What passing-bells for politicians who die as cattle?

Over the top: British soldiers in the trenches (Image: Getty)

The allies did not sweep into Germany in 1918, winning the First World War with the glory and élan of a victorious army. The victors triumphed because they held their disintegrating forces together better than Germany and Austria-Hungary could manage. In the end, and in the case of Italy and France only just, and in the case of Russia not at all, they could just about bear the horrendous casualties and costs; the threat of mutiny at the front and of disease, starvation and revolution at home.

In October 1918, a German military censor knew it was all up when he reported to his superiors, “As late as the spring of this year, it was possible to say of the majority of letter writers that they would not support peace at any price. Now they vehemently demand peace at any price. ‘We can’t go on, we don’t want to go on, we want to go home…‘

Labour and the Conservatives are like First World War armies.