I basically ignored the whole thing but this isnāt accurate at all either. I know lots of people who were on board with the VE day celebrations who are the exact opposite of that. Nationalists have hijacked anything to do with remembrance to a pretty big extent but loads of people still think of it in terms of a victory against fascism.
But how WW2 is remembered in this country is completely distorted. Britain likes to think it won the war mainly on its own, ignoring the huge role played by Russia, America and soldiers from around the British Empire. Yes fascism was defeated, but the British government got up to some shady things during and immediately after the war as well - Greece, the Bengal famine etc. It would be better not to make the day about some fist-pumping patriotism but about reflection on how we canāt let such vast destruction occur again. People at the time were celebrating because the years of suffering were coming to an end (although rationing and austerity continued into the fifties), and weāre celebrating in the midst of a pandemic where more people have died in this country than during the Blitz.
I always remember watching the news and seeing the odd street party for VE Day . No one really on social media taking part probably because most went away or had other plans.
now we have a lockdown and people suddenly take notice of VE Day like they never did before.
It great people are remembering what Britain endured during the war, but like Christmas it seem like an excuse to have a party.
Itās a hard one because people need a release from the lock down but we also donāt need a fresh release of the virus .
Well , whatever, it happened and I wonder how many will do the same next year.
Probably not, it was planned to be a thing this year because itās 75 years.
Anyone remember doing the 50th anniversary?
Who is this āBritainā you refer to? Is it just the EDL/UKIP types?
@Chopper I do as it was the last year of primary school. I think pretty much 90% of lessons were about ww2
Did you have a street party ? Iām trying to rack my brain and remember if we had any in our area especially being conservative run.
I canāt recall my mates saying they were having them down their streets.
There always are every year but in a few towns and villages , not on a large national scale .
Would be interesting to see what the turn out would have been like if there was no lockdown.
Ha as if by Magic on my insta feed
went for a skate yesterday at a park in the middle of one of Sloughs dodgier estatesā¦full scale VE party on two sides of the roadā¦hard stares to check nationality!
āare you gonna bib or am i gonna chuck these gardens shears through your windscreenā¦?ā
bib bib
Not sure that represents the whole country but it sounds pretty grim!
Was thinking more about how the war is remembered/represented in public history and the media. āWho do you think you are kidding Mr Hitlerā¦ā etc. Itās never an explicit ā2 World Wars and 1 World Cupā, but it implicitly reinforces the sentiment. Then we have an explosion of nationalism around Brexit and the whole feeling is intensified.
I could go along with that to some degree but I really just see it as people choosing whatever stuff from history fits their own position.
Someone sneezes in that conga then the next one has it in their face probably. Silly people.
I think many people are naturally easing anyway, To many it still just seems like itās something far away from them.
It gets worse!
Yep.
Do you think our government are watching how relaxing lockdowns is proving problematic?
To me thatāll be the only time we can properly talk about ending all this, until then itās just sugar coating this waiting period.
