The James McClean Sponsored Poppy Thread

[thisGRAEME]

What booing is this you're referring to? They walked out of Parkhead against Motherwell and had a protest with their banners and their rebel songs.

The British forces have no doubt killed innocents in Afghanistan and Iraq not to mention the bombing of Dresden. Maybe you or QLP would like to answer why they're only getting upset about one incident?

Did they? Ah right, it was Falkirk they booed.

Fwiw, I was citing James McClean's explanation as to why he doesn't want to wear one.

[Glenconner]

Didn't some leader chap from the Royal British Legion go and visit Mr Hitler?

[Quitongo's Left Peg]

See this white poppy shite, get it to f**k.

Poser shite for p***ks.

Someone's in a great mood today.

What booing is this you're referring to? They walked out of Parkhead against Motherwell and had a protest with their banners and their rebel songs.

The British forces have no doubt killed innocents in Afghanistan and Iraq not to mention the bombing of Dresden. Maybe you or QLP would like to answer why they're only getting upset about one incident?

I couldn't give two flying fucks what Celtic fans are doing. You could spend all day listing the crimes of the British Army (the ones that have came out, that is) and each one is a national disgrace. Although I wouldn't protest about it at a football match. If you don't agree with the silence then come into the stadium once it's done.

I object to the white poppy on the basis that, some of, the people who wear them are sanctimonious and ill informed about their reasons for wearing them. It's very existence perpetuates the myth that the red poppy is a celebration of war. I object strongly to that inference. My family, like most, lost people in the second world war. The red poppy is as much an anti war statement as the white - no one, (normal), likes war!

edit: missed a word

Okay then, I could easily say that I object to the red poppy on the basis that, some of, the people who wear them are sanctimonious and ill informed about their reason for wearing them. It can work both ways.

Is this turning into a game of top trumps though? My family lost such and such... If you go back far enough, most people on this site will have lost someone from their family as a result of war, so your use of that as an "I'm better than you" is a bit strange.

The remembrance day celebrations, and the actions taken around it, are becoming more and more about British patriotism than anything else. The British Legion's catchphrase last year was "For them, for now, forever", which certainly doesn't suggest to me that they are anti-war.

I respect anyone's decision to support whatever organisation they choose to, but the inference that anyone who wears a white poppy is doing so out of self-congratulation is well off the mark. The same way I'd be well off the mark if I said that all people that wear a red poppy are warmongering sycophants.

[killienick]

Didn't some leader chap from the Royal British Legion go and visit Mr Hitler?

Insightful. You should write books with your acute historical knowledge.

That was 1935 and is shameful but retrospectively so. They weren't over there endorsing genocide.

[Dee Man]

I might wear one for the first time this year in the hope of noising up a few plastics.

[bhoy who invented weetabix]

Think I might get one tattooed on my face

[killienick]

Okay then, I could easily say that I object to the red poppy on the basis that, some of, the people who wear them are sanctimonious and ill informed about their reason for wearing them. It can work both ways.

Is this turning into a game of top trumps though? My family lost such and such... If you go back far enough, most people on this site will have lost someone from their family as a result of war, so your use of that as an "I'm better than you" is a bit strange.

The remembrance day celebrations, and the actions taken around it, are becoming more and more about British patriotism than anything else. The British Legion's catchphrase last year was "For them, for now, forever", which certainly doesn't suggest to me that they are anti-war.

I respect anyone's decision to support whatever organisation they choose to, but the inference that anyone who wears a white poppy is doing so out of self-congratulation is well off the mark. The same way I'd be well off the mark if I said that all people that wear a red poppy are warmongering sycophants.

Exactly as I said QLP - most people lost someone. That was most certainly not an 'I'm better than you' but merely an explanation as to the reasons I believe most people wear the poppy - remembrance. Remembrance of those lost but also remembrance of the evils of war. It is decidedly an anti war message in my opinion.

I don't know your reasons for wearing the white poppy rather than the red, but almost everyone who has told me their reasons have used an anti war message of some description. That in itself infers that somehow the red poppy is not an anti war message does it not?

"For them, (people who have died), For now, (people who are dying), forever, (we'll remember them forever). That's what I've always understood that message to mean. As to the 'patriotism' of a minority of the wearers, it's embarrassing. But why should we allow them to hijack it?

[Shotgun]

Babs expresses her opinion on the matter (without getting her thruppeny bits, out for a change).

https://uk.screen.yahoo.com/factual/barbara-windsor-backs-british-legion-111517421.html

Someone posted that on my Fizzbook page this morning. No explanation as to why anyone should give a monkey's chuff about her opinion on any topic, unfortunately.

[Sergeant Wilson]

Shoot them twice, did they?

Better safe than sorry.

[~~~]

Is that to try and deflect from their fans vile behaviour re poppys at Motherwell a few years ago?

No, it's just a fact. Chances are as a club we donate more money than most others

[invergowrie arab]

Babs expresses her opinion on the matter (without getting her thruppeny bits, out for a change).

https://uk.screen.yahoo.com/factual/barbara-windsor-backs-british-legion-111517421.html

"What would we do without them looking after us"

Is she talking about our brave boys or psychopathic paedo gangsters?

[vikingTON]

I object to the white poppy on the basis that, some of, the people who wear them are sanctimonious and ill informed about their reasons or wearing them. It's very existence perpetuates the myth that the red poppy is a celebration of war. I object strongly to that inference. My family, like most, lost people in the second world war. The red poppy is as much an anti war statement as the white - no one, (normal), likes war!

edit: missed a word

That you thought the above sentence would somehow lend greater credibility to your point is frankly hilarious.

