The official ceremonies for the 90th anniversary of the end of World War One are all but over. Against all expectations interest in the world conflicts is increasing rather than subsiding as the last living links fade way. Surely it’s impossible that our society could ever fight such wars again, with losses like the UK’s 900,000 lives or even a third that number in WW2? In the digital age hard censorship is impossible and people would revolt against such death tolls in actual person-to-person combat. Look at the protests and the coverage given to the small scale of British military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or would people become inured to rising casualty lists? Surely mass slaughter is for others these days in Rwanda ( 1 million), Democratic Republic of Congo ( 5 million), actual Iraqis ( 1 million, shamefully covered up but disputed)?
Former BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former London Editor Belfast Telegraph. Hon Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, Univ Coll. London
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