In arguments about recent wars there tends to be one war that gets treated differently. Even amongst those leftists and liberals for whom pretty well all the most recent wars have been wrong (whether because they were American, imperialist, about oil, or whatever), the Second World War, the war against Nazi Germany, tends mostly to get a better press, as having been a war which was worth fighting.
Step up to the plate Professor Lisa Jardine.
Anthony Cox has the goods on her performance on Newsnight Review on Friday, when she was one of a panel discussing the programme Dunkirk – to be screened later this week on BBC2. He also has the link you need, to watch this clip during the next few days (start at about 16 minutes in). Money quotes:
Lisa Jardine: Oh there always has to be a moral good. So, you know there have to be bad Germans. The Germans are called barbarians at least twice…
…..
Michael Portillo: I’m sorry to say this, but the Nazis were murderous bastards who swept across Europe killing millions of people. [At which Jardine is heard to exclaim sighingly, ‘Ah…’]L J: But we’re now part of an EU, we are part of the EU.
….
L J: I don’t think war is about balance, what you need to know about war is nobody is in the right.
Those unable to see this video may like to know that, pressed by the other panellists, Jardine responds in a most amiable, chuckly, dinner-partyish sort of a way. For a fuller transcript, go on over to Black Triangle.
Called barbarians at least twice. Heavens, whatever next.