The D- Day commemorations were taking place in France last weekend , and I was just wondering to myself , how both the need to both remember this and other events , and the fact that we are now strictly all Europeans – today - fit together in the modern world .
I can personally speak from both sides here , as I have relatives who both fought and died in the war , and I also currently , have very, very good friends from both Germany and Japan - thus I can see the need to commemorate , and also forget that era .
This - and the fact that the European elections , which also took place last week , had the lowest turn out – ever , and from a U.K. perspective the right wing - UKIP
( U.K. Independence Party ) , won the second highest amount of seats , which is ironic - standing in a European election as they want us to get out of The
European Union …………!!!.
Now your all thinking - what have the above got to do with each other ………….
Well it’s a historical fact that the right , gain more votes in times of social unrest and upheaval , like the current economic down turn has thrust upon us , thus the move towards the UKIP , and of course the racist BNP ( British National Party ) gaining two seats on the flimsy premise that they are ominously –
“ the party of the people “ - certainly point in that direction.
What people must remember is that it was the right wing teachings of the 1930’s that these modern political parties follow , which got us in the predicament of war in the first place, and with that thought in mind , I notice both the UKIP and BNP were using English - Second World War ideals and imagery in their own election campaigns.
The problem with using these so called “English Ideals” of the time , is that the original thinking behind them was totally and utterly against the right wing
regimes, and thus they simply cannot be twisted in to a modern patriotic context , as the UKIP and BNP are no doubt - trying to do - because of these historical fact .
On reflection , and back to the original point , I think because of all the surrounding circumstances - maybe the memorial services are a good thing after all , and as long as they can continue in a non blaming and sensitive - fashion towards both Germany and Japan - this will hopefully benefit us all by stopping us going down that terrible path - yet again - through a remembrance of that time.
