more about our money in our pockets than the rights and wrongs of the wars in which our troops engage.)
 
In that sense, those soldiers who die, and the people they kill, are simply victims of our petty squabbles between governments and ourselves. It’s cowardly not to acknowledge our own responsibility for the decisions our governments take. And if you have a minute to spare in the next few days, it’s maybe worth considering that instead of wondering what you’re going to have for tea tonight.

2 Comments
Ross Lyall
9/11/2015 12:46:23 pm

I agree with your friend about poppy facism. I find it unacceptable that somebody like Barbara Windsor can lecture me about where I should donate my money and then berate me if I dont wear a badge to tell everyone that I have donated.

I dont agree with her about the minute silence. If there are enough people in the country who want to observe the silence (and there obviously is) then it is only good manners to let them without spoiling it. I will say, however, that the thousands of people in Ikea Edinburgh yesterday at 11am didnt seem to give a hoot about a one minute silence. And that is their right also.

In a nutshell, if you want to respect the dead with a minute silence then do so in private or go somewhere where you know other people will want to do the same. If you don't, then don't - but dont ruin it for everybody else.

Reply
Gordon Lawrie
9/11/2015 11:19:38 pm

Totally agree, Ross. People are entitled to their opinion, but they need to respect the opinions of others. (As indeed she did, and 16,000+ fans at Tynecastle before the start of the game.)

The point I was making of course was that in a democracy the soldiers are not ultimately responsible for the deaths, the government and the electorate are, even we who didn't elect them. It's the job of the military to do what that democratically elected government says. Full stop. Rejecting that threatens democracy itself.

So Corbyn was 100% right to complain about that Chief of Staff mouthing off about nuclear disarmament. The guy might make his views known privately (I bet he does, too) but his public stance should be silence. Especially on Remembrance Sunday.

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    CONTRIBUTORS

    Gordon Lawrie is the founder and managing director of Comely Bank Publishing, and the author of Four Old Geezers and a Valkyrie. The Discreet Charm of Mary Maxwelll-Hume and The Blogger Who Came in from the Cold. He is also a flash fiction aficionado. He’s currently in search of that book that earns him a fortune. 

    Emma Baird is a freelance/blogger, and the author of Katie and the Deelans. Since then she's moved onto pastures new where she self-publishes experimental YA and chick-lit novels both online and as print-on-demand.

    Jane Tulloch is the author of Our Best Attention (published 2016) Attention Assured (2017) and now has a further lease of life as an expert on the history of Edinburgh's lost department stores. She is relishing the freedom of writing an (almost!) complete pack of lies after years of writing very serious reports on her professional topic of autism in adults.

    Eric J. Smith lives in Maryland, USA, and is the author Not a Bad Ride: Stories from a Boomer's Life on the Edge, which is available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.​

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