Alec Penstone, who volunteered as a messenger during the Blitz and later joined the Navy and participated in the Arctic Convoys and D-Day, has stated in an interview with Good Morning Britain that he feels the sacrifices of the war weren't worth the results we have today.

"I can see in my mind's eye those rows and rows of white stones and all the hundreds of my friends who gave their lives, for what? The country of today?

No, I'm sorry - but the sacrifice wasn't worth the result of what it is now.

What we fought for was our freedom, but now it's a darn sight worse than when I fought for it."

Someone should let him know he wasn't fighting to stop the world from turning. He was fighting to stop Hitler from steamrolling his country. Mission successful.

And it would be far worse for far longer if Hitler and Nazi Germany persisted. Most hundred year olds aren't going to be able to make these sort of nuanced assessments, so I am not sure what the news of this is, other than maybe to fuel fascist propaganda? Like what other implication is there from these comments than Nazism shouldn't have been defeated during WWII? 

He's just trying to lament of the changing ways of modern America. I'm sure that this old dog knows that we had to stop Hitler.

What it means is that we have let his sacrifice be for nothing as we're well underway to new fascist oppression. It doesn't mean that he wanted Nazism to steamroll the world in the 1940s, it means that its happening again. It means we haven't learned from history and are repeating the same mistakes that led to Nazi Germany.

Yes he can make that assessment. 

A lot of the older generations from way back then - The Silent, the Greatest, and some of the Boomers, agreed with much of what Hitler said or believed. The problem was that Hitler took his beliefs way too far and used those beliefs to try and justify the horrific and mortifying acts he committed.

As such, he needed to be stopped. But many of those people who stopped him secretly felt the same way he did and thought "Man, if he would just calm down and hadn't gone off the deep end, we wouldn't be risking our lives over here."

Eh. The U.K's government is being ran by a social-democratic/social-liberal coalition Labour Party. And the British people are much freer today than in the late 1930's and early 1940's, at least if we are talking about positive freedom. Although there is a good case for negative freedom too (Alan Turing was castrated in 1952, he killed himself two years later, as an example.)

I am skeptical that he is arguing against the far-right here and that the people spreading his message are either. 

These are the sort of media institutions spreading this message. The same ones tongue-bathing fascists.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/why-is-this-second-world-war-vet-crying/

"While Penstone may feel that his honorable service is betrayed as Britain has become increasingly authoritarian, others may feel that Britain has become freer by banning hate speech and importing large numbers of migrants."

https://www.allsides.com/news-source/american-conservative-media-bias

If you been to europe, it has changed a lot theze past 10 years.
A LOT

And not in a good way.

Here is the full interview



Unfortunately they never let him clarify and quickly pivot away from his sentiment. It stays ambiguous what he meant with his comment. Terrible reporter.

"What we fought for was our freedom, but now it's a darn sight worse than when I fought for it."

Seems to imply he thinks there is less freedom now, freedom of expression? Could indeed go both ways. I don't the man. But do see free speech under attack.

What does he speciffically mean by that. Cant imagine its just an old mans ramblings because modern world is weird.