Doomed to frail future if our past is subverted
I WISH to make comment on the negative attitudes of our political and organisational group leaders.
The latest attempt to subvert history by the leaders of the De Montfort University student body has raised my ire.
It seems as if the world of leadership must centre its activities around negativism rather than to see the positive side of any situation. No past or present leader, in fact no one, can claim they have done nothing wrong in their lives. As an advanced society we should be celebrating success rather than failure.
The actions of the De Montfort University student union leadership only places emphasis on the lack of wisdom in forwarding so many of our young into higher levels of learning. So many, when graduated, simply end up in service industry jobs thus denying less academically inclined people a job opportunity.
When our leaders cannot focus on the good side of life we are doomed to a very frail future if our past, upon which entire societies are formed, is to be subverted. The De Montfort story is particularly important for the Earl of Leicester gave the world the parliamentary system; the backbone of democracy. We MUST celebrate that very fact.
Such does not, of course, deny us from recognising the terrible acts against the Jews of that time. We MUST recognise all elements of our history – the good, the bad and, indeed, the ugly for life has evolved through all of these same elements.
Do the student leaders expect to next erase the image at the Clock Tower? Is the next task of the student leadership to find a reason to denigrate rather than celebrate the historical fact the Clock Tower, in the centre of the city, was the first traffic circle in the world.
Our history is the pathway to the future; should we destroy that pathway through foolishness? Such actions would harm a future that is likely to be less valuable to the students who will embrace life in modern times. My sympathies would lie with those who truly value from where we have evolved.
I grew up in Leicestershire, was educated in Leicester and the shire, I owe an allegiance to the city and county. How many of the student leaders can make such a claim?
Though my physical body deserted the “old country” and
Leicestershire, my mind and heart remain British and I will always see myself as a son of Leicestershire. I am proud of our history.
John E Milnes, Long Sault,
Ontario, Canada