it all seems a bit wrong-headed to me. That site in Oink's first post is in aid of "celebrating 200 years of peace" or some such guff. That's bollocks: 1812 was the year the war started; it didn't finish until the ratification of the Treaty of Ghent some time in mid-1815. We really shouldn't be celebrating the outbreak of a war - it's not like anybody celebrates the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand; nobody parades beside the cenotaph celebrating Chamberlain's radio broadcast on 3 September.

My guess, given the name of the war, it probably wouldn't have quite the same zip if it was 'celebrated' in 2015.

That only makes sense. I mean it's called 1812 'cos Jesus was born in year 1. Who gives a toss when he got finished off?

But in today's doublespeak, what used to be called war-mongering is now called peace-keeping, so it's probably very Canadian to celebrate the start of a war as "Celebrating 200 years of peace".

hopefully we will have just arrived safely so we'll be doing all sorts of celebrating

We went to a military tattoo thingy on Parliament Hill a couple of summers ago. The massed bands did the 1812, with authentic sound effects provided by an artillery unit. It was quite cool.

I presume they were firing blank rounds but, as I recall, the barrels were pointed at QC, so maybe they weren't.