BBC NEWS | UK | MoD denies Trafalgar party snub
Lord Nelson led the famous victory in 1805 against French and Spanish fleets.
The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West, wants to bring together warships from around the world, including French and Spanish vessels, for what would be the centrepiece of the bi-centenary celebrations, the Telegraph said.
Other celebrations could feature a parade through Trafalgar Square and the Navy is negotiating with Spain about sending a warship to Cape Trafalgar to lay a wreath and have a gun salute.
A spokesman for the MoD said: "A committee has been set up to look at a number of different ideas and suggestions.
"These celebrations have got to be funded and financial scrutiny is important to ensure that public money is used most effectively."
This article from the Beeb interested me for a number of reasons:
1) Should we celebrate a battle and loss of life despite its significance?
2) Shouldn't we have a joint memorial with France and Spain?
3) Money should be spent on better things - but then the MOD have got it anyway...
Trafalgar is a massive part of English history (usually presented as British history but don't let that fool you) and along with 1066, probably the only story that School children generally remember (strangely both involve death following an eye injury).
I guess the English psyche cannot let go of such 'victoris' because as with most English military success it tended to be the plucky outgunned English beating the foreign hoards by intelligence rather than might of numbers or superior equipment.
So rambling about a bit my main point is why do we celebrate military engagement but not other more positive developments on a national level. True tomorrow we have acelebration for England winning the Rugby World Cup, next year will see celebrations for the bicentenntial of rail travel but they always seem to pale into the background when comparing military events.
Perhaps modern / post modern / new Britain needs to look very hard at itself and the way it presents itself nationally and internationally.