VE day march today

[liam88]

Anyone else there?
Was so proud to march today alongside all the vetrans from England, Scotland, Ireland, Poland-everywhere! The flypast witht he Lancaster dropping poppies was the most amazing thing i've ever seen and the crowds were brilliant-as I was marching i looked across at the crowd ad saw a big flag saying "LONDON LIVES"........they are so right

[dcfcsteve]

Wasn't there Liam - saw a little bit of it on TV and was impressed by the scale of it all.

To be honest, I wouldn't personally be supportive of events like this - if only because governments have spent the rest of the 60 years since the war ignoring the needs of veterans, and then throw a big hooley to keep them happy before they go back to ignoring them again... . It's not an anti-British thing - my great-grandfather served in the Boer War and my grandad got shot in Ypres with the British in the First World War, and then served in Communications for them during WWII. I just don't like the way governments over here have treated veterans (i.e. fundamentally leaving it up to public generosity to look after them, when its government policies thats send them off to war in the first place).

But I can understand and appreciate that other people get a lot out of it. Fair play to ya....

[thecorner]

war being glorified

[liam88]

war being glorified

Defending the free world from facism being rememebred.
Steve get what your saying about our vetrans-I think it's disgraceful how they have been treated but they are great blokes and women and they enjoyed this so much and everyone got a chance to pay their respects and everyone had a great day and showed brilliant defiance against the cowards who bombed London on Thursday. Obviously government policy didn't start WWI/WWII facism and dictatorship did.
I also feel sorry for all the Irish vetrans who gave their lives/their yers/their health and are only jsut being honoured in Ireland now-delayed because they fought under the Union Jack. It's terrible that they were forgotten. I was so proud of the Irish vetrans today along with all the others-my great grand's on both sides fought; one from Cork who came to England and joined the navy, one from Burma who sent morse code to the alleis from a bunker during the whole war-brilliant men! The vetrans are a credit o the human race.


That's all from me for a week-I'm off to Berlin (history trip) see you all soon!
God Bless the War Vetrans

[dcfcsteve]

Obviously government policy didn't start WWI/WWII facism and dictatorship did.

Liam - surely you must have studied this in history ?

WW1 was a complete and utter foreign policy/political farce - nothing less. It was nothing more than competitive posturing by 2 sets of opposing empires that got out of hand and resulted in war over the murder of a two-bit aristocrat in Serbia. Pure politics - nothing to do with fascism and dictatorship (fascism didn't even exist back then !)

The Second World War was in many ways different, but again - its roots were in the poor political decisions made by the Allies after WWI, and exacerbated by their failed foreign policies in the late 1930's that directly enabled the rise of Germany, so had a lot to answer for his strength and inital successes. If it was all about the rise of fascism, then why didn't the 'Allies' get involved in fighting against Hitler-backed Franco in the Spanish Civil war - instead leaving it up to ordinary civilians from all over Europe (incl one of my Grandad's neighbours in Derry) to volunteer to fight against them.

Politics is very rarely far from the fundamental basis for any war.

[pete]

war being glorified

British just as bad as the yanks. Of course they only celebrate their victories. Its hard to actually hate people but seeing those Royals today knew i really hated them. Can't stand the way the royalty glorify war when would step up themselves - seems like an insult for them to wear uniforms.

[Partizan]

a good mate of mine (IRA volunteer)fought in Spain with the Abraham Lincoln brigade and got aquainted with the greatest Republican Socialist of them all, Frank Ryan and even had a chin wag with Hemmingway himself.

If ever there was a war where democracy and freedom was betrayed it was Spain. My old Comrade went to his grave swearing that had the allies intervened to uphold the ideas of freedom in Spain, Hitler & Mussollini might have though twice.

France's closure of the borders with the Basque country summed it up.

NO PASARAN.