We need leaders to learn lessons of past

On a weekend of sombre reflection for the lives lost on the many battlefields of the world, we are reminded of the sacrifice of those bravest of men and women.

We pause to acknowledge their courage, and renew our commitment to lead better lives in their honour, to ensure the democracy for which they fought and died is not neglected.

Across Wales, thousands came together on a Remembrance Sunday of particular significance, to mark the centenary of the final act in a “war to end all wars”.

A billing, sadly, that history would prove to be spectacularly inaccurate.

The uncomfortable reality is that we have many more such centenaries to prepare for in future years, more wars to be remembered, more lives mourned, more families and communities devastated.

One hundred years ago, a generation hoped for a better existence, one of peace and solidarity, with lessons learned from the mistakes of the past and where the next generation would emerge more enlightened and equipped to prevent the recurrence of such horrors.

Their sacrifices may have preserved a way of life, but in a present of such global conflict, of fear and uncertainty, that future they dreamed of remains unfulfilled, and its realisation as precarious as ever.

With an American president continuing to divide not only opinion but his own country, and global relationships creaking under the strain of potential change, not least in the UK where the Brexit drama appears ever more Machiavellian, the need for reassurance has never been more desired yet desperately out of reach.

In Wales, we await the appointment of our next First Minister.

What kind of post-Brexit existence he or she will lead us through is unclear, as is the identity of the Prime Minister they will need to work with.

Just as it did in the 1900s, the world needs leaders to make the right decisions - the consequences of taking the wrong path can be significant.

The bravery and stoicism that characterised an era overwhelmed by sadness and horror on an unprecedented scale remain as relevant today.

Those chosen to lead owe it to the memory of those we remembered this weekend to ensure the future is one we can savour.