• MANY of the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of D-Day are pitched at the usual jingoistic appeal.

And while there’s no big harm in that, it’s worth remembering also that those who fought so bravely were greatly motivated by hopes for a better future.

So among those who lost their lives, there had been dreams of a better life free of the grotesque inequalities of the 1930s.

And among those who survived were those who, a few years later, elected a Labour government which enabled the foundation of the National Health Service and a much-extended welfare state.

There’s little evidence of a similar positive outlook as we head for the polls 80 years on.

FW ANDERSON, NW3