dg comments

please empty your brain below

Have a listen to the Remembrance podcast on iTunes or on the Royal British Legion blog. It's a good way to remember.

Tony | 11.11.06 - 9:37 a.m. | #

Wholeheartedly agree with you dg.

Unfortunately it is one of those areas that nobody in authority wants to raise as they quickly get shouted down by strident tabloidy voices.

The storm of vitriol this week over interesting thoughts by Jonathan Bartley and Jon Snow show that calm sensible debate about remembrance does not seem possible.

Many of the knee jerk responses on the BBC's 'Have Your Say' pages indicate an unwillingness to accept questioning of a 'norm', and in the end tend to prove Jon Snow's point.

Dave | 11.11.06 - 9:38 a.m. | #

I think that if four minutes a year is too much for anyone, they might like to think about the slightly bigger sacrifices that other people made on our behalf and stop being so bloody selfish. I'm disappointed to read this, DG.

Chig | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 11:37 a.m. | #

Do it on the 11th, and do it properly.

Inspector Sands | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 12:11 p.m. | #

I'm disappointed to read this, DG

Ah, the finger-wagging of a blog reader who can't understand that others are entitled to differing opinions - love it.

Inspector Sands | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 12:14 p.m. | #

What Inspector Sands said.

Both times.

Josh | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 2:02 p.m. | #

No, Inspector Sands, not finger-wagging. I enjoy people having different opinions and can often be found playing devil's advocate purely for the sake of it. Debate is great and that's one function of comment boxes. I'm only expressing my own opinion. If people don't want to take any notice of the Armistice Day anniversary, they don't have to, but I don't have any objection to people commemorating the anniversary itself and also having a properly organised Cenotaph event at the weekend, when more people can pay attention to it. Having two events has never impinged greatly on my life, so I can't see why it would bother anyone else. I just know that my two Grandads would be saddened that anyone thought it was too much trouble, given that they each gave up about six years of their lives in WWII and, in one case, ended up liberating one of the concentration camps. I hope that may help to put things in perspective.

Chig | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 2:41 p.m. | #

I was susprised that there was two minute silence today. I only knew about it because my local Morissons supermarket (which I was in at the time) announced it and stopped trading and went still for two minutes. So - at least one shopping institution observed it in a very noticeable way.

Jag | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 2:57 p.m. | #

diamond geezer | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 3:22 p.m. | #

I imagine there was a two minute silence in SW2 but it happened to coincide with four helicopters - Chinooks, or similar with double rotaries, flying over.

I have to say I find the link with commercially plugging an album to be distasteful; no doubt Katherine "Warbling Barbie" Jenkins will be plugging her new album tonight from the Albert Hall

Gert | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 4:02 p.m. | #

Well that has at least answered my question as to why a military plane frightened the life out of me going over the house. I thought the Americans had invaded ...

disgruntled commuter | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 4:57 p.m. | #

ps - for July the 7th this year we went out of our office for the silence. That way it's a bit more co-ordinated and people can make more of a statement and there are no ringing phones or emails to worry about.

disgruntled commuter | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 4:59 p.m. | #

This being my first 11th November in Canada I was very surprised by how seriously it is taken here compared to the UK. We have the day off today (and some people have Monday off in lieu as 11th falling on a Saturday).

I think in Nova Scotia it is the only day of the year where shops are not permitted to open.

Having the day off work means that unless you make an effort or have the radio or TV on it is very easy to miss the 11am silence.

The number of Canadian deaths in Afghanistan this year seems to have been given a high profile in the remembrance day programming on television and radio too.

Matt | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 5:16 p.m. | #

Expressing your opinion doesn't mean "being disappointed" because someone has the temerity to hold an opinion you find wrong. And this nag-nag-nag attitude to Armistice Day is helping destroy it as much as any tacky over-commercialisation, or the stupidity of having *two* minute-long silences. Sod the Sunday ceremony, do it on the 11th and do it properly. And make it so we can celebrate the generation that saved us from fascism.

http://justgiving.com/britishlegion/donate is the only other thing I have to add.

Inspector Sands | Homepage | 11.11.06 - 6:41 p.m. | #

As an ex-Pom and long-time resident of New Zealand, I'd like to ask why British politicians, broadcasters, etc, appear on my TV screen wearing poppies towards the end of *October*, for goodness sake. It looks like a competition to see who can be first.
Incidentally, NZ's day of remembrance is Anzac Day, April 25th. It's a public holiday (no day off in lieu if it falls at the weekend) and shops are shut by law till 1pm, although some close all day. Even tiny townships have a war memorial and two services are held, one at dawn and one mid-morning. A lot of people go to them. The afternoon is for recreation (sport, gardening, shopping).
We wear poppies too - but for one day only!

Great Aunt Annie | 11.11.06 - 8:14 p.m. | #

PS: I've been watching my video of the dedication of the new NZ war memorial in Hyde Park which was broadcast live overnight. It's big news here.

Great Aunt Annie | 11.11.06 - 9:17 p.m. | #

Sod the Sunday ceremony, do it on the 11th and do it properly.

Said somebody. This is hardly practical. Those who go to church do so on a Sunday, and most villages are in the habit of marking this occasion by a ceremony in church on Sunday. If these older people also want to mark a silence on the 11th too then good luck to them. I pity those who can't spare 4 minutes a year for this. Those who fought in the various wars spared considerably more than four minutes - several years in most cases, and those who died - well they had to spare the rest of their life, and I don't suppose they were too chuffed about it either.

Phin | 11.11.06 - 9:51 p.m. | #

Bollocks to religion.

The sacrifices made by the wartime generation are more important than that. If you keep the commemoration on Sunday, then you'll ensure this becomes irrelevant in what is Europe's most secular country.

Inspector Sands | Homepage | 12.11.06 - 1:32 a.m. | #

And yes, make 11/11 a public holiday.

But make sure the supermarkets are shut. Then we'll see how much it means.

Inspector Sands | Homepage | 12.11.06 - 1:38 a.m. | #

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Ham | Homepage | 12.11.06 - 9:43 a.m. | #

Today's (Sunday) two minute silence will be my third. In addition to the official ones we also had a work based one when the departmental wreath laying ceremony took place.

Gareth Wyn | Homepage | 12.11.06 - 9:52 a.m. | #

I've done 6 minutes now (the four minutes you mentioned, plus one minute each at a football match I played in yesterday, and one I attended this afternoon)

Does this make me a 50\\% better person than all you lowly four minuters?

Mr Angry | Homepage | 12.11.06 - 7:20 p.m. | #

I think part of the confusion comes from coincidence.

11/11 was always the day of remembrance from 1919 and recognised as such. But 11/11 in 1945 was a Sunday and designated as Remembrance Sunday.

Not wanting to ditch either in 1946, we got both and we're still here. No bad thing probably.. although there is talk of a bank holiday next.

Randomaniac | Homepage | 16.11.06 - 3:14 p.m. | #

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