Churchill and 'The Bridge on the River Kwai': London kicks off celebrations for the Allied victory in 1945

LondonIt's struck twelve noon on Big Ben, and the voice of actor Timothy Spall resounded as he reread a brief excerpt from one of Winston Churchill's most famous speeches. Thus began the British commemorations of the 80th anniversary of VE Day (VE Day) in the Second World War this Monday. "This is not a victory of one party or one class. It is a victory of the great British nation as a whole," thundered over the PA system on Whitehall Avenue, where this columnist is located, and also from other corners of the city center, from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

It's no coincidence that an actor opened the VE Day celebrations. Nor is it a coincidence that the first military march heard was the famous Colonel Bogey March, which is inextricably associated with Alec Guinness and The Bridge on the River KwaiAnd the United Kingdom, at least the official United Kingdom—and all media outlets, led by the BBC—has planned four days of commemorations for the anniversary, culminating on Thursday, May 8, the day after exactly 80 years since Germany's unconditional surrender to its major allies in the city. From the best and most uncritical war film, designed to be broadcast on television.

The Second World War lives on in the British imagination as the most significant historical moment of the 20th century, and an empire that no longer exists needs to refer to it, and to take it as a lifeline. And always Churchill, of course, in this case with words that refer to the equally famous speech in which he said "This was their finest hour", in June 1940, fifty days after he had been elected Prime Minister. "Let us prepare ourselves, then, to do our duty, and let us so conduct ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth of Nations endure for a thousand years, men will still say: 'This was their finest hour.'

The empire has not lasted a thousand years, and that is precisely why dates like these are approaching are used to inspire patriotism. center of the capital and the air patrol, which flies over The Mall and the royal palace, while the Windsors almost in their entirety –Enric and Megan are not there–, salute the passing planes. Without the Spitfires, however, which cannot fly because they do not have sufficient range to join up with the rest of the aircraft over the Mà Channel.

Like any blockbuster, in addition to the protagonists, extras are also needed: thousands of people –much less than for the burial of Elizabeth II, if I go by what I see in Whitehall, who have gathered to see the soldiers pass by, who look like toys, their uniforms are so shiny, and to listen to the music, which excites the audience, but not the chronicler, a devotee of the verses of Georges Brassens.They are from the clairons nor have they ever fait lever me" , which can be roughly translated as "military music has never gotten me up."

And among the extras I speak to are Cliff and Orma Bowering, a Canadian couple from British Columbia, who were 4 and 2 years old, respectively, on VEDay. Cliff has only one memory of that day: "I went to the beach, with my parents." Orma has none. And I also speak to Andrea, a German woman, born in 1969, in a village about twenty kilometers from Dresden. "For me, all of this, the Second World War, is history. But not for my mother, who is 90 years old, and who happily remembers the end of the war because the bombing stopped." Dresden was one of the cities that suffered most from the Allied punishment. And Andrea's mother, who was 10 at the time, still has it very much in mind.

Eight decades after that victory, from which Catalonia and Spain were excluded, under the Franco dictatorship with the approval of the Allies, Europe faces a very uncertain situation, with the war in Ukraine and the threat of Putin in the East, and also that of Don.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in his message to open the commemoration, remembered all those who sacrificed their lives for the greater good. "This 80th anniversary is a moment of national unity. A moment to celebrate a hard-won peace. Their legacy lives on today in the way we stand together in defense of the values for which they fought and which unite us as a nation."

A nation that admires its soldiers as they parade—less than half an hour, disappointing enough for enthusiasts—through central London on a public holiday, but which would have great difficulty, like the rest of Europe, sending troops to Ukraine to defend peace, if it comes. A nation that has often served the militaristic interests of a White House that has now turned its back on the continent it helped—partially—in that uncertain hour. Today's very poor parade and the events of the days to follow speak more of present weaknesses than of the strengths and sacrifices of the past.