It’s 60 years this week since I came to work in London, 7 weeks before my 23rd
birthday.
English workmates two years older than I had done National Service in the UK
forces, and a great many of my older English colleagues had served in the Second
World War, and later violent campaigns. No great surprise for me, as within 150
yards of my home on Howth Hill lived three retired British colonels. They, and other
comfortably off (though not filthy rich) had betaken themselves from rationed and
“Socialist ” Britain in what was nicknamed the Retreat from Moscow by Dublin wags.
So I’ve been long acquainted with many British war veterans. Not a single one of them
boasted of their exploits nor expressed hatred nor contempt for those they had fought.
Today leading politicians in both the Labour Government and the Tory Opposition
present as foaming at the mouth war-mongers a Special Boast Force and purveyors
of Russophobia, simultaneously arming and cheering those involved in genocide in
Gaza, the West Bank, and the Lebanon.
Candidates for the Tory Party Leadership included Tom Tugendhat, the least-shrinkng
violet since the hey-day of Barnum and Bailey.
In my BLOG “Will no one rid me of this turbulent Priest? of January 28 2016 I recalled
how politely and thoroughly Lieutenant Colonel the Reverend Nicholas Mercer, who
had been a senior legal officer with the British Army in Iraq, and subsequently ordained
in the Church of England, nailed Tugendhat who, with the Tories accused lawyers seeking to have gun-happy warriors brought to heel of being ambulance chasing shysters.
Tugendhat’s behaviour is that of a Tommy Twogun-Twat. But he has rivals.
Such as Defence Secretary Alistair Cairns, who served with the Royal Marines on five
operational tours in Afghanistan plus numerous unpublicised duties where he was mentioned in despatches and received the Military Cross.
He has re-enlisted as a Royal Marine Reservist with the rank of colonel. It looks
as if he is champing at the bit, eager to get his teeth or his hands at the throat of a
Russian.
I would have thought that Government Ministers should consider their duties dispassionately rather than in a homicidal rage. But no, Alistair Cairns belongs to the tightly knit homicidal clique at the heart of British Government.
The current Security Minister, Dan Jarvis succeeded Tom Tugendhat when Labour
succeeded the Tories in Government, but belongs to the same Special Services tradition. Hr served as an Officer in The First Battalion the Pararachute Regiment,
perpetratror of the Ballymurphy Massacre of unarmed civilians in August 1971 and
the Bloody Sunday Massacres of January 1972. Though himself born in December
1972 he later worked closely with Mike Jackson, who as a Captain in 1972 was
involved in the murders and writing lying reports about them.Jackson, who died
last month became Chief of the General Staff. Jarvis greatly admired Jackson. And
as an MP he was to represent Barnsley for Labour, as had Roy Mason.
From 1904 Britain was ruled by a gang of warmongers intent on destroying Germany.
Today their successors are involved in genocide in Gaza and Jordan and Lebanon
and in war against Russia, a country which poses no threat to the West nor legitimate
Western interests.
These facts should be remembered on the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice.
Well written Donal. – Lest we do forget!