I loathe poppy fascism as much as anyone. But today I saw a man in his eighties, who I know has been a stalwart of his local community for decades, selling poppies. He was bending over to pin a poppy on a young girl's coat then showed her the medals he was wearing. And I thought that's what the poppy appeal is about - giving, remembering, and learning. We might find much of it distasteful, but let's not blind ourselves to the real message.

Exactly. Which is about as far removed from two pricks with a spray can and a handy mosque as you can imagine.

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"Even when you're a super-computer with an IQ of 2000 it's brown trousers time."

Reclaiming "methinks" for the nation

Latest blog post - 2011 - a review (updated 07/10)

They're gettin onto the subject of "should burning poppies be banned" on QT right now.

People who do such things do so because of the attention the act generates for their cause. It won't stop schools teaching pupils about the previous wars, it won't stop people buying poppies or stop people donating to the charity.

Yes it can be done to show outright disrespect, but people who do such things are in the absolute minority, and banning poppy burning risks making it a brave and defiant act that such groups would be even more proud to do.

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"Now get those trousers off before someone dies!"

Not only is it handing them symbolic martyrdom on a plate but it also conveys that they really have everyone else rattled. Why make them feel more powerful than they are? Let them do what they do and let everyone judge them on their actions.

Someone on Twitter tonight whom I follow pointed out if you insist that poppies commemorate the fallen of current, ongoing conflicts(and not just past conflicts), then inevitably you are politicising the process of commemoration, and you should not be surprised if some groups(Choudhury's twats, FIFA) object to it on that basis.

It does seem to me that there is a good deal of accuracy in this view.

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I'm a nasty, violent lefty. You cunt.

That's right.
We have the names of two sergeants killed in Northern Ireland on our local memorial, except in their case, unlike all the other names, there is no conflict identified. Because it could have led, at one time, to the memorial being IRA-bombed. Or so went the official logic. That's politics intruding into remembrance.

Remembrance, like any other aspect of history, is reinvented by people of later time to illustrate or prove their view of the past.

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Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening.

Really, in my honest opinion, the 11th should be purely about World War 1 as that is the anniversary being commemorated, and all other conflicts should be limited purely to the Sunday.

By the way, if I choose to remember a long-lost relative who died in the Napoleonic Wars, is that acceptable>

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"Even when you're a super-computer with an IQ of 2000 it's brown trousers time."

Reclaiming "methinks" for the nation

Latest blog post - 2011 - a review (updated 07/10)

I'm suprised you can remember that far back to be honest!

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The upper hand is on the other foot now.

Such are the burdens of immortality

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"Even when you're a super-computer with an IQ of 2000 it's brown trousers time."

Reclaiming "methinks" for the nation

Latest blog post - 2011 - a review (updated 07/10)

I agree. Recently, it seems to be more and more about Afghanistan and Iraq, which may be causing the terminally thick to indulge in jingoism and xenophobia.

The commemoration got moved to the nearest Sunday after World War 2 as it was felt that this was more appropriate. I dont know when it came back to the 11th, fairly recently I think

There was a campaign of bullying by the London newspapers around fifteen years ago.

It doesn't really make much sense to do it all twice, once on the 11th and then again on the Sunday. It's almost as if people are getting more out of it than just remembrance and respect. Which is, to my mind at least, distasteful.

Has anybody had any fb statuses from people moaning about other people disrespecting the poppy?. One woman on mine has said a taxi driver told her she couldnt get into his cab with a poppy on (allegedly of course). Should I have pointed out that not everyone agrees with the current war?. Tbh I can see both sides in this.

Just seen a Muslim girl wearing a poppy and speaking about remembrance on BBC News. Shows the EDL and BNP propaganda for the shite that it is.

Ah, but it's the BBC, so you know what will follow.

I did wonder why -if the Mail doesn't take a permanent anti-Muslim stance as it claims- why they wouldn't like to prove this view by reporting on the groups of Muslim kids who were selling poppies outside their local mosque, and all the money they raised?

Weeks later and still nothing. Even as a perfect opportunity to lie and pretend they were impartial, they missed out.

Was it not newsworthy then?

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"Now get those trousers off before someone dies!"