Just watched the film of Vera Brittain’s book “A Testament of Youth” at my ever reliable community cinema, Saffron Screen. Aside from the fact it is a very moving film and a very effective commentary on the dreadful loss of so many young lives during the First World War, two things struck me:
Firstly, although it was coincidental that I was watching it at Easter the timing was somehow very appropriate. I was left feeling that the harrowing loss of so many demands something in response from those of us who have never known such carnage. Surely we must hope for a better world, where life has greater value and in which we are able to reach across, as Vera Brittain tried to do, to those who may be seen as the enemy.
Secondly it made the current election campaign, leaders’ debate and the cheap point scoring seem utterly trivial. How I long to see something meaningful debated and politicians putting forward a vision for the future of the United Kingdom, rather than just using scare tactics to panic everybody into supporting them.