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November 28, 2009

Great Britain's 'Greatest Generation' wonders where their country went

Rick Moran
You have to read this entire article to get a sense of the widespread unhappiness of those in Great Britain who are in their 80's and 90's; the World War II generation that fought to preserve the United Kingdom and has seen it deteriorate so badly under social democracy and liberal immigration policies.

Writer Nicolas Pringle was wondering about the attitudes of people his grandmother's age so he sent a letter to newspapers across the country asking for help in tracking down World War II era Brits who were still alive.

The result was 150 letters that spoke of disgust and heartbreak about their country, as chronicled in this Daily Mail article by Tony Rennell:

What is extraordinary about the 150 replies he received, which he has now published as a book, is their vehement insistence that those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the war would now be turning in their graves.

There is the occasional bright spot - one veteran describes Britain as 'still the best country in the world' - but the overall tone is one of profound disillusionment.

'I sing no song for the once-proud country that spawned me,' wrote a sailor who fought the Japanese in the Far East, 'and I wonder why I ever tried.'

'My patriotism has gone out of the window,' said another ex-serviceman.

In the Mail this week, Gordon Brown wrote about 'our debt of dignity to the war generation'.

But the truth that emerges from these letters is that the survivors of that war generation have nothing but contempt for his government.

They feel, in a word that leaps out time and time again, 'betrayed'.

New Labour, said one ex-commando who took part in the disastrous Dieppe raid in which 4,000 men were lost, was 'more of a shambles than some of the actions I was in during the war, and that's saying something!'

He added: 'Those comrades of mine who never made it back would be appalled if they could see the world as it is today.

'They would wonder what happened to the Brave New World they fought so damned hard for.'

This goes far beyond the idea that old folks can't accept change. This attitude appears to go to the heart of how they defined their country and have seen that definition replaced with something else.

The parallels to America are obvious. With Obama seeking to redefine America - not based on our founding principles - there may come a time in the not too distant future when many of us will be echoing the thoughts of these British men and women - their greatest generation.

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