The Irony of Great Britain’s D-Day Celebration
Truth be told, it’s actually three ironies.
The first is that Great Britain is doing flyovers and military extravaganzas in celebration of their contribution to saving Europe from Nazi invasion at the exact same time as they are leaving the European Union.
That’s an irony worthy of the definition, by almost any standards.
The second is Prime Minister Theresa May inviting the now universally discredited American President to a full-honors ceremonial visit. An invitation that coincides with this celebration even though he has publicly insulted Theresa May, Sadiq Khan, the UK Parliament and (by inference) the Queen.
It adds salt to the wound that Donald Trump is a draft-evader of the richest and most influential kind. Scant honor to the war dead of his and many other allied countries. Were he alive, General Sir Bernard Montgomery would hardly approve.
John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, has said (publicly in Commons) he will prevent Trump from addressing the House Members, as is his prerogative.
So the first is an irony of history and the second one of politics by a desperate British Prime Minister. The third is more opaque.
Public outcry was so intense against an earlier Trump invitation that it threatened mass demonstrations and the floating of a large and comedic balloon of the president, dressed as a baby, diaper and all.
Other than the million anti-Trump demonstrators expected in the streets, security for his visit is said to be eighteen million pounds sterling.
Thus the third and last irony is an invitation that has been made in spite of contempt on the part of British citizens, who will ultimately be called upon to pay that cost, while the nation is on economic life-support.
The interesting thing to me is that throughout the negative press and commentary in the United Kingdom, no one has seen what I personally feel is a case of multiple ironies.
Perhaps irony in this confused world of ours is truly dead and buried.