tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post7347906728844847741..comments2024-02-06T16:17:25.826+00:00Comments on THE GRĂNMARK BLOG: Over seven million Britons were in tears by 9pm last nightScott Gronmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-25324381950093040892011-11-18T19:00:21.605+00:002011-11-18T19:00:21.605+00:00You protest too much, Norman - please feel free to...You protest too much, Norman - please feel free to comment here whenever the fancy takes you. You - with your advice to whingers to get on their bikes to look for work and to grow their own vegetables rather than whining about the cost of food - are officially a hero of this blog, in perpetuity.Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-56589762748287181922011-11-17T17:22:02.562+00:002011-11-17T17:22:02.562+00:00I was thinking about commenting that Norman Tebbit...I was thinking about commenting that Norman Tebbit had made the same point as me in his D Tel blog but desisted in case some of your correspondents might infer that he and I were one and the same person. Way ter go, Tebbs!ex-KCSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-40660740899896216302011-11-17T17:00:22.503+00:002011-11-17T17:00:22.503+00:00I was just remarking the other day, Ex-KCS, how od...I was just remarking the other day, Ex-KCS, how odd it was that Remembrance Day - which was being seen as a mawkish wallowing in past "glories" not that long ago - has been so assiduously observed this year. My wife reckons it's the Wootton Bassett effect, especially the "Royal"ing of its name - people have had their natural human desire to honour those who've sacrificed their life in the service of their country validated. And I agree that representatives of alien cultures demonstrating their contempt for the host culture has helped remind people that being British is something they should be bloody proud of and should have no fear of celebrating openly. I think the fact that so many British soldiers are black helps. I also think you're on to something when you suggest it may have with the passing of the last WWI serviceman - WWII seems to have moved centre-stage and, whatever Alan Clark thought, there can be few doubts about the need to fight it. <br /><br />Sapper, I reacted just like you to the way the Rev Michael Austin used the story of his uncle, infantryman Frank Ridgwell, to indulge in some anti-toff sneering. Was he suggesting the officer had deliberately lied about Ridgwell falling asleep in order to get him killed because he was common? Really? Naturally, the Daily Mirror chose to highlight Ridgwell's story (admittedly a good one). Seems to me everyone behaved as they should have - Ridgwell's commuted sentence of five years penal servitude was dropped within nine months and he was awarded a Certificate of Valour.Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-10666508769582658092011-11-17T15:55:04.483+00:002011-11-17T15:55:04.483+00:00Great story and I reacted like everyone else. I wa...Great story and I reacted like everyone else. I was however less supportive of the chap earlier on in the programme who suggested that a 1st world war private had been sentenced to death for falling asleep on sentry duty because of the class prejudice of the officer who found him...as if expecting soldiers to stay awake on watch was somehow snobbish and petty minded. The soldier's sentence was commuted and he served with distinction at the front for the rest of the war.Sappernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-56249428439962077372011-11-14T22:11:44.347+00:002011-11-14T22:11:44.347+00:00This year, we seemed to take the Remembrance Day a...This year, we seemed to take the Remembrance Day and the lead up to it far more seriously than in previous years. It may be the fact that we continue to have brave young boys losing their lives fighting for their country, it might be a reaction to the activities of Bonkers Beardies against the Crusaders (or whatever they're called), it might even be the fact that the last of the WW1 soldiers is now gone. I was struck by the immaculately observed two minute silence where I work. I looked around at young colleagues who, unlike our generation, probably had no family connection with WW2 and felt pretty much the same emotion as you did. Not mawkish at all.ex-KCSnoreply@blogger.com