8th May 2020
marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day, that wonderful day in history marking
when almost 6 years of brutal and bloody war in Europe finally came to an end.
The sheer relief felt by the millions who had endured through a level of
conflict never before seen would surely be unimaginable to the British public
these days. Naturally we use occasions such as this and Remembrance Day every
year to remember the huge sacrifices that were made and be grateful for the
alliances and peace in Western Europe that exist today.
The strength
of character exhibited by those who lived through the war, their determination,
courage and resilience are qualities we can all aspire to emulate. I remember
as a child being visited by war veterans at primary school: they shared their
extraordinary experiences with us, reminding us every time that there is 'no
glory in war'. What they had been through was so traumatic, affecting them
deeply for the rest of their lives, that they were desperate that it should
never be repeated. Perhaps someone should have reminded Nigel Farage of this
when he played the theme to The Great Escape at one of his
Nuremberg-style rallying cries in favour of Brexit - I wonder if he would still
have chosen a Nazi POW camp over EU bureaucracy?
This message
in favour of peace seems to have been forgotten in a post-Brexit society, where
the phrase 'we survived the war so we can survive this' is apparently an
adequate response to any tricky question regarding trade deals/freedom of
movement/the Irish border. Firstly, the families of the approximately 50
million people who didn't survive might have something to say about that.
What's more, this worrying trend has seen the World Wars being placed on some
kind of pedestal, especially now the coronavirus outbreak has plunged us into
another period of great uncertainty and fear. The most noticeable first signs
of this were the government's implementation of social distancing and the
closing of places of leisure like pubs, bars and restaurants. 'The pubs never closed
during the Blitz', some grumbled. Admittedly this is true, but everyday people
had to go about their lives knowing that it could be their last, that maybe
that night a Luftwaffe bomb would land on their house or their air raid
shelter. Not such a great time right? As much as we all enjoy a drink, not
being blown up in our sleep is probably preferable. Also, if Nazi soldiers were
able to be inhaled like COVID 19 germs it is entirely possible that WWII would
have played out somewhat differently.
It could be
the generational gap that is to blame for these contradicting views. To those
whose parents were born after the war patriotism has become somewhat
unfashionable, as we have watched our symbols of nationhood like the St
George's Cross become hijacked by the far-right movement. We want to look to a
promising future, not a problematic past. Those like Farage are still longing
for a day when we felt important, victorious, special. But the risk of
romanticising this period of history is that it undermines the reality of war
and all its horrors. We see them as a triumph rather than a tragedy. Winston
Churchill may have called it our 'finest hour' but is it an hour we need to
repeat? There are qualities shown by this generation that are admirable, and
there is a reason the mantra 'Keep Calm and Carry On' has had such an impact on
our society. But the truth is war is awful for everyone who experiences it. We
can learn from their ways of dealing with hardship, without celebrating the
situations that made that resilience necessary. We can face COVID 19 with their
same sense of optimism, while still being aware of the positive ways in which
our lives have changed since 1945. They sacrificed so that we would never have
to go through something like that again - not so we could gloat about our
invincibility and use it as a template for every global crisis.
To put it
simply, we should not glorify what happened to our ancestors. What we should do
is respect it for what it was. It has become too easy in our current state of
affairs to reassure ourselves that Britain has overcome adversity like this
before and we can do it again - and hopefully we will. But not by living in a
dream of a past that never really existed. The world is a very different place
now, facing a different set of problems. If we are to defeat them, we have to
acknowledge this truth and stop channelling this Rule Britannia mindset.
Coronavirus has now killed more Brits than the Blitz, so can we please stop
pretending we know it all now?
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