The View from K92

11th November is an important date for me. It’s the day our son, Callum, was born in 1997. He died ten weeks later. One of his middle names was Eoin (pronounced “Owen”), in recognition of his Irish roots, but also a tribute to Wilfred Owen, whose poetry captured the obscenity of war and the jingoism that sustains it. My paternal great-grandad and great-uncle both died serving in the British Army during World War One. My granddad lived to 93, but never got over the loss of his dad and brother. As a result, Remembrance Day was always observed in my family. My dad, a Communist who understood capitalism’s insatiable need and desire for war, always bought a poppy and encouraged me to wear one.

No more. The confected controversy about whether there should be a Stop the War/Palestine solidarity demo this 11th November confirms, once and for all, that the date has been hijacked by establishment ghouls and tools who, whatver they say, like war.

It’s taken me a while to come to this conclusion. But what more evidence do you need than attempting to prevent an anti-war demonstration, in the name of remembering people who died in war, while there are actual wars going on?

And one in particular. As with the flying of flags, there is no such frothing when remembering the war in Ukraine. The British State and its functionaries expects recognition of some victims of war, but not others. The plight of Palestinian people doesn’t really count. They’re not “like us”. The red poppy has become a symbol of selected memory.