# Red and Blue Trafalgar **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-and-blue-trafalgar/308837 "2005-06-18T20:30:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![whatsittoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@whatsittoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatsittoya)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-and-blue-trafalgar/308837/1 "2005-06-18T20:30:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Organisers of a re-enactment to mark the bicentenary of the battle next month have decided it should be between “a Red Fleet and a Blue Fleet” not British and French/Spanish forces. [Link](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1622627,00.html) I don’t get it. Are the French not going to know what the red and blue stand for? > [@](#): > > A spokeswoman for the Royal Navy said: “This is an illustration and theatre on water. Nelson is featured, but we are not billing it as Britain versus France . . . This will not be a French-bashing opportunity.” If they are that worried about it why hold the event at all? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-and-blue-trafalgar/308837/2 "2005-06-18T22:14:13Z")
Should we now re-edit all the Civil War movies in the US so the North never fought the South because it might offend someone? Should the bad guys in films about WWI and WWII be replaced with space aliens? I think that [this](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/05/22/utrafalgar.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/05/22/ixportaltop.html) comment sums it up best > [@](#): > > Mike Hancock, the Lib Dem MP for Portsmouth South, accused organisers of misguidedly trying to protect the feelings of French guests who will attend the commemorations. > > He said: “It’s absolute twaddle. If we are going to re-enact it we should do it properly. I am sure the French do not pull any punches when they celebrate Napoleon’s victories.” ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-and-blue-trafalgar/308837/3 "2005-06-19T02:09:15Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > He said: “It’s absolute twaddle. If we are going to re-enact it we should do it properly. I am sure the French do not pull any punches when they celebrate Napoleon’s victories.” Actually I can’t remember any Napoleon’s victory having been celebrated. The only celebrations I’ve ever heard of were 20th century wars and the french revolution. By the way, what is this Trafalgar thing??? Seriously, it doesn’t make sense. If they assume that celebrating Trafalgar could offend someone, then except if the guests are all complete idiots I somehow suspect that they’ll be able to guess who are these “blue” people, and be offended anyway. Maybe it has become not politically correct to celebrate victories of intra-european wars, and in this case, I think it’s not necessarily a bad idea. I don’t think there’s much to celebrate in these pointless bloodsheds, whoever might have been the victorious side. But then , they should scrape the celebration altogether. By the way, when are the british going to stop offending french tourists and change the name of the Waterloo station? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-and-blue-trafalgar/308837/4 "2005-06-19T02:17:30Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Maybe it has become not politically correct to celebrate victories of intra-european wars, and in this case, I think it’s not necessarily a bad idea. I don’t think there’s much to celebrate in these pointless bloodsheds, whoever might have been the victorious side. But then , they should scrape the celebration altogether. Well, in the case of Nappy, one could argue that if he’d gone on to conquer the whole of Europe, democracy might have never had the chance to catch hold, but AFAIK, he wasn’t _quite_ the nutjob that another European country produced a century or so later, and who’s defeat is being remembered as having happened 60 years ago. > [@](#): > > By the way, when are the british going to stop offending french tourists and change the name of the Waterloo station? And one would hope that radio stations would stop playing that song by ABBA as well (in fact, they can quit playing **everything** by them and I’ll be happy). ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-and-blue-trafalgar/308837/5 "2005-06-19T02:26:35Z")
This thing is only a small part of a much broader [events programme.](http://www.cavillconnections.co.uk/ifos.htm) > [@](#): > > The Official Nelson Commemorations Committee is overseeing the creation of an exciting programme to mark the bicentenary. It will consist of exhibitions, re-enactments, special publications, regattas, yacht rallies, conferences, symposia and community-based activities around Britain. The climax of the Festival will be the Trafalgar Weekend on 21–23 October 2005 with dinners, parades, fireworks, beacons, church services and bell-ringing across the country. The Festival will strongly emphasize the involvement of young people, demonstrating to them the continuing importance of the sea to Britain and the richness of our maritime heritage. The Festival will reach beyond Britain. **Events are being organized in Toulon and Cadiz in a celebration of international friendship between former opponents.** Bolding mine. Who cares about that little bit of _son et lumiere_ on June 28? Just a bit of touristy twaddle, by the sounds of it.