A "Rocky" Anthem?

Digesting the chapter "Rocks" in Black Swan Green is something that I've been attempting for some time now. So the foreshadowing about Tom Yew, all the way back to his first appearance in "January Man," has finally come to fruition in his tragic death aboard the HMS Coventry. I guess it's the pointlessness of his death that is both the real tragedy and the point David Mitchell is making.  Julia astutely points out that in a "Pyrrhic victory" the cost of victory is so high that war probably should have been avoided in the first place. Tom Yew might be this realization for Jason...maybe.

But what about everyone else in Black Swan Green?  When the ceasefire is announced, everyone celebrates and sings their military/patriotic/victory song Rule Britannia.

(the rousing chorus starts around the 1:00 mark)

Have people so soon forgotten the tragic deaths that could very well have been avoided? Are these sorts of patriotic songs smoke screens to support wartime efforts?  Hey, America isn't beyond a little patriotic "propaganda" as well:

Being patriotic isn't necessarily bad; however, if one blindly supports all governmental decisions, no matter the casualties, then we have lost sight of the big picture. So is patriotism a form of propaganda? Is it morally wrong to just side with the triumph of one's own country? And moreover, has the "realism" of the war through Tom's death made a lasting impact? I'm very curious how the death of a local will affect Jason and other characters in Black Swan Green in the coming chapters.