I won't be wearing a poppy in the same way that no-one was mawkishly 'commemorating' the Napoleonic Wars back in 1914. Plus no-one actually bothers to grief-monger in this way on the continent, so I wouldn't have the opportunity anyway. Move on FFS.

[Bobby Skidmarks]

Think I might get one tattooed on my face

It would certainly improve your looks.

[HoBNob]

I've noticed portakabins on both Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Street in the last week, both of which are selling all manner of poppy-related goods - tshirts, hats, hoodies, etc.

Is this now a thing? I've never noticed anything like it before.

It's all about the Royal British Legion or in Scotland it would be poppy Scotland I suppose! Trying to raise as much money as possible.

I'd probably still wear one if it was about remembering all folk who died during wars, no matter which country they were from. It stopped being about that, certainly in the UK, a long time ago.

Surely in the UK, where the Royal British Legion were selling them with the proceeds going towards UK Armed Forces veterans and such like, it's always been about which country they came from? It's not like you were buying a poppy as a kid and the money was getting sent to France.

For as long as the Legion makes money out of it that helps benefit the armed forces they're always going to get sold, no chance of them stopping anytime soon.

[killienick]

That you thought the above sentence would somehow lend greater credibility to your point is frankly hilarious.

I won't be wearing a poppy in the same way that no-one was mawkishly 'commemorating' the Napoleonic Wars back in 1914. Plus no-one actually bothers to grief-monger in this way on the continent, so I wouldn't have the opportunity anyway. Move on FFS.

Your facetious, patronising retort has definitely won you the moral high ground. Well done.

I wasn't trying to 'lend credibility', I was merely giving a rational and acceptable reason for the wearing of the poppy. My Great-Grandfather, whom I never met obviously, was killed one week before the end of the war, (many people on this thread will have similar stories so this isn't one-upmanship). My Gran was left without a father and was mentally scarred by the fallout of this and she used to tell me how awful the whole situation was on many occasions. I wear the poppy to remember people like him who were forced to go to war and their family was torn apart by it.

Grief mongering? Hardly. Commemorating? No. Remembrance? Yes.

As to why Napoleonic or Boer wars weren't given the same treatment. Perhaps it has to do with the nature of the wars in question. The military was more of a vocation at those times and the wars were far less invasive on the general public's psyche. The loss of life was also considerably less. I'm really not sure though.

[The Moonster]

Exactly as I said QLP - most people lost someone. That was most certainly not an 'I'm better than you' but merely an explanation as to the reasons I believe most people wear the poppy - remembrance. Remembrance of those lost but also remembrance of the evils of war. It is decidedly an anti war message in my opinion.

I don't know your reasons for wearing the white poppy rather than the red, but almost everyone who has told me their reasons have used an anti war message of some description. That in itself infers that somehow the red poppy is not an anti war message does it not?

"For them, (people who have died), For now, (people who are dying), forever, (we'll remember them forever). That's what I've always understood that message to mean. As to the 'patriotism' of a minority of the wearers, it's embarrassing. But why should we allow them to hijack it?

See if you've lost someone, especially a close family member, why the f**k do you need to stick a paper poppy on your jacket once a year to remember them? Can't you just remember them like everyone else remembers their deceased family members?

[vikingTON]

Your facetious, patronising retort has definitely won you the moral high ground. Well done.

I wasn't trying to 'lend credibility', I was merely giving a rational and acceptable reason for the wearing of the poppy. My Great-Grandfather, whom I never met obviously, was killed one week before the end of the war, (many people on this thread will have similar stories so this isn't one-upmanship). My Gran was left without a father and was mentally scarred by the fallout of this and she used to tell me how awful the whole situation was on many occasions. I wear the poppy to remember people like him who were forced to go to war and their family was torn apart by it.

None of which actually has anything to with your claim that a red poppy is an 'anti-war reference', or demonstrates your other claim that people who wear white poppies are 'sanctimonius and ill-informed' about their reasons for doing so. Just a meaningless, straw man gesture shoved into the argument then, which is precisely why it was amusing.

Edited October 29, 2015 by vikingTON

[killienick]

None of which actually has anything to with your claim that a red poppy is an 'anti-war reference', or demonstrates your other claim that people who wear white poppies are 'sanctimonius and ill-informed' about their reasons for doing so. Just a meaningless, straw man gesture shoved into the argument then, which is precisely why it was amusing.

I said it is my belief that the red poppy is an anti war message and that is my reason for wearing one. I also said that the people I know who wear white poppies give sanctimonious and ill informed reasons for doing so. None of these statements are all encompassing and certainly neither is straw man, (whatever that means).

If you have a legitimate anti poppy message then that's entirely your right. Similarly it is my right to explain why I will continue to wear one. (I've said earlier that in some incantations they have become mawkish and embarrassing), but I don't think the symbol should be allowed to be hijacked for politically motivated reasons.

[killienick]

I have heard some daft things in my life, but saying the red poppy is anti-war is up there.

I honestly don't see how remembering how hundreds of thousands of people died is anything but anti war. Surely it's a visual reminder of the futility? Are you saying they are pro war?

[williemillersmoustache]

Think I might get one tattooed on my face

You'd just be making yourself into a target.