A 100-year-old World War II Royal Navy veteran left hosts of ITV’s Good Morning Britain speechless during a poignant interview, declaring that the sacrifices of his comrades were not worth the “country of today.” Alec Penstone, who survived the D-Day Normandy landings and perilous Arctic Convoys supplying the Soviets, appeared in full uniform to mark Remembrance Day, evoking the graves of fallen friends as he lamented the erosion of freedoms they died defending.
Dressed sharply and seated with hosts Kate Garraway and Adil Ray, Penstone reflected on the white crosses stretching across battlefields, asking, “For what? The country of today. No, I’m sorry, the sacrifice wasn’t worth the result that it is now.” Pressed for details, he added, “What we fought for was our freedom. We find that even now, it’s a darn sight worse than what it was when I fought for it.” The hosts, visibly moved, offered sympathy, with Garraway thanking him for his service amid an awkward silence that underscored the weight of his words.
In a follow-up to the Daily Mail, Penstone, a widowed grandfather, expanded on his disillusionment: “I don’t know what the hell we fought for and lost so many wonderful men. The country has gone to rack and ruin.” He decried corruption—”too many people with their fingers in the till”—and a loss of national faith, contrasting the selflessness of wartime Britain with modern individualism: “Nowadays there’s too many people that just want their own little corner and bugger everybody else.”
While open to immigration if immigrants “behave themselves,” he praised wartime leader Winston Churchill as decisive, dismissing today’s politicians as self-serving with “no comparison whatsoever.”
Penstone’s raw assessment spotlighted broader grievances in the UK, from unchecked mass immigration fostering unassimilated communities and rising extremism to stifled free speech—exemplified by police visits to an elderly woman over social media posts and charges against a comedian for mocking transgender ideology. His remarks echoed Prince Harry’s 2021 critique of America’s First Amendment as “bonkers,” highlighting how even subtle loopholes can undermine open discourse.