The most unpalatable truths are those that you usually need to hear
What John Major said recently certainly falls into that category.
In a recent speech, the ex-British Prime Minister said:
We are no longer a great power. We will never be so again. In a world of nearly eight billion people, well under one per cent are British.
We are a top second-rank power but, over the next half-century – however, well we perform – our small size and population makes it likely we will be passed by the growth of other, far larger, countries.
That is undeniably true.
However, it doesn’t sit well with right-wing Brits from deluded Brexiteers to the Ibrox klanbase.
In the aftermath of the 2016 referendum, there was much euphoric pish about “Empire 2.0”.
No, seriously.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with solemn remembrance of those who died in past conflicts.
Indeed, it has much to commend it.
However, what has emerged among Brits over the last two decades is a Poppy Porn addiction that seeks to soothe an ex-imperial power.
Weaponizing your war dead isn’t a good look.
Apparently, this is respect down Ibrox way.
History takes a long time, and a century ago, Britain still had an empire and had emerged victorious from the Great War.
It was that apocalyptic slaughter that the Royal British Legion Poppy was created in order to remember the fallen respectfully.
In the aftermath of World War One, it was clear that the USA was now the emerging power on the world stage and would be ranked equal with the British Empire at the Washington Naval Conference to limit the size of navies.
The British still had the largest navy afloat, but their age of maritime dominance was over.
One hundred years ago this month, the British Empire was also losing two wars in here in Ireland.
They were being bested in an intelligence war on the street of Dublin as Michael Collins-our own Admiral YI- had used his time well in Frongoch to imagine a new type of warfare.
The Brits were also losing the propaganda war.
Journalists from around the world arrived in Ireland to see the armed might of an empire flailing around in helpless fury at unarmed Irish civilians.
A key front in that clash of narratives was the United States.
The Easter proclamation made specific reference to “exiled children in America”.
They had not forgotten that they were Irish or how they or their ancestors had arrived in North America.
Only 36 years later the Suez Crisis let the chaps in Whitehall know that they were a VERY junior partner in the new American imperium.
A ten-year-old British kid at that time turned 70 in 2016, and that was the demographic that was most likely to vote for Brexit.
The British media made much of the phone call between Biden and Boris.
It merely goes to show how much the Brits need to believe in the special clingy relationship.
The Biden victory in America will result in the Brits being in a pincer movement between Brussels and Washington in the Brexit talks.
If Boris and his chums try and back out of the Withdrawal Agreement, then they’re at the back of the queue for any free trade deal.
The Northern Ireland Protocol must remain extant, and that means that this small island will have in place the building blocks of an all-island economy.
For this Brexiter, the logical conclusion is re-unification.
In the northeast of this country, the RBL Poppy has become a symbol of sectarian triumphalism.
The many victims of British state violence in the Six Counties are not minded to forget.
The Poppy Porn season will re-emerge next year to reassure an ex-imperial power that they’re the good guys.
What they SHOULD have is a day of atonement for the many crimes of their empire.
The Brits are a long way from fashioning their own Vergangenheitsbewältigung.
When the Poppies start reappearing in British TV studios about six months from now, the inconvenient truths stated by John Major will have even more evidence on the table.
Indeed, if Boris doesn’t cave into Ireland’s exiled children in America and gallant allies in Europe, then the backed up lorries on the White Cliffs of Dover will be a powerful image of humiliation.
