Jun. 10th, 2004 01:13 pm
The /Col?d/ War
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vin_petrolIn November 1975 The Cod War erupted between the UK and Iceland: a conflict about who got to fish for cod in the disputed 200 mile exclusion zone around Iceland. This wasn't a very serious war, with just a few shots being fired, a bit of ramming and lots of nets being cut. It was eventually resolved in June 1976.
After the Second World War, an Iron Curtain descended across the continent of Europe and The Cold War began.
To the confused ears of a young Vin, about 8 years old when this was happening, the two got strangely merged together in my mind. Cod sounds a bit like Cold, doesn't it? There's only one consonant difference. Plus, I suspect it's cold up there near Iceland.
I spent several years in the 70s there wondering exactly why the Soviet Union was so bothered about cod. It seemed they had a huge nuclear arsenal, poised to obliterate civilisation, and yet I was still getting cod fish fingers for my tea! Was it worth the risk of global destruction for this? The UK was clearly a combatant in this war, although quite why Iceland was allied with the evil Russians I could never quite work out. The Americans seemed to be on our side, although their president never seemed to mention cod when they were on the news, and he didn't seem to want to send an aircraft carrier to help fend of the Icelandic gunboats. It didn't entirely make sense.
It was a few years before I worked it out. I've never told anyone this till now :-)
After the Second World War, an Iron Curtain descended across the continent of Europe and The Cold War began.
To the confused ears of a young Vin, about 8 years old when this was happening, the two got strangely merged together in my mind. Cod sounds a bit like Cold, doesn't it? There's only one consonant difference. Plus, I suspect it's cold up there near Iceland.
I spent several years in the 70s there wondering exactly why the Soviet Union was so bothered about cod. It seemed they had a huge nuclear arsenal, poised to obliterate civilisation, and yet I was still getting cod fish fingers for my tea! Was it worth the risk of global destruction for this? The UK was clearly a combatant in this war, although quite why Iceland was allied with the evil Russians I could never quite work out. The Americans seemed to be on our side, although their president never seemed to mention cod when they were on the news, and he didn't seem to want to send an aircraft carrier to help fend of the Icelandic gunboats. It didn't entirely make sense.
It was a few years before I worked it out. I've never told anyone this till now :-)