MARK FLEMING
  • Home
  • 1976
  • Blog
  • About me
  • My bands
    • 4 Minute Warning
    • Desperation A.M.
    • Little Big Dig
    • Axidents
    • Noniconic
  • Contact
  • Home
  • 1976
  • Blog
  • About me
  • My bands
    • 4 Minute Warning
    • Desperation A.M.
    • Little Big Dig
    • Axidents
    • Noniconic
  • Contact

UK v Argentina (continued)

3/5/2012

 
As the Olympic Games, London 2012, draw ever closer, it’s worth dwelling on the ethos of the whole affair:
 
The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. 
 
Against that backdrop, it’s shameful that the Games have been hijacked for propoganda purposes, time and time again. The Nazis attempted to use it to showcase the ‘master race’ at Berlin 1936. At Munich 1972, two Israeli athletes were murdered and nine kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group Black September; the nine died during a botched rescue attempt by German police.

In the latest outrage, the Argentinian hockey captain Fernando Zylberberg has appeared in a promotional film, doing exercises on a memorial commemorating British sailors who gave their lives in the First World War. One injured British veteran of the 1982 Falklands War, Simon Weston, referred to it as ‘tawdry’. That’s putting it mildly.

Weston has more cause than most to feel vengeful about this sabre-rattling stunt by the current Argentinian government. A former Welsh Guard, he recieved 46% burns during the war.

The 90-second propoganda film trivialises the loss of human life. It’s as subtle as that ‘Gotcha’ headline in The Sun which gloated when 323 Argentinian sailors went down with the Belgrano.

Ironically, a knock-on effect of the war was to restore democracy to Argentina. The country had been ruled by a military junta, a regime responsible for the deaths of thousands of its citizens (political opponents, socialists,
trade unionists, clergy and many others; the so-called ‘desaparecidos’ or ‘disappeared’, none of whom have graves or memorials).

Another irony of the 74-day Falklands War is that more British veterans have taken their own lives since ostilities concluded than died during the actual combat. Veterans support group the South Atlantic Medal Association blame the lack of resources to tackle post traumatic stress disorder.

A key post-script to all this - Simon Weston has since become friends with the Argentine pilot who dropped the bomb which caused his injuries.
Picture
    Picture
    MARK FLEMING
    ​EDINBURGH | SCOTLAND


