For the Hastings Independent Press
The
Frustration of Knavish Tricks
By Kent Barker
One of the joys of dog walking is that, as you tramp the fields and
survey the wonderful colours of autumn, you have plenty of time to contemplate
life’s anomalies and to come up with alternative solutions.
Take the red vs white poppy conundrum. A 91 year old veteran was quoted as saying he
refused to wear the red poppy because it had come to be seen as a glorification
of war rather than a remembrance of forces killed. It’s a sentiment I’ve long
shared, and I particularly dislike the terminology that surrounds it all: making the “ultimate sacrifice”: “giving”
their lives for their country. No they
weren’t. They were killed in wars that
should, in most cases, never have taken place, and often as a result of poor
military and political decisions. Show
me the squaddie who says, as he steps on the landmine or is blown away by the
roadside IED, “I’m just happy to ‘sacrifice’ my life or my limbs for my
country’s involvement in Afghanistan or Iraq.”
So wear your white peace poppy with pride and, if you still feel
that you would like to commemorate the senseless slaughter of so many of our
young men over the years, then perhaps create a new symbol - a poppy with alternating red and white
petals perhaps?
Similarly I thought, as the dog bounded off in hopeless pursuit of a
rabbit, we need a new national anthem. Republicans and Humanists (like Jeremy
Corbyn) should stick to their principles (I nearly said guns!) and refuse to
sing such twaddle. “God save the queen” is a meaningless concept; I don’t want
her sent victorious, nor do I want her enemies to scatter or fall, or for their
‘knavish tricks’ to be frustrated (check out verse 2!).
So, walking through the woods, I rewrote the anthem words for a more
secular and democratic age:
“Let’s celebrate our land / Fields, forests seas and sand / Our
island home. / We welcome all who’re here / Whether from far or near / Long to
live without fear / In our island home.”
My partner, however, thought this
was a bit anemic and suggested Corbyn might prefer her version:
“Land of ‘democracy’ / Greed and hypocrisy/ Our blessed land /
Thanks to the one percent / Money has all been spent / Privilege is heaven sent
/ In our blessed land.
Now it’s your turn!
