100 years later, WWI sparks a new battle in Britain

[steve2470]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/100-years-later-wwi-sparks-a-new-battle-in-britain/2014/02/10/f40cfd96-90ea-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html

LONDON — The plan was for curious schoolchildren to wander foreign battlefields, for grateful communities to repair crumbling monuments and for an entire nation to solemnly recall a war that cost more British lives than any other.

Oh, what a lovely commemoration it was to have been.

But just a little over a month into the centenary of the start of World War I, those plans have been overshadowed by ugly political sniping over what the war meant, and whether Britain is remembering it in the proper way.

Charges of insufficient patriotism have been answered by accusations of jingoism. A much-beloved British sitcom has been caught in the crossfire.

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. The WP doesn't point out that Hunt, the Labour spokesman, is an actual historian

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristram_Hunt#Early_life_and_education

And for some historian's views: World War One: 10 interpretations of who started WW1

[independentpiney]

2. Dan Carlin's Hardcore History has a great podcast on this for anyone interested in the subject

part 1 of Blueprint for Armaggedon

http://www.dancarlin.com//disp.php/hharchive

[bemildred]

3. Good. The worshipping of that diastrous debacle needs to end. nt