Remembrance Day
Once again, as every November, we go through the ritual of
Poppy Day. For the days around 11th Nov it becomes obligatory for
our politicians and public figures to sport their poppies conspicuously, lay
wreaths at cenotaphs and observe a two-minute silence. Wearing a poppy has
become like wearing a Stars and Stripes badge in the USA
or, in the old Soviet Union, a Party badge – an outward
symbol of one’s loyalty to the nation; those who don’t wear one are treated
like heartless traitors. It has little to do with true remembrance.
We are the only country that has such a ceremony. The
justification for it is that we are remembering those in the armed forces who
‘sacrificed’ their lives for the national good. The ritual grew out of the
horrors of the 1914-18 ‘War to End All Wars’.
The many Remembrance Day commemorations have not been an
iota of use in preventing subsequent wars nor have they taught us any lessons
about how to avoid the killing of young men and women on the battlefield. It
has become a meaningless and momentary outpouring of national awareness and
celebration of the victories of Britain’s
armed forces. Once over, it’s back to war games as usual.
While many of my fellow citizens will wear their poppies out
of a genuine sense of remembrance for those who have died in past wars, they
will be blind to the way the annual event has been hijacked by the political
elite for anything but remembrance.
The only constructive way to commemorate those who have died
fighting is for us, the living, to struggle more forcefully for an end to all
wars and for a deeper understanding of what causes wars. Most, if not all of
the wars Britain
has been involved in have been for economic and political reasons, not for
‘democracy’ or ‘freedom’ despite those fig leaves the politicians and
historians might give them. They have been instigated by the ruling elites to
protect or expand their power and influence; no altruism has been involved.
Remembrance Day should be used to reflect on what horror war
causes and how we can best avoid such conflicts. The immense loss of life in Iraq
and Afghanistan,
the millions displaced and the widespread destruction caused are only the most
recent reminders of war as an abomination.
Why don’t we make Remembrance Day a time when schools and
colleges devote a lesson to learning about how to avoid wars and to work for
world peace? Our politicians could use the day to lay before us what action
they intend taking to further disarmament and peace throughout the world. Now
that would be remembrance.
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