Remembrance and Misrule

 So it goes, the annual 12 days of Misrule, Death, Remembrance, and Defiance in the UK have come to an end. We have 4 holidays in close succession to each other, starting with Halloween (or All Souls' Day... or if you're one of my fellow travellers, Samhain), followed by All Saints' Day - which is usually overlooked - then Guy Fawkes' Night and finally, Remembrance Day. The season, for it would be foolish to deny that that's what it is, is united by an idea of defiance either against the encroaching winter or mortal authority, and by a clashing solemnity as we grow closer to today. It travels from the supernatural to the mundane, from monsters to the sacrifice of the flower of youth in a war so horrible that we don't dare forget it. 

That element of misrule is a point of much contention - the Church of England never fails to warn about demons and the dangers of the occult, while in many ways the Guy - the figure burned on bonfires on November 5th - is a way of cocking a snook at the political leaders of the country. As such the festivals provide an important release valve for a society that only appears to be at ease with itself. Psychologically, it provides a point to release emotions and engage in a bit of topsy turvy. Arguably, that's a necessary thing - provided it doesn't get taken too far - because in the same way that it's okay for people not to play the capitalist game, there must be a chance for all our inner rebelliousness to be expressed. All the other festivals celebrated in the UK - even May Day - are more concerned with the imposition of order and hierarchy, so having that moment of misrule is important. Misrule, the ability to cut against what authority tells us is right is an essential part of a healthy society and it should be celebrated.

I found myself thinking about that today as I went out to grab some groceries. It is, of course, the day where we remember the fallen soldiers from the wars, certainly from the First World War onwards - though I would like to think we also remember the dead from earlier conflicts. Aside from the hay bales that are blocking the road around Bourne Avenue, the thing that struck me was the field gun and men dressed in military gear. It's fair enough, you might say, after all it is a day to remember war dead... but I find myself asking if we ought to bring some of that spirit of misrule to the affair, not in a silly joking way, but in the form of questions about how our leaders lead, how they rule, how they make decisions. I don't say this lightly, but because the overall feeling I have is that the people in charge are remote from the decisions they make - in the same way that the generals in the First World War threw lives away with an outdated war doctrine. We are still lions led by donkeys, sadly. It's time that changed.