Let us use the First World War centenary to remember all unjustified wars
In his letter he neither mentions the perpetrator of 52 days of murder, maiming and destruction in Gaza, namely Israel, nor does he exhibit one shred of empathy or sympathy for the more than 2,200 people killed, the thousands injured and the hundreds of thousands made homeless in the attack. People there are facing into a harsh winter, surrounded by rubble and destruction, further hemmed in by the blockade. This brutal situation cannot be allowed to continue. The wearing of poppies should not be demonised any more than the wearing of Burkas, or Muslim head dress by those who choose to do so. However, there is a real danger that in this centenary of the Frist World War, one of the most stupid and unjustified wars in human history, the wearing of poppies and the jingoism surrounding this centenary, will be used by militarists and our modern day economic imperialists to justify totally unjustified wars, especially the wars the US and Nato have inflicted on the peoples of the Middle East since 2001.
Yes it is important to remember those millions of young men on all sides who died so needlessly, and who may have killed so thoughtlessly. It is important also to try to achieve some historical accountability towards all those who led and drove so many young men to their untimely deaths.
In Ireland John Redmond is symbolic of those who misled up to 40,000 young Irishmen to their deaths, but Redmond was not alone. There was no bravery in taking up a rifle and blowing someone’s brains out a mile away or ordering an artillery barrage that often includes chemical weapons from the safety of ten miles behind the front lines.
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