Remembrance Day...

Lest we forget is the slogan for Remembrance Day, marking the cessation of hostilities at the end of the First World War. It is indeed ironic, nay, shameful, that, as has been the case on so many occasions since the first Remembrance Day on 11th November 1919 , we are still witnessing the slaughter of innocents around the globe. In Iraq, in Africa, in Gaza, in Afghanistan, to name but four areas of conflict, the lies and manipulations of politicians, the military, and multi-national industry are causing the needless deaths of thousands of civilians every day - where are the poppies for them?

We should indeed remember the enormous debt we owe to the members of armed forces who laid down their lives to defend freedom - we should also remember that those soldiers, sailors and airmen were once civilians too. If ordinary people in Germany, in Iraq, and in so many other countries ignored the weasel words of their political, religious and ideological "leaders", then perhaps the history of the world might have been very different. Throughout history, those in positions of power have used generations of young men as cannon fodder, and have cared little about the loss of civilian life. If I thought for one moment that wearing a red Remembrance Day poppy would stop this slaughter, I would not hesitate. The least we can do to honour the memory and sacrifice of those who have perished - both military and civilian - is to ensure that it never happens again... wearing a red poppy will not necessarily achieve that.