...it's whether history retains the truth: Britain Marks Anniversary of Sea Victory
Two hundred years ago a daredevil naval hero by the name of Horatio Nelson led the British to a glorious victory over France and Spain. But that might not be clear from watching Tuesday's reenactment of the Battle of Trafalgar.Newsflash: what do we commemorate on the 4th of July? Independance as a nation from BRITAIN.Wary of offending European neighbors who enjoy a close but sometimes testy friendship with Britain, organizers decided to dispense with details such as who won and who lost. Instead of depicting the battle as a contest between countries, they assigned the fleets colors — red and blue — and left it up to the spectators to figure out which was which.
Nelson's great, great, great granddaughter called it a "pretty stupid" idea.
"I am sure the French and Spanish are adult enough to appreciate we did win that battle," said Anna Tribe, 75 [Don't count on it... --ed.] "I am anti-political correctness. Very much against it. It makes fools of us."
The Battle of Trafalgar was one of the most spectacular naval successes of all times. Nelson routed Napoleon Bonaparte's larger French and Spanish fleet and ensured that Britain ruled the waves for more than a hundred years. Though the battle cost him his life, he didn't lose a single ship.
And guess who is still our closest ally?
And to Admiral Nelson, conqueror of French and Spanish alike-- jolly good show, ol' boy!
Posted by Kyer at June 29, 2005 12:56 PM