In Flanders Field

This is for today; November 11th; it would be great if it was published at eleven minutes passed eleven but that comes at different times in different countries; it was the time and date of the armistice in 1918; the end of the first world war which started in 1914; so I will get this as close to 11:00 am as I can.

The poem, which titles this post, was written by a Canadian John McCrae – so it's not only the English who wrote great World War One poetry; some of the great poems of the first world war were pro-war for example Rupert Brooke as opposed to the anti-war poems by others including Wilfred Owen.

There are two photos above as you can see – one clearly has the first line as 'In Flanders Field the poppies grow' which was hand written by the author and in the other one, taken from the publication In Flanders Field and Other Poems clearly says as poppies blow. I believe the hand written one was written from memory and is a mistake; but I always thought it was grow.

At this time of year in Britain most people wear red poppies in their lapels; this is to remember Armistice Day lest anybody forget and the people buy the poppies from poppy sellers in the streets; they're also usually available at your school and place of work and the money collected goes to a charity.

The newly washed and appointed Prime Minister of Britain David Cameron(I hasten to say elected) has recently worn his poppy as a red rag; there he is, above, with his pals drinking a toast in China to celebrate the signing of a contract.

Sometimes I wish for the talent of DH Lawrence or Philip Larkin to describe such a picture; they look like robins on a clothes line waiting for the bang.

Before they went to China they were asked not to wear the poppy; it might be a great symbol in Britain but in China it is a different kind of symbol; it symbolizes the history between China and Britain: China's humiliation to Europe during the Opium Wars – also known as the Anglo/Chinese Wars.

I got the following from Wikipedia - Opium was smuggled by merchants from British India into China in defiance of Chinese prohibition laws. Open warfare between Britain and China broke out in 1839. Further disputes over the treatment of British merchants in Chinese ports resulted in the Second Opium War.

China became a minor power for the following one hundred and fifty years till the Communists took over.

So Cameron and his mates go to China with their poppies proudly worn on their breasts just as someone walked into a field one day with a red rag.

This from The Guardian and shows Cameron's arrogance: Chinese officials apparently asked them not to do it because the poppy is a vivid symbol of China's humiliation at the hands of the European powers. "We informed them that they mean a great deal to us and we would be wearing them all the same," a British official explained.

We know it's a wonderful thing in Britain but Britain is just like America; they go to other parts of the world putting their point of view and wanting the rest of the world to behave just like they do.

Who said in the first place that Democracy is the best form of government; a Democracy produced Hitler! I don't know. I only know that I have always lived under democracies and they have always been in a mess.

I can't remember any time in my life when we haven't been 'in trouble' when there hasn't had to be cuts in public spending, arts subsidies; I hear that they are going to abolish Child Allowance in Britain – is that true?

I leave you with a great poem and ask – is it pro or anti-war? Throwing the torch?? Discuss????

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.