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Wow! Gabriiel Syme! What can one say? That’s surely an anagram! But I do love some of his statements such as, after WW2 Britain “turned away from Empire” That should read ‘got their ass kicked by Japan, and was later out-thought by an old guy in flip-fops, a loin cloth, and with a penchant for rimless glasses. And remember Gabe, they did try to hang on in there during the Malayan Emergency, but got but-kicked again, I’m afraid. But not before, as some conscripted squaddies I have since worked with told me, they collected the ears of the dead ‘commies’ they wasted. Then there was Aden, Mad Mitch, and all that nonsense that led to the retreat from ‘East Of Suez”. And bye the bye, did you know, Gabe, that when the ‘paras’ went to NI and unfurled their crowd control banners, they we written in Arabic? Or that the locals were known to our brave lads as ‘Bog Wogs?”`Tat’s true! Then there’s this great quote, ‘our army is not configured for asymmetrical warfare’ and will fare poorly in conflicts unlike that in Afghanistan”. Gabe, mate, we got, yes, you guessed it, our ass kicked yet again in Afghanistan.
When it comes to stories about the (asymmetrical or otherwise) British Army, the best I heard was relayed to me by my old man. I was about twelve and we had just been to see a film called ‘Fix Bayonets’ starring Leo Gen. I think it was about the various arse-kickings we got in Tobruk–but I am willing to stand corrected by any film buff with superior knowledge. Anyway, when we got home I asked the question that every son or daughter wanted to ask, ie, ‘did you ever kill anybody in the war daddy?” He didn’t say that he had not, instead he laughed and said he had always ‘kept his head down’ and, in addition, that his rifle was always ‘clogged up with sand and dirt.” Then after a pause he said that he would ‘tell me’ about the `British army, which was in contrast to the derring do we had recently watched in the cinema.
He told me he was part of a squad lying beside a railway line in Germany. He even told me of the armaments they had, such as a `Bren gun ,rifles, a pistol etc. Anyway, about twenty five yards away a German soldier broke cover and started to run across the railway line. The order was given to open fire and, to a man, they did. When he stopped there, I begged him to tell me what happened next, and he said ” As far as I know that German is still running.”
I don’t know, I kind of like the sound of that army. It sounded to me like that wanted to miss. Oh, and another bye the bye, the old man never wore a poppy. And one of the few time I ever heard him use the ‘F” word, was when, on considering a career, I mentioned the army, ‘That’ll be fucking right!” He said.
Phil,you haven’t been paying attention. Earlier this week a lengthy documentary was shown…”How Britain won World War II”
I thought it was 2 World Wars and a World Cup too.
Its the same people that whinge when a Yank film proclaims they (or Audie Murphy alone) “won the war”.
Major is a wet rag and his UK-deprecating bleating is fashionable among Europhiles who want the UK to be subordinate to Brussels (as most politicians do, because the EU represents another layer of possible advancement in their own careers).
He is still embittered due to Brexit and goes out of his way to cause trouble for Boris Johnston, as with his recent calls for 2 referendums on Scottish Independence.
After the 2nd catastrophic World War in the first half of the 20th Century, the UK turned away from Empire and Conflict in favour of spending its money on better things such as the NHS and social welfare.
With modern technology, warfare is no longer about having legions of well-drilled Redcoats who will sweep all before them. Though, there is still an occasional need for infantrymen and bayonets, as the Falklands War proved.
The modern UK’s problem is that there are now too many types of conflict for a nation of our size and spending commitments (NHS etc) to maintain excellent capability in them all. An army which is configured for asymmetrical warfare (eg Afghanistan) will fare poorly in conventional warfare against an enemy of similar technological level, and vice versa.
Really, the UK should concentrate on having a large and capable modern navy with perhaps a divisions worth of high calibre troops for deployment around the globe. Of course, we cant even do that right, because of politicians’ traditional frugality which prefers to see men die than money spent. They always scrimp on the numbers of ships built, and the equipment they carry. Also, modern PC values hinder the army by placing ideologies like gender equality ahead of very high standards (in terms of fitness, unit cohesion etc).
However Major is wrong that we are a “second rate power”. The UK is one of few nuclear armed nations. It is one of few nations with the power to project genuine power across the globe. It is a permanent member of the UN security Council and has a permanent UN veto. It is part of the G7 nations. Most countries would bite your hand off to be able to say this. This is not second rate by any means and the UK continues to punch above its weight (in both hard and soft power). If it wants to go on doing that in future, politicians need to narrowly define the role(s) of the UK Armed Forces, commit to those roles and fund them.
