Armed Forces Day; Proposed

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

The UK Government – or is it just a few Labor MPs? - proposes an Armed Forces Day and a law making it illegal to discriminate against members of HM Forces in uniform.

While I concur and totally agree that service men and -women should not be discriminated against or harassed when wearing uniform in public and also that they should wear their uniform in public (why should they not?) I am not entirely sure as to a day celebrating the military.

I mean if we want to do that then why don't we also bring back the “Empire Day” as well. Come to think about it; why don't we just get the Empire back. It has become obvious that those former colonies just cannot do and are doomed without us, their once colonial masters. We should, I think, start with the wayward America. Did we ever sign a peace deal with them? The next country to be brought back into the Empire and the fold and under British rule is Rhodesia. We can see where independence has got it.

Yes, folks, I am being sarcastic and facetious.

I do think that, while there is nothing whatsoever to be said against giving our military personnel in or out of uniform the respect that most of them deserve for the job that they are doing, the theaters of operation in which they risk their lives, though, for one, are more than questionable.

Both Iraq and Afghanistan are places where our forces – as well the those of the USA – have no right to be. Both are illegal wars but aside from that Britain's previous involvement in Afghanistan some centuries back should have taught us that Afghanistan is best lest alone.

Seeing that, when British soldiers fell victims to the particular sniper who now accounts for a significant number of casualties amongst the British Forces in Iraq and the local population seeing him go down laughed, it is time to get out of that country as well. Not that we should have ever been there in the first place but, alas, Britain had to follow the US like a dog follows his master. The people there see the British as much as the Americans as occupiers and have no love for them.

The fight against terrorism is as fictional as is Alice in Wonderland, maybe more so even and to follow the Americans like a dog, or slave, follows his master is not a good idea. Who and what are we really fighting for?

But, I digressed a little, as seems to be a tendency of mine.

We were really talking here about the British Labor – now there is a joke – government (dictatorship more like) suggesting a National Armed Forces Day, Home-Coming Parades for our Boys, and all that jazz. While I certainly am not against another Bank Holiday and nor against a day that would honor our men and women in uniform, but whether it should be done in such a way is questionable to the extreme.

While I am very much for our Military in its right setting I am against a standing army for starters and especially against this militarization of British society. Is this intended as a way of desensitizing us to seeing (uniformed) military personnel on our streets so that, if something is being done against the liberties of the people the people do not notice until it is too late?

I rest my case...

May questions and no real answers...

© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008