Found this extract from book on remembrance.
This book analyses contemporary war commemoration in Britain and Russia. Focusing on the political aspects of remembrance, it explores the instrumentalisation of memory for managing civil-military relations and garnering public support for conflicts. It explains the nexus between remembrance...
books.google.co.uk
Just the few pages I read have put me off buying a poppy.
I grew up in 60s/70s in naval Town. But can't remember remembrance day being like it is now. The book says in 70s there was decline in support for military. Not being against it but lack of interest in it.
Iraq and Afghanistan changed that as well as New Labour under Blair and Brown trying to forge a new patriotism.
Brown gave speech to Fabisn society in 2006. Saying that Remembrance day is equivalent to Bastille day or July fourth. Unites the nation around what he said were British values of liberty, fairness and responsibility.
This fed into the new Citizenship classes. Gradually this has seen the militarization of citizenship.
Cameron continued this view of common British identity around remembrance.
Iraq war was a problem for New Labour. Millions opposed it. The government / military were afraid things could turn back to the seventies with widening gap between the military/ establishment and public.
The Royal British Legion have stepped into this in two ways to reduce the gap.
Supplying teaching materials to schools to be used in citizenship classes. These include ideas like encouraging children to learn to wear a poppy and respect military personnel sacrifices. This is part of becoming a good citizen. So get them young and drill it into them.
Second thing RBL did was support idea of Military Covenent. Promote it. Idea that there is quasi spiritual relationship between the British people and military. This was response to the massive marches against Iraq war and realisation by Joe Public that it had been started on false premise. Like what
brogdale said about WW1 it was realised if nothing was done Joe public might be lost to the establishment. So something had to be done. RBL played important role in this.
So far from being a neutral charity helping ex servicemen the RBL sees itself as supporting the military itself. With a political role to prop up the establishment.
Though as previous poster has said "banal patriotism" can hide this.
What is interesting is that both Cameron and Gordon Brown thought that Rememberance could unify the nation and bring people together.
As posts here show this particular form of citizenship/national identity meant to unite people has done the opposite.
Its been formed since late 1990s to now. Partly to deal with opposition to unpopular wars.
Imo their is something dangerous about it. As posters have pointed out any discussion about it and one is regarded as odd for not believing in this modern patriotism.
Its like all the opposition to Iraq has been purposefully put aside.
