James McClean Not Wearing A Poppy Again

Absolutely. It's all "demonstration" of caring as much as actual caring.

 

Then why is there an outcry if some tv presenter fails to wear a poppy? Who articulates it? The likes of the Sun and the Mail crying disrespect.
My grandparents fought in the first war. My father and uncles in the second. I don't need the local council banging up giant poppies on lamp posts or frenzied newspapers to goad me into remembering them or their sacrifice.
Neither do I need just one specific day a year or a red poppy to do it.

 

I don't give a toss about outcries, and neither should anyone else. Who cares about what's in the Sun, for heaven's sake?
If you want to read about that and think it's for some reason important, then that's up to you.
Same goes for what the council does. Neither here nor there to me. But there is one special day.
And to belittle one day of remembrance is churlish.
Presumably you don't do Christmas. Cos there's 364 other days to do it.

 

I'm not belittling anything.

 

You can wear nothing on or around Remembrance Day if you wish. No problem at all.

To wear a poppy of a different colour however is drawing attention to the fact that for some reason you are making some other kind of gesture contrary to poppy day.

Which is raining on poppy day parade.

If you have a cause, go off and