September 11, 2021, will mark the 20th anniversary since the world fell silent.
Like many, I remember where I was when the towers fell. I was in the back of my mum's car, as we drove home from school. I didn't understand what I was listening to, nor the significance of it. But what happened that day impacted my life and the lives of all of us in The West.
2996 people were killed that day, 67 of them British Citizens. That's 2996 sons, daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. These people went to work in the morning, with no reason to believe that they were in any kind of danger. They didn't know that deep in the Afghan mountains, people were plotting against our way of life and what we stood for.
The U.S and the U.K have a special relationship. It is one that transcends our shared language. We share a commitment to freedom, to democracy, to equal rights. Those who attacked the U.S on 9.11 stood against those values, they hated those values, they attacked those values.
As we stop to remember the horrific attacks and those who lost their lives, we must also remember what it is that was being attacked. We must remain steadfast in our commitment to those values, that have set both our nations as world leaders and that has delivered a better life for so many.
The Romford Conservative Association, today, raised the Stars and Stripes of the United States of America. It flies proudly alongside our own Union Flag, as a reminder of that nightmarish day, However it also flies as a symbol of friendship, it symbolises an international partnership like no other.
Margaret Thatcher declared "I am in politics because of the conflict between good and evil, and I believe that in the end good will triumph".
Tomorrow, September 11th is a reminder that some people will do all they can to prevent democracy and freedom. However it is also a reminder that we, the United Kingdom, will always stand by the U.S in defending it. Our flags fly as a reminder that our way of life will triumph.
- By David Taylor
Communications Officer, Romford Conservatives
