Last weekend, prime minister Johnson paid tribute to "the rôle that armed forces personnel from across the Commonwealth played in the Second World War". It is a pity that movie representations, particularly those of our American cousins, have virtually whited out most of the "forgotten army", though some recent British TV documentaries have started to restore the balance.
It is an even greater pity that today's Commonwealth is ignored by Cummings and Johnson as they prioritise trade negotiations with the USA and Japan. They demonise refugees from Commonwealth countries where civil rights are ignored instead of using the organisation to press for change. They seek to divert overseas development funds from improving the lot of poor people to UK corporations. The EU as a whole has given more aid to Mozambique after the exceptional floods there this year and last. France was swift to send specialist teams to help clean up the devastating oil spill in Mauritius.
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