(I wonder how well New Zealanders would accept an area of our foreshore becoming a shrine to the dead of an invading army, and was overwhelmed by a bigger and bigger crowd of foreigners on the anniversary day every year? Say if a Japanese army had landed here in 1944, only to be beaten back after an epic and brutal fight?)

Interestingly, whilst looking for it on Google Scholar, I came across a paper that includes a useful characterisation of the debate on this thread about ANZAC Day:”This friction between renovated historiographies and conservative public discourses has given rise to moments of heated debate and polemic and, particularly in Australia, a polarisation between the so-called ‘black-armband’ and ‘white blindfold’ views of the past.”

Surprise, surprise – there was no lteer. Maxwell then began to check other reference, and found that others were made up as well.

One that I do recall relates to the battle of Waireka. On p86, Belich cites a claim by Harry Atkinson that he (Atkinson) only saw two dead Maori, and no live Maori, the whole day. In the original reference, however, Atkinson comments that when his force withdraw under cover of darkness to the nearby Omata Stockade, he saw two dead Maori and no live ones – ie, during the withdrawal itself. Belich, then, has taken one statement and completely changed the meaning and context.

I don’t think that we are threadjacking, as we are discussing interpretations of New Zealand’s history, so can I ask for the 2000 reference about the made-up references? If you like, you could respond on my own blog… you know, the “fifth rate tired old commie crap.”

Tell me what I need to say to actually make you vomit, Redbaited, and I’ll see what I can do.

Seriously, glad to see that you’re still in character. Exceedingly entertaining as always. If there is an award for outrageous dupsters, I’d like to be the first to nominate you.

Well, that, plus virtually everything else he says. I might also note that many of his references have since been found to be incorrect or non-existent.

I don’t want to thread-jack, but have reviewed the book for Amazon.com. The link is as follows:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1POQM41S0PLBH/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Although we like to call the Germans the baddies in WW1 for firing the first shots as it were, it is important to understand the nature of “Powder-keg Europe” at the time. Germany’s only hope of successfully fighting off a two front war against allies Russia and France was to strike first and knock out Paris, and force a French ceasefire. Then turn and face Russia (who would take a much longer time to mobilise their antiquated but potentially monstrous army). This strategy was smart, but required them to act first and move swiftly if it was to be successful. In order to do so required they swing through the low countries due to the heavy French fortifications along the German-French border. From what I recall, Britain had signed a pact recognising Belgium’s right to exist (post Napoleon), and so came to Belgium’s aid.

When Russia made moves on the border of AH in support to Serbia following the assassination of the Archduke by a Serbian anarchist, the Germans got nervous and brought their plan into action. The rest, as they say, is history.

Enough said.

[DPF: Indeed enough said. Anyone who compares ANZAC Day to Nazi propaganda is vile. To do it on ANZAC Day itself is even worse. And that's 20 demerits for the vileness and offensiveness]

No you do. Your plaintive and infantile wailing and whining every time you and your political ideology is criticised or challenged is so tiresome. All you’re capable of doing is posting piffling snide off hand comments trying to put down anyone who isn’t on your broken down crumbling side of the political fence. Spare readers the pathetic snivelling. Argue your case or fuck off.

You realy need to grow up bro.

Sonic displays the hard left’s customary shock horror and awe of criticism. Its something they still can’t get used to. Wisen up moron, those days when you could get away with your deceit ridden bullshit virtually unchallenged are long gone.

Of course realising he is just a friendless, sad little man means it is not serious, but even so that much hate is worrying to see.

Nobody is. The blogosphere is totally overloaded with such fifth rate tired old commie crap… crawl back into your cave.

…and as for Anzac day, the totalitarian and tyrannical objectives of socialism as pursued by the NZ Labour party are an insult to the memory of every soldier who died fighting against those two evils. When such as you wax on about “sacrifice” and “globalised world” and “imperialist brownie points” in your ponderous and pretentious manner, you just make me want to vomit. The left in NZ and elsewhere have more often betrayed the free world forces than they have honoured them. They betrayed them in both World War I and II , they betrayed them in Vietnam and today they betray them in Iraq and elsewhere. I know you for what you are, and I don’t buy any of your sanctimonious shit about “remembrance ” or your facile academic posturing for one fucken millisecond. You are treasonists and fifth columnists, plain and simple.

Do you mean the story of how the Maori won all the battles but lost the war? It is true that Belich has a tendency to push things a little to get everything into his frame, but he’s hardly the first historian to do that and that doesn’t make him into a left-wing propagandist. He does provide useful insights and, if you take a dialectical view, has played a valuable role in New Zealand historiography. Sounds like his account of the New Zealand Wars was educational in unintented ways.

[Wow, I can't believe I just used "dialectical" on kiwiblog. That's got to be a first, surely?]

It always amused me to see so many university students arriving on campus all set to worship Hemi, and then turning on his book like a pack of wolves once they had had all the mistakes were pointed out to them. It was quite comical.

Even Holyoake’s government sought to limit the number of NZers fighting in Vietnam to the barest minimum as they appeased the US government.

For the very instructive and interesting story of one of the unsung heroes of Gallipoli, see:
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=874