The Great War: Notes pt1
Sometimes, when people hear this song 'The Great War'
at a gig, they come up to me and ask questions about
it. Perhaps the two most frequently asked are 'So
don't you think giving money to poppy-sellers is a
good idea?', and the other being 'So what would you
have done in the Second World War?'
As for the first question, the answer is yes, I do
give money to poppy sellers, the money raised helps to
keep those poor bastards maimed, blinded, or
psychologically crippled in decent surroundings and
with good care - so I give money, but simply turn down
the offer of a poppy - I never seek confrontation, I
usually just tell them I've already got one. As for
the second question, I would have fought. More on
these two responses to follow.
So why do I choose not to wear a poppy? In my opinion,
whatever the good intentions behind the original idea,
the poppy is now a symbol used by governments and 'the
powers that be' to reinforce the idea of patriotism
and national pride, to make sure that next time they
need us to go out and fight for them we will be ready,
filled with images of honour and glory, and that there
will be hundreds standing on the dockside waving their
Union Jacks with pride. The centrepiece of the
Remembrance Day celebrations is the Cenotaph in
London. On the side of the Cenotaph, in large
capitals, are the words 'THE GLORIOUS DEAD'. The
Cenotaph was erected after the First World War in
memory of the fallen - just how glorious was it,
climbing out of the rat-infested trenches and walking
into a hail of gunfire? Of course they couldn't put
'TO THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN A POINTLESS
MEANINGLESS TRIBUTE TO THE STUPIDITY OF MANKIND', they
had to keep up the pretence that it all meant
something - keep the people stupid, you never know
when we might need them again...