For the record, I wouldn’t imagine burning down irish villages or shooting up GAA stadiums would be part of this defined modern role!
I agree that the abuse of the Poppy symbol by the erroneously named “PUL community” is a disgrace and tarnishes the sentiment it represents. They have decided to fetishise the military, as something to replace their favoured prejudices which are increasingly unacceptable in modern society. However the Poppy is not a nationalistic or triumphalist symbol. It represents everyone who has died in conflict, not least the Irishmen who made up the bulk of the British Army for long periods.
For the record I don’t think Trump is done yet and there will be much to fall out of these investigations etc, especially regarding the Dominion voting system. Trump understands and fights for the common man and woman. This is why he is hated by America’s self-serving elite and the media they control.
Remember, Trump used to be a very popular figure in the 80s and 90s. People would enjoy a bit of escapism watching documentaries about Trump tower and the length of his limos. They liked the story about a woman from Skye who emigrated and turned out to be the mother of such a figure. He even had a cameo in the “Home Alone” film series and audiences actually cheered when he appeared on screen. I just googled that to check the date (1992) and hilariously there is a recent article claiming he “bullied” his way into the film.
Nowadays many people hate him and he is compared to Hitler by what we are to believe are serious media outlets. What an amazing turn around. His public image has been wholly inverted by the media and articles like the one I found try to say “see? he was always nasty”. Ordinary, simple people are taught to hate him, as this is what their masters want. With the decline of organisations such as the Catholic Church and Trade Unions, most people’s awareness and world view is informed 100% by the media.
Why do these powerful forces hate Trump? Because he spoils their schemes and put money into the pocket or ordinary joes instead. In particular the American addition to war (which some people do very well out of, financially) is threatened by Trump – who is the first president in decades not to launch a new conflict. He has recently given a role to Colonel Douglas McGregor, who causes great alarm for his conviction that there can be national security without constant conflict.
You need help.
The poppy doesn’t represent everyone who has died in conflict and it never has.
It celebrates (you can’t truly call it commemorate) armed forces alone and to hell with anyone else eg civilians etc.
Although conceived for the fallen soldiers of WWI and a hope of no more wars, that has long been bastardised to now be a grotesque parody of the original intention.
Nowadays, butchers of the Black and Tans, UDA, massacres in India etc and all recent illegal wars and war crimes are equally celebrated, as well as looking forward to the next great war.
“Madame E. Guérin (born Anna Alix Boulle, 5 February 1878 – 16 April 1961) was born at Vallon (-Pont-d’Arc), Ardèche, France.She was the originator of the Remembrance Poppy Day. Prior to this, she was a teacher in Madagascar; a lecturer for the Alliance Française; and a lecturer, fundraiser and humanitarian in the U.S.A., during World War 1. For services to France, she was awarded the Officier d’académie’ médaille and the Officier de l’Instruction Publique médaille.For her services to the U.S.A., for the Liberty Bond, she was awarded the Victory Liberty Loan Medallion.
Initially, her Poppy Days benefited the widows and orphans of the war devastated regions of France. She was christened “The Poppy Lady from France” after being invited to address the American Legion, at its 1920 convention, in Cleveland, Ohio, about her original ‘Inter-Allied Poppy Day’ idea.Her idea was for all World War 1 Allied countries to use artificial poppies, made by French widows and orphans, as an emblem for remembering those who gave their lives during the World War 1 and, at the same time, creating a method of raising funds to support the families of the fallen and those who had survived, thereafter.
