Ian Hislop seems to be at home presenting programmes about anything. His hour about the Beeching cuts showed a small boy's enthusiasm mixed with a serious and as far as I could see unbiased view of the subject. Last night he showed the required seriousness to front a programme about the concientious objectors during The First World War. I have to confess beforehand that I am a devout coward but it is impossible for me to say how I would act in the situation either the beginning of the war when militaristic enthusiasm led many men to join up unbidden by Act of Parliament or when standing shaking and sweating in front of the board after the call-up. My distant anxiety about the absolute horror that was the first war, is nothing, a mere shadow of the worst possible thing that could happen to me in this peace time and that is but an echo of the realities that the men had to go through then. Of course we can criticise any number of things about the war and all wars but not today. Today is to realise that men have died and to remember them regardless of how many of them are still alive.
There are rumblings of state funerals for various people at the moment. I know who should have one.
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