‘We will NOT fight for Queen and Country‘, Oxford Union Debate, February 2013 updated
A former British SAS officer speaks about his experiences of war and the views derived from it. A video uploaded by the Stop the War Coalition; links to others involved in the same debate are on the You Tube page. More here, including transcript.
Fight for Queen and Country, what does that mean? It is a jingoistic phrase dreamt up by some propaganda merchant intent on stoking the fire of that false religion patriotism.
The idea of fighting for Queen and Country is held tight by those who never have and never will actually fight.
It is held by those who long to bask in the reflected glory of war.
It is held by those who have no experience of the suffering that war inflicts.
It is an idea held up by those who gain the most from war, Politicians, Generals, The Arms Industry and The Media.
It is a phrase that is dredged up again and again to stifle dissent and build unquestioning support for the aggression we choose to unleash.
Update 25 April 2017: Mark McKenna’s chapter in The Honest History Book draws out the links between Australians fighting for the Crown and the difficulties of our ever becoming a republic. An edited version of McKenna’s chapter.
