flashman

Here in Eastern Ontario the bicentennial of the War of 1812 is being recognized yet I've never seen a mention in the UK media (BBC TV News or Expat Telegraph or Express Newspapers)


Is it a secret ?

Alan2005

Nobody cares.

Ben W Bell

Also to the British is was kind of just an extension of what was really the first world war, the Napoleonic Wars.

caretaker

It's propaganda; the Harper government is forcing the bicentennial of that dubious victory down our throats to draw attention away from the dishonesty and deceit they've been managing our country and our affairs with. If we're going to fork out all the money for jets and trucks and maybe submarines for the armed forces they run positive national pride historical vignettes with weapons in them. It isn't even good sleight of hand. Veterans affairs should of been allocated whatever all the 1812 bull cost and spent it on the vets.

flashman

I guess the Brits are to polite to remind the Americans that they were the losers !

cheeky_monkey

Nobody has ever heard of the war 1812 in the UK that's why.

Former Lancastrian

I politely remind Americans that with the help of the Brits the Canadians burned down the White House.
Plus it as an away game for the Brits so many in the UK couldnt get tickets to attend or had ASBOs banning them from travelling.

dbd33

It was the British that burned the Whitehouse.

Former Lancastrian

Yes indeed, the Constitutional Act came into effect on December 26, 1791. Canada was still a British Colony and truly self ruled country however. But then again saying that we didn't burn down the white house would be like saying Americans didn't fight for their independance, using that thinking I guess the French were the only nation fighting for US independance.

caretaker

The way I heard it, we didn't burn the White House down, but badly singed it. The Capital Building we burnt down. British regular forces and Canadian militia attacked together in retaliation for the sacking and burning of York, (TO). These ads implying we were the winners of that war (produced at our expense) are insidious and only serve the government spin doctors by trying to shape public opinion.

Former Lancastrian

It does piss off the Americans though

The Burning of Washington in 1814 was an armed conflict during the War of 1812 between the forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and those of the United States of America. On August 24, 1814, after defeating the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg, a British force led by Major General Robert Ross occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings. The facilities of the U.S. government, including the White House and U.S. Capitol, were largely destroyed.[3] The British commander's orders to burn only public buildings and strict discipline among the British troops are credited with preserving the city's private buildings.

This was the only time since the Revolutionary War that a foreign power captured and occupied the United States capital.

flashman

Except that Canada Geese crap on the White House lawn every year !

Novocastrian

Look in the mirror, regard yourself and quietly ponder if you have some sort of problem that you should address.

Ben W Bell

Except we did win the war. The US invaded, we stopped them, the US failed to meet its goals, we met ours. That's a win in anyone's books (apart from Americans.) Just because everything got reset didn't mean it was a draw, we weren't trying to take over the US just get them out.

bats

Seems Canadians don't know much about it either

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/...emoration.html