What fresh hell is this? National VE day

[wetpants]

This has popped up on my local FB page, villagers are all up for it too. Apparently it’s a nationwide incentive??

The thing is, most front gardens are tiny or non existent here. There’s no way you could be 2m away from your next door. Also these villagers who are up for this are the same people who few weeks ago cried about a lone bloke sitting on a crass verge, well away from any pedestrians. How is this any different?

I’m not British (have lived here a long time though) so maybe I’m just not getting the fervent VE day misty eyeness

And don’t get me started on 9pm nationwide singalong WHO comes up with these things???

And actually i agree with dappled

Rememberence day should show you How this country remembers

Ive spent many many november remembrance days by the village war memorial Together with cubs and scouts and rainbows and beavers and brownies, military personel and villagers

Been in shopping centres and work places on the where pretty Much everyone stops for the minutes silence

It’s celebration of the anniversary of the end of war. The country went mad with ecstasy on VE Day, surely joy on its anniversary is eminently fitting?

It’s celebration of the anniversary of the end of war. The country went mad with ecstasy on VE Day, surely joy on its anniversary is eminently fitting?

I disagree. I think joyful celebration in the immediate, at the actual end of the war is a natural reaction. To continue to celebrate war, including the end of it, without that being through the lens of remembrance and understanding of the current relationships between nations who were enemies, without it including a profound sadness that war took place at all is crass, jingoistic and unpleasant.

Exactly Alsohuman.
This is not celebrating the war. This is celebrating the end of the war in Europe, and what was certainly a huge step closer to the end of the war as a whole.
It has grasped the imagination now, as many people do want to do something and hear something on the news other than news about COVID 19. People have always needed distraction in difficult times.
The whole 'street party' atmosphere works in many places as so many roads and streets full of people are talking more and communicating more - helping one another out as needed - in a way that hasnt happened in most roads for many a long year.
Obviously, if your front doors are so close, then every house can't sit out front, but it can't be beyond your imagination to understand that isn't the same for everyone.
If people choose to do it, that's fine
If people choose not to, that is also fine.

If people choose to do it, that's fine
If people choose not to, that is also fine

Absolutely

VE day is celebrated in other European countries too. Is it OK for them to celebrate the 75th anniversary but not the UK? Why?

I've seen loads of these. I think the government have made them to break Corona paranoia

Why can't those who want to take part do so, those who don't or can't take part just don't get involved?

Many people in our street will be taking part in some way. We are a close knit community, even more so at the moment and those who want to will be decorating houses and getting involved. Those who don't- won't.

Either viewpoint is fine. No one will be judging anyone else. Most houses currently clap on a Thursday, but some don't and that's fine. Again no one judges because everyone is entitled to their own POV and no one really knows anyone else's reason for clapping or not clapping.

People are keen to do this in my street and it will be socially distant possible so I will go along with it, but a bit reluctantly. I actually would enjoy it under normal circumstances as a way to connect with neighbours, but we won’t be able to talk to anyone from our lawn as it’s a bit too far. I think it’s a good idea to remember the issues around WW2, so that we can increase tolerance in the present.

However, like the whole clapping thing, I am joining in a bit reluctantly, but feel I have to, as not joining in will be commented upon. I completely see how the Stasi were able to operate in East Germany looking at some of the local Facebook groups!

It doesn't;t really work in our road...but I don't think it's a bad thing.

We're also doing something around VE Day for Brownies too.

Poor old Burma Star Association and British Pacific Fleet, forgotten again.

VJ Day isn't until mid August. There's still time.

And too many people have a skewed view of who the "we" was. It wasn't the English or even the British. It was the allies. A combined military and economic effort of many nations and even volunteers from nations that weren't involved. Add to that, people shouldn't delude themselves they were part of the "we" unless you they over 90.

So true. I really do think some people believe Britain won the war single handed! While the original VE day was indeed a cause for celebration it certainly wasn't the end of the war, and I don't see the point of all this "celebration" anyway in a time of pandemic and economic crisis - not to mention when the country is supposed to be in lockdown.

Considering what the union jack means to millions of people who had their home countries plundered and colonised against their will, I'll never hang one from my home.

Considering what the union jack means to millions of people who had their home countries plundered and colonised against their will, I'll never hang one from my home.

The Union Jack is called the butchers apron by some, its understandable why when you look at the British English past

Justanother - you forgot to add 'and Scottish' to your post :)

I feel for the Channel Islands.

There was all of Europe being liberated, the Allies in Germany, and the Channel Islands weren't liberated until May 1945.

What happened from DDay to then sounds awful.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_occupation_of_the_Channel_Islands

The Union Jack is called the butchers apron by some, its understandable why when you look at the British English past

That is very offensive indeed. Glasgow was the second city of the empire. It wasn't in England last time I looked. Your uninformed prejudice does you no credit at all.

Ugh no, I cannot bear such twee jingoism. I will be painting the hallway, bunting free.

Is painting maintenance or improvement??? Ha! Just joking.

There was all of Europe being liberated, the Allies in Germany, and the Channel Islands weren't liberated until May 1945

Yes it was awful. If you go to the Jersey War Tunnels that used to be the German underground hospital there is a fantastic exhibition about the occupation and the privations the people suffered especially after D-day when the supply lines were cut. Guernsey has an underground hospital too which has been left much as it was and it is very atmospheric.

Churchill was more than a bit hypocritical when he said "our dear Channel Islands will be liberated". Not very dear to him, he just left them to their fate. I am not saying it was necessarily the wrong decision as they had no strategic value and later on it would have been impossible to invade (except perhaps near the very end when the German soldiers had less food than the locals, as the locals had at least received Red Cross parcels from the Vega (ship) (and it's worth remembering that Churchill blocked that for a while as he thought the German soldiers would steal the parcels - to their credit, they didn't).

There are some very good books about the occupation including by John Nettles of Bergerac fame and also twitter.com/Occupationbook. Also the 1970s drama Enemy at the Door was very good.

That is very offensive indeed. Glasgow was the second city of the empire.

Oh I'm sorry I didnt realise youd be offended by not being included in the slaughter of innocent people in the name of colonisation and empire

Pure SNP thinking from JustAnother, there. You really all like to think you were all so above it and not involved, dont you? the scottish were up to their knees in it, and especially hated in northern Ireland.

I think there's definitely an age divide here. I don't know anyone who will be doing this, or even would think about it.

Also, amongst people I'm friends with, there's definitely a feeling that this weird timetable of forced fun by the government is a very transparent 'ooh what jolly fun, remember when we were powerful and let's all inspire nice patriotic feelings to distract from the fact our Government have royally fucked up on the Covid-19 response and you will all eat it up'. Which, reading these comments, a lot of you will.

It just has echoes of the trying to hark back to the War again, that message so favoured by cringey die hard Brexit supporters like Mark Francois in Westminster.
I can imagine the 2 World Wars and 1 World Cup squad will be out in force with this, and it’ll all be about winning the War, instead of reflection and remembrance.

our older generation will love it VE day was 75 years ago. You would have to be over 80 to have any recollection of it at all. 90 year olds would have been 15. Some older people deplore all the flag waving. "Our older generation" are as diverse as a bunch of people in their 40s are. Please don't patronise them by generalising. I don't think I am normally a miserable bastard but I dislike these nationalistic celebrations.