Tuesday, June 12, 2007

marching as to war

Soldiers from the Stafford regiment marched through Hanley at lunchtime today. Someone in a fancy hat, perhaps the mayor or similar, stood on a raised wooden platform, with a reasonable crowd around who applauded as the 200-odd young lads went past, drums beating.

A Warrior armoured vehicle was parked nearby, and young boys were welcoming the opportunity to climb inside. Recruitment officers were working, as they frequently do in Hanley, one of the areas with low wages which tend to be major suppliers of troops.

I found myself getting confused between anger and sorrow at the whole spectacle. Parading banners is a traditional activity going back hundreds of years, but in these days when the regiment has recently returned from Iraq, there is far more to it.

Young people are lured into a dangerous part of the world with the prospect of 'better' wages or career, and die in a war which we started, supported by an incompetent government and opposition and led by a Prime Minister who at best misled Parliament with false information largely copied from an essay on the Internet and at worst actively and knowingly lied to the country.

There was no public inquiry into the case for invasion, yet young people continue to enlist and their families and neighbours stand applauding them in the street. We will never truly regenerate this city while people feel that the army is their best option, and we will continue to be complicit in war while people keep joining up and accepting orders.

7 comments:

purkul said...

hya alec,

i saw the commotion in the town centre yesterday but didn't quite understand what it was all about so thank you for enlightening me!

Are you going to Sanity Fair this Saturday?

Purkul
x

Anonymous said...

Good post. I totally agree with what you say about that ambivalent feeling.

I often see the doomed youth from the army preparation course doing litter picks and wandering about Hanley wielding their assault-spec mobile telephony.

Army Preparation indeed.

The complexity of the situations they're being asked to get involved in (if indeed they are being asked to understand such things) in Iraq, Kosovo etc is bewildering to us all at the best of times.

And that's even before they have to dodge the bullets or express an opinion on those that sent them there.

Mind Bloggling Team said...

Hello Alec,

Just a quick reminder that the Mind Bloggling Online Survey is back on line.

It can be found at:

http://www.mindbloggling.org.uk/-_online_survey_.htm

Or follow the ‘online survey’ link on the home page of the Mind Bloggling Website:

www.mindbloggling.org.uk

Please spread the word!

Thank You

Emma & Nat

emma said...

It is complex Alec. War is good for nothing as far as I'm concerned. Iraq is a tragedy - Amensty International predicted it would lead to civil war and that is basically what's happened. Where do we go from here? For young people the military gives a sense of community and pride (whether it's right or wrong) that they lack elsewhere. Stoke On Trent lacks pride - how does it generate some?

The lyrics from a song perhaps overdone - but I still think it says it all.


Young Willie McBride I can't help wonder why?
Do those that lie here know why did they die?
And did they believe when they answered the call?
Did they really believe that this war would end wars?

The sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain,
The killing and dying was it all done in vain?
For young Willie McBride it all happened again,
And again, and again, and again and again.

Domenica said...

Hi Alec,

There is NEVER any justification for ANY war EVER! as far as I am concerned.
Reading your post brought to mind a quote from Mother Teresa. When asked if she would join a rally in protest against the war in Iraq. She replied "I will not march with you AGAINST war, but I will march with you FOR peace"
A subtle but significent difference don't you think? D x

klahanie said...

Hi Alec-
I throughly agree with all the points you raised in your well-thought out blog.
I would like to add a couple of thoughts. When I was over in Canada, I met a lot of people who were very concerned with Britain's alliance with America in this whole Iraq farce.
Canadians are not very popular with the Yanks these days. That's because the Canadians had the audacity not to be involved in Iraq.
Peace Alec. Kind regards adanac67.

tone the blueshawk said...

great post Alec - I can't really add anything to your post except to echo your sorrow that Stoke (in common with other similar areas) can't offer anything more productive than a life in the forces - txxx