    ​Categories

    All
    404 Ink - Space
    9/11
    Alan Brazil
    Albums Of 2021
    Albums Of 2022
    Amanda Prowse
    Amy Winehouse
    Andrew Mitchell
    Anna B Savage: A Common Tern
    Ari Up
    Armistice
    Arts Festival
    Balconing
    Barack Obama
    Berlin Wall
    Best Books 2016
    Blackshirts
    Bobby Smith 'One Love Two Colours'
    Book Censorship
    Britains Got Talent
    Can: Flow Motion
    Caroline Flack
    Changing Room; Transforming Lives
    Chavs And Filthy Rich
    Child Cage Fight
    Christmas Truce 1914
    Citizens Advice Scotland
    City Boys Deride NHS
    Claire Connor: Art In Scots
    Clinton STD Scandal
    David Walliams
    Denise Johnson RIP
    Depression Awareness
    Desperation A.M.
    Dick Smith RIP
    Disability
    DOK Exhibitions
    Domestic Violence
    Edinburgh Festival
    Faisal Shahzad
    Falklands War
    Featuring Mark Fleming
    Fisherrow At Night
    Fortitude
    Frankie Abbbott
    Gaelic Suppression
    Game Of Thrones
    Garry O'Connor: Highs/lows
    Gary Alikivi: Northeast Culture
    Gary Speed
    Gerry Anderson
    Gettysburg
    Gore Vidal
    Graham Crowden
    Ground Zero
    Hacking Scandal
    Helga Etsby
    Hillsborough Justice
    Hiroshima 75th
    Homelessness
    Ian Curtis: 40 Years On
    Ibiza
    Ibrox Disaster
    Idlewild - 25th Anniversary
    Internet Petitions
    Ireland's Rocky Journey
    It's A Kind Of A Funny Story
    Ivor Tiefenbrun
    Jake Bugg
    Jenny Saville
    Jeremy Clarkson
    Jeremy Clarkson On PQ17
    Joe Strummer
    John Cormack
    John Hume RIP
    John Peel
    John Terry
    Keira Knightley
    Keith Levene RIP
    Kelly Lee Owens: Inner Song
    Kelvin MacKenzie: Wants Police Apology
    Kirkcaldy High School: Writer In Residence
    Kristallnacht
    Lemmy
    Llyr George
    Lovely Eggs
    Lying About Mental Health
    Malvinas V Falklands
    Manic Street Preachers: Ultra Vivid Lament
    Mark E Smith RIP
    Mental Health And Fat-shaming
    Mental Health Awareness Week 2018
    Mental Health During COVID-19
    Mental Health Prejudice
    Michael Portillo: Death Of A School Friend
    Middle East Peace Process
    Mosley
    Musselburgh Mudflats
    Mysterines: Love's Not Enough
    National Rifle Association
    Neo Fascism
    News International
    Newtown Killings
    Nicolas Winding Refn
    Noel Edmunds
    Organ Donation
    Ozark: Bipolar Disorder
    Paddy Ashdown Delusions
    Paul Research: Skate The Royal Mile
    Paul Weller: On Sunset
    Pete Shelley RIP
    Picnics And Paedophiles
    Poly Styrene
    Porty Shore
    Porty Sunrise
    Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
    Predator Drones
    Primal Scream
    Private Ellison
    Protestant Action 1930s
    PTSD
    Public Service Broadcasting: Bright Magic
    Public Service Broadcasting: Lit Up
    Punishment Of Luxury
    Punk's Impact 35 Years On
    Quadrophenia And The 1979 Mod Revival
    Racism In Football
    Revenant
    Richard Ashcroft
    Richey Edwards
    Rick Perry
    Robbie Hance
    Rupert Murdoch
    Samaritans
    Sarrazin
    Saughton Prison Visit
    Scars Reunion
    Scottish Tories
    Seafield Sunrise
    Seafield Waste Plant
    Self Harm And Ronaldo
    Sepp Blatter
    Sex And Violence
    Shane Meadows
    Shaw Trust
    She Drew The Gun
    Shoegaze: 30 Years Of Loud Dream Pop
    Simon Cowell
    Simon Weston
    Slaughter And The Dogs
    Soldiers Suffering Breakdowns
    SS Mendi Disaster
    Stigma
    Storm Arwen
    Stranglers Live Review
    Suicide
    Suicide And Ignorance
    Surgeon's Hall And The Edinburgh Seven
    Susan Boyle
    Swearing: Dead Man's Shoes
    Syria - Crossing The Red Line
    Teleman: Brilliant Sanity
    Terry Jones
    The Chase
    The Clash Debut
    The Damned
    The Responder: Freeman's Tour-de-force
    The Slits
    The Sun - One-finger Salute To Lord Leveson
    The Wolf Warriors And Werewolves
    This Is England
    This Is England 86 Review
    Time To Change
    Tombstoning
    Tom Chapman
    Tony Scott
    Tories
    Tragedy House And 90s Leith
    Troy Davis
    Unloved: Heartbreak
    Urban Noir Photo Exhibition
    U.S. Slavery Ends 1865
    US War Hystria
    Vic And Bob's Shooting Stars
    Voyager
    Wags
    Wayne Bridge
    Web Trolls
    'When Two Sevens Clash' By Andrew Watson
    Wolf Alice: Space And Time
    World Alzheimer's Day
    World Suicide Prevention Day 2020
    X Factor
    X Ray Spex

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.