My mother was at home at that time raising 3 small kids and was
regularly bombed - the Luftwaffe came over most
nights. Our house suffered a direct hit
once when she was hiding in the shelter with
the three of us. It was completely demolished. This
situation went on for years. We had little to
eat. So my dad, facing death every day, had no
consolation - he knew his young wife and 3 kids
were getting bombed, could be wiped out any
night. It happened so often. The family house was
only a mile from Birkenhead docks, an absolutely
basic Luftwaffe target. Yet they never for one
moment wanted to give in or make peace and they
never doubted ultimate victory, which was quite
naive of them. But the point is that they had
grit. The news would be bad - appalling - week
in, week out for months and they'd just say,
well, it can't be helped but we've got to go on.
And they did. That generation did have grit.
It seems nobody much has it now. But unless the US
and UK - the two countries that really matter -
have more grit than Al Qaeda, we could lose. This
doesn't mean we have to stay in Iraq forever. We
have to box clever too. But the one thing I am
sure of is that these two countries have to be
united. United, they have never lost - two world
wars, Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo etc. When they
were divided (Suez, Vietnam) things went
badly for the one or other of them.
And the rest of the world knows in its bones that
these two countries are closer to standing for
decency and democracy than any other
combination. Of course they're far from
perfect. They're just the best we've got, the
last best hope of mankind, as Churchill put
it. They didn't invade Europe to control it
but to hand those countries back to their own people,
and they did it twice. This means that, for all
the cacophony of criticism they currently
endure, they command more respect than
any other combination of powers. Just ask what armed
actions in the Balkans or Middle East or anywhere else the
world would tolerate from, say, Russia and France;
or China and Germany, or whichever other two
powers you like. No one would really stand
back and trust any of those combinations. That
said, this underlying trust in Anglo-American
decency is a precious thing. It must be
preserved, which means it must not be abused.
Grit used to be the Anglo virtue - absolutely
grim perseverance through long, terrible
reverses - though often laughing at oneself,
mocking one's political leaders, trying to
drown one's sorrows in warm beer and Glen Miller's music
- but just never wavering. Wavering was for the
Italians and French maybe, but not if you
were serious. The Germans didn't waver. The
Russians didn't waver. So for heaven's sake
why should we ? I mourn the loss of grit.
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