Paxman Vs. Cameron

[sp1814]

What are your thoughts on this?

David Cameron has (allegedly) proposed that the First World War be marked next year and had "likened the commemorations to last last year’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations"

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/downing-street-demands-apology-after-jeremy-paxman-calls-david-cameron-complete-idiot-8931226.html

Paxman had called Cameron an idiot over the plans.

I'm with Mr Paxman on this, although I think his language was a bit over the top.

I have a lot of respect for Cameron after his push for marriage equality, but I don't get this one.

Isn't Remembrance Sunday an appropriate occasion to remember those who fought and died in all wars?

Also - why mark the start of the First World War - rather than the end (say in 2018)?

[Just-Jude]

Cameron IS an idiot, but we shouldn't turn down the chance of a party and a day of work.

[Sparkles62]

Why on earth would you want to celebrate the outbreak of war?
I can fully understand the celebrations when a war is over,
and celebrations for victory etc but not the beginning of hostilities.

[jno]

I thought Paxman had made this remark before, though maybe I'm misremembering.

But I really can't see much similarity between 60 years of a reign and 100 years after the beginning of a war, and if Cameron did say that then it was pretty silly.

It was a horrific conflict but given that all participants (I think) are now dead, I'm not sure why it needs commemorating. Individual battles like Waterloo or Hastings may merit remembering, but not declarations of war.

[grumpy01]

Given that the youngest particpant would now be about 110 years old your assumption is fairly safe jno.

[jno]

there are 110-year-olds around. But it seems the last WW1 combat veteran died in 1911

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Choules

[jno]

doh... 2011

[ludwig]

// Paxman had called Cameron an idiot over the plans. //

He didn't though. from the article..

// He said he was ‘troubled’ by Mr Cameron “talking about how millions of pounds were going to be spent marking this anniversary” and the fact that he had “compared it with the celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee.”

Speaking to the BBC chat show host Graham Norton, Mr Paxman said: “Therefore people get the idea that somehow this is going to be celebrated. Well, only a complete idiot would celebrate such a calamity. //

This is nothing like calling Cameron an idiot. The independent is misrepresenting things here in a way that the Daily Mail would be proud of.

[TWR]

Paxman " Straight" to the point.

Cameron, Hypocrite, lier, parasite, Idiot, Smart rs that does not want to know, as he thinks he is in charge.

[andy-hughes]

Mr Cameron is keen to get his face on the 'celebrations' for the beginning of the war, because it is highly unlikely that he will be in any position of power in 2018, when a celebration of the end of the war would be appropriate.

You can almost here Call-me-Dave's thinking - WE are the party to add the gravitas and sombre note to this historial time, and hopefully I will go down in history as the PM who thought of it all.

I recall that when Thatcher's government were considering war with Argentina, the majority were against it, for one simple reason. With the exception of Margaret Thatcher, ever member of the Cabinet had seen active miliary service - war was not a concept to them it was a reality, and not one they were keen to assit in repeating.

I wouldn't blame Call-me-Dave for having no direct experience of the horror of war, but I do blame him for looking to make political capital out if it.