We are about to enter into a year of celebration, not sure that is the correct word to use, of the anniversary of  the start of the first world war of the 20th century.  I don’t wish to enter into the debate over left wing bias against the great and good who lead the war to such slaughter.  Instead I feel it is time to stop dwelling on the past and perhaps look towards the future instead.  Yes, in absolute terms, an awful lot of people died in the  conflict but   I believe the relative number of deaths in the English civil war was much greater and we hear little about that conflict.  It wasn’t even the the ‘first’ world war as the conflict between France and Britain in late 18th century can claim that title.  So why remember this now?  I really don’t know it certainly won’t be a lesson to the present generation as we seem quite capable of appalling wars all of our own with great loss of life – so no lesson learnt there.

So 12 months of long wonders across the fields of Flanders of many presenters looking very earnest, whilst expensive computer CGI will try and recreate a sanitised trench warfare environment.  At the same time the war memorials put up to commemorate the  real loss felt are slowly falling into disrepair all over the country which probably says more about the relevance of all this to modern life.  It certainly is a long way from Tipperary…

Good night ladies, ladies good night it is time to say goodbye…

PS the sketch is based on some magazine I saw in the local store…it seems to have sunk into my subconscious so I may well produce more better versions over the next few days…you have been warned.