Reasons for remembrance

WE HAVE just passed through remembrance ceremonies on Friday and last Sunday. We should respect, remember and honour those who have died in wars. This is so that the terrible lessons of war are passed from one generation to another as a warning against war.

But recently “Remembrance Day” has expanded to “Remembrance Week” and the media are full of arguments about the correct way to wear poppies and whether footballers should wear poppies on their shirts. Obsession with such trivia is an insult to the dead and missing the whole point of remembering.

But worst of all is David Cameron’s obscene assertion that those who wear poppies are showing their support for the war against Afghanistan and other imperialist adventures in the Middle East. Far from being a vital message against war, he wants to hi-jack the ceremonies to support more wars, more unnecessary death and destruction for the benefit of greedy imperialists.