One does not have to AGREE with the student union president who was widely criticized for threatening to paint over a mural showing soldiers receiving their diplomas from the then Chancellor( it alluded to those students who gave up their studies to join His Majesty’s Forces at the outbreak of WWI, and never lived to collect their diplomas because they were killed in action) simply because they were all “white men” to be profoundly discomifited by the virtual lynch mob attacks on her(particularly by the “red top tabloids”.
Ms Emily Dawes proposal may have been tactless and insensitive but the hysterical tone of the press coverage makes me think that the cure could be as bad as the disease.
True, we ARE approaching the centenary of the Armistice of 1918 but the knee jerk condemnation and denunciation of ANY attitude other than uncritical veneration of “Our Boys” is as bad as equally uncritical demonization(mainly on the far left).
I should declare a bias here- I am planning to frame a pair of paintings featuring first a pair of members of the British Parachute Regiment(easily identifiable by their maroon red berets) sitting in the dock at the Hague based International Criminal Court and then their judges, identified as a German, a Japanese and an Italian, entitled “The Accused” and “Judgement At The Hague”; these paintings were inspired by ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s statement last November that she would seek to open an investigation into ALL sides conduct of the Afghan conflict(NOT simply the Taliban’s) presumably including NATO forces( which of course includes Her Majesty’s Forces)
Some may argue that such a painting might “offend” veterans as well as serving soldiers, but I remain unrepentant- if any veteran or serving soldier(whether of the Paras or not) is “offended”, I advise him to resign fortwith from the Army(anyone so monumnetally thin skinned as to be “offended” by a mere painting can hardly be expected to be endure the rigours of battle) Besides, justice if it is to mean anything it should be applied to ALL- not simply the Taliban or African warlords or tyrants
Anybody think as I do?
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