Day 96 Week 13

Britain in the grip of the big freeze and the nation's gone into meltdown.

Running out of provisions in the shops, little salt and grit left for the roads, pavements deathly, power cuts, travel mayhem, hospitals turning non-emergencies away as so stretched, people sleeping in airports, cars abandoned on closed roads and last night the temperature hit minus eighteen in Benson, which is about twenty odd miles away as the crow flies from our village. The environmentally despised four-wheel-drive is now the welcome guest of services unable to deliver to the needy with councils begging volunteers to assist them should they be an owner. The weather is expected to continue like this for most of January and am beginning to think those panic-buying the other evening were extremely sensible and wish I'd joined in. Welcome to the second decade of the twenty-first century.

See the good people of Wooton Bassett have found themselves embroiled in a political storm not of their making. A group which purports to represent the civilian victims of violence during the Iraq and Afghan wars wishes to march through the streets of the town to highlight their cause. As a student of nineteenth century history, with the importance of social unrest as a means of forcing reform upon an establishment based upon suppression of the masses, and an entrenched elitism derived from power and ownership of land pre the industrial revolution, I have always been an avid supporter of the right to peaceful protest. But cannot help but think this gesture is not one of protest but one of provocation.

The townsfolk of WB have always stressed that their silent vigil was devoid of any political overtones, and that the population had many differing views on the justification of the wars, but theirs was a reaction to the loss of a soul serving on their behalf as a member of our armed forces. Discussed this with H who said he wished the march did not go ahead as it would be seen to be offensive. He also said he was glad to live in a country where extreme views which were contrary to the keystones of our belief system were tolerated, as opposed to the citizens uttering them being persecuted or worse, and that was what C and everybody else was fighting and dying for.

Amnesty International is one of my chosen charities and compared to many nation states we are so blessed with our unenshrined right to freedom of speech, and unfortunately the flip side to that means we have to accept when those wishing to remove it use it.

Evil prospers when good men do nothing.

No news from H but believe the west country under the snow too. R out with friends. No news from C so more prayers and positive reinforcement.

Speak soon. A soldier's Mum x