Little England or Big Britain

As we drift into the debacle of Brexit decisions and frenzy of confusion that has been the soundtrack of the past 30 months, I am struck by the contrast between the cool countenance of the EU negotiators and leaders and the panic and confusion of the UK government and its negotiators. This is echoed in the reporting by the BBC. Katya Adler, the European editor, provides concise summaries of the position of the EU that invariably turn out to be accurate. Laura Kuensberg, the political editor, resorts to rambling speculation depending on who she has just spoken to and her comments are seldom worth a hill of beans.

I was a lukewarm remain supporter at the referendum and had voted against joining in 1975 because I thought the UK should redeem the Commonwealth countries after centuries of exploitation. However, in the 1980s the EU was the salvation of many declining communities that benefited from its investment in development areas and skill training. Since then the EU has pioneered important environmental legislation and employment rights during periods when the UK government was laggardly or obstructive. Most recently its ability to stand up for taxation of the global tech and social media behemoths has been exemplary compared to the frigid and yet to be implemented promises of the UK government. There are still many aspects of EU policy and the stance of some of the leaders of the 27 other members that concern me, but then the UK government has the monopoly when it comes to regressive policies and an unctuous self-righteousness

What is becoming very clear is that both the prime minister and the leader of the opposition are intransigent dinosaurs lacking both emotional and political intelligence. They appear to have no sense of the destruction caused by their inflexibility or recognition of the economic and social havoc that is being caused by Brexit. Their unwillingness to accept that democracy operates in real time is equally a measure of their unsuitability as leaders.

It is the non-parliamentarians: the political leaders in Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland and the Mayors of the Metropolitan areas who are far more attuned to the economic and social issues and far more cogent in articulating the real world truths. They speak not just for their bailiwicks but for Britain as a whole in a way that escapes May and Corbyn. Could it be that their experience of executive responsibility for public services gives them an insight that seems impossible for MPs to have in the vortex of legislative indecision that masquerades as parliament? Mrs May and far too many of her MPs behave and act as Little Englanders. When she declares that her Brexit deal will safeguard the union, she really has lost all credibility.

Imperial War Museum

Portico of Imperial War Museum

Weeping Window of Ceramic Poppies at IWM

It was Remembrance Day and after the cold morning showers had passed we headed to the Imperial War Museum with the grandchildren. We arrived just as the service was finishing. Crowds had gathered to admire the cascade of ceramic poppies that draped the north facing portico of the building. It was my first visit to the museum.

I was pleasantly surprised that the exhibits included sections showing the living conditions in Britain during the dark days of World War II. The Anderson shelter reminded me of the one in my Great Aunt Doris's back garden that I used to paint every few years to earn some pocket money. There were exhibits of terraced houses in south London that had suffered regular bombing raids. The sleeping arrangements required the upstairs bedrooms to be abandoned. It took me back to stories about my father's grandmother and his mother's sister who survived a direct hit to their house in Manchester by sheltering under the heavy kitchen table that protcted them from the falling rubble.

As well as the exhibits of fighter planes, tanks, and small boats, there were examples of vehicles used in the North African campaign. These included a Chevrolet 30cwt truck used by the Desert Rats in the battles against Rommel. My father had been driving one of these at El Alamein and had been blown up by a landmine. He lost all his teeth but returned to active service within a month to complete the war in the Greek and Italian campaigns with the Eighth Army. He spent four years from the age of 19 to 23 as a soldier on the frontline but like so many others seldom talked about it until in his sixties when he and my mother began to make trips abroad for the first time in their lives. They revisited parts of Italy and Greece where he had fought in the war. Chios became their regular holiday haunt after he made contact with some of the local Greeks who had welcomed the British Army when they landed to free the island in 1943.

There was so much more to see but time was limited. On remembrance day we were made to think of  the devastation to families of the 450,000 UK citizens who were killed in WW2. Similar numbers were lost in France and Italy. What surprised me from the exhibits was that this paled in comparison to Germany with 7 million, Poland with 6 million and well over 20 million Russians.

The most dangerous looking UK exhibit was the Spitting Image puppet of Mrs. Thatcher looking bellicose and obviously taking no prisoners. Her hawkish economic policies in the !980s had led to the collapse of traditional industries and seen unemployment rise to over 3 million or 12.5% of the workforce. The impact on families and communities is still evident in many old mining and manufacturing communities. Unlike the period after WW2 when there was a commitment to rebuilding the public realm and investing in education, housing, and health by governments of both main parties; there was no such public investment in the 1980s and many regions of the UK have still not recovered from the civil trauma caused by her pursuit of neoliberal economic policies.

As on all visits, the children demanded to explore the adjacent playground facilities. The blue skies, autumn leaves, ceramic poppies and the massive presence of 15-inch guns from dreadnought battleships provided a peaceful location for the playground equipment. It was miraculous the way that the freedom of the playpark rejuvenated tired children as they climbed the equipment commando style.  Nearby the sinister spike of the Shard dominated the skyline and cast doubt on the sanity of having a capital city that sucks the wealth and investment out of the rest of the country.

Spitfire and Harrier Jet in Main Hall

Chevrolet WB 30cwt truck used by Long Range Desert Group

Willys Jeep

Commando training

Most bellicose exhibit