Can you be a Socialist and a Patriot?

Hat tip to Ipswich Labour Councillor and former soldier Alasdair Ross, for his post on Lord West, who is a former Labour government minister and 1st Sea Lord (Head of Royal Navy).

Lord West confirmed to Alasdair at a "Labour Friends of the Forces" reception that he had told the Daily Telegraph his views of Tory minister Michael Gove, who suggested that you cannot be a Socialist and a Patriot by promising to teach him in a boxing ring - that you can.

Gove's ill judged comments remind me of the Daily Mail's foul attacks on the Patriotism of Labour Leader Ed Miliband by attacking his father Ralph Miliband, as a man "who hated Britain".

As the poster above reminds us, Ed's father was risking his life for Britain in the Royal Navy during the D Day landings, while a few years before, the owner of the Daily Mail was praising Hitler and the fascist Blackshirts.

Of course you can be a socialist and be a patriot who wants to defend your country against militarist or Nazi aggression. However, being proud of your country doesn't mean you think it is perfect and  that you don't want to change it for the better.

I would also add that in my view, if you are a socialist (as I define), you just have to be also an internationalist. 

My final comment is that during Easter 1982 I was a 19 year old officer cadet in the territorial army and went on a familiarisation course with 29 Commando Regiment in Plymouth. During the course we visited the naval base and went on a tour of one of the ships based there called HMS Ardent. It was an interesting break from very arduous exercises and its crew were very friendly and welcoming.

A few short weeks later during the Battle for the Falklands, HMS Ardent was struck by 17 bombs in less than 22 minutes and was sunk, killing 22 (10%) of its crew. Its captain was the last man to leave the ship. His name was Alan West, who later became Lord West. A man who has actually some life experience to back his views, unlike Mr Gove, that you can indeed, be a socialist and a patriot.

Remembering HMS Ardent – 25 years after victory in the Falklands

Off message: Yesterday I was listening to the “Today” programme when they interviewed Admiral Sir Alan West, former First Sea lord, over the 25th anniversary of the ending of the Falklands War. Sir Alan had been the commander of HMS Ardent which had been sunk by Argentine jets on 21 May 1982 killing 22 men out of 199 crew. The ship was supporting Royal Marines landing in San Carlos Water. He spoke movingly about how he felt at the time about surviving the attack when so many of his crew had died.

HMS Ardent was hit by 17 bombs in less than 22 minutes. Sir Alan was the last person to leave the ship before it sank.

In 1982 I was a student at Leeds University and had recently joined the Territorial Army. I volunteered for a residential course over Easter with 29 Commando Regiment (Royal Artillery). It was without doubt the hardest and most demanding thing I have ever done. We all arrived by train in the evening (about 25 students, male and female) and told to go for a meal at the mess and to start the course the next morning. Half way through the meal we were told to finish up and change into overalls and boots for a run. There then followed an hour’s run up and down Plymouth followed by us all jumping into the sea, fully clothed, from a local pier, then running back. The rest of the course was pretty much of the same. Lots of running with kit and rifles, timed assault courses, swimming with webbing through outdoor water tunnels, death slides, abseiling and finishing with an overnight exercise on Dartmoor.

For an afternoon off we had a visit to Plymouth Naval base to visit a local warship. We spend a pleasant afternoon on board. The crew were very friendly, enthusiastic and obviously proud of their ship. They showed us all around the ship, practiced emergency drills and what to do if equipment failed. Our chief guide was a very relaxed Aussie (?) who loved the navy. I remember thinking how small the ship was and how close its community must get on active service. The visit was a welcome respite with no one shouting at us or making us do horrible things. The ship was of course HMS Ardent. The next month it was sunk and over 10% of its crew was dead. I don’t know how many were injured. The average age on board was 23 years old. I was then 19.

The course ended with an exercise in Dartmoor in freezing cold conditions. We bivouac overnight before a dawn mock infantry attack. During the evening one of our senior 29 Commando instructors was holding forth about the terrible state of the youth of this country and how the whole country is "going to the dogs". I am sure that in every army (or navy or air force) and in every age there has ever been, senior non-commissioned officers have been saying this same sort of thing. He finished his diatribe by saying “what this country needs is a bloody good war!” A few weeks later he was shipped out with his battery to the Falklands'.