Now, the Remembrance Poppy encompasses all conflicts that have occurred since.“
https ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Guérin
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Just to rectify a small but significant point is that his Mother came from the village of Tong on the Isle Of Lewis in The Outer Hebrides. A place that also suffered during the great famine and had also suffered through a series of rich imperial landlords until Lord Leverhume with the help of the rest of his ennobled friends in the house of lords, passed an act of parliament gifted all of his estate in trust to the people who lived on the Estate. This legislation has become the basis of all of the community buyouts in recent years. Skye on the other hand is still in the grip of lairdship who can veto many of the plans of the people on their estates.
When I was a soldier we had to buy and wear a poppy each year. It done my tits in. The poppy should have came to a stop at the start of the second World War.
Its a joke and waste of time. Who , apart from the soldiers family, really give a fuck if a soldier dies. If you join the Army you must know there is a chance of dieing . Its part of the job description.
Most Brits do not believe in the “Special Relationship”, that is a confection created by politicians and as far as “deluded Brexiteers” goes, I think the UK will do better independently – even as a second rate power as opposed to a third or fourth rate power like Ireland. I love your blog Phil, and I have made donations to it, but there are times when your politics are best kept to yourself.
Bloody hell Jimmy your a belter . The greatest country in the world !!!!!! A bunch of robbing bastards t
I’m not sure what you’re getting at here Phil.
ALL Empires will at some point decline and fall.
I think you are conflating very different things.
On the one hand Brexit is a democratic expression of sovereignty which aims at restoration of not an empire, but self-determination.
On the other hand are a small group of young men who would attempt to link Rangers to England, Empire and Ethnicity.
To confuse and attempt to stereotype millions of pro Brexit supporters as imperialists and fascist is clearly an error of judgement but not uncommon within the ranks of observers caught in the West of Scotland historical and cultural bubble.
All the best.
A small group of young men?? You need to get out more, open your eyes and take the ear plugs out.
Great Britain is the greatest and most significant country the world has ever known.Brexit was a triumph for democracy and I could not give two hoots for Ireland or the Irish. They are euro parasites, why should my taxes support them? I am a life long Celtic supporter and many of my fellows share my views. You are one bitter individual. Regards Jimmy
Delusion off the scale
I think your views among the Celtic support, IF you are indeed one of us, are probably only shared by yourself and the one person who liked your crazy comment.
I too am a life long Celtic fan. I however don’t have any friends like you who rejoice in triumphalism and the denigration of other countries or people. I want to help my fellow man when I am in a position to do so. Given that my club was formed to help others less fortunate than ourselves I find you’re comments puzzling in the extreme. You don’t sound like a Celtic minded person to me. Quite the opposite.
Remember the fallen , remember the fallen , what about the ones that are still alive that fought in the illegal wars , how many of them have ended their lives in the last year with no help from any government minister or any one of the money makers poppy this that and the other or help for “heroes “
US election isn’t called yet. Biden is not President and won’t be.
Biden is President-Elect, not President, but will be on 20th January 2021. Fact. Not Fake News, or “alternative fact”. Have a nice day
Nurse!
Phew…I was wondering when this year’s “Poppy porn” piece would be dusted down Be refreshed fir this year.
Bit late this year.
I almost forgot…
In addition to declining economic power, the London government is clinging onto its thoroughly undeserved seat as one of the 5 Permanent Members of the UN Security Council.
It’s only differentiator is being a nuclear power – and kissing the USA’s butt when told!
However, if London was to lose its WMD / Trident in an independent Scotland, then the empire demise would be complete.
Hence, whether you want independence or not: London is never going to let it happen.
And any dirty tricks necessary will be justified for (their) ‘national security reasons’… 😦
Anyone remember the big lie peddled last time round?? “The ONLY way Scotland can stay in Europe is vote REMAIN!”
Well that worked out just fine and dandy.
In the Britphoria (I can hardly call it EUphoria now, can I?) regarding the call, it was clearly stated that Biden has unequivocal support for the GFA.
Checkmate against the Gallant Brexiteers that would like to ditch its provisions.
What has also been little reported is that immediately after the call with Johnson (either Boris or Carrie, not yet confirmed), Biden was on the line to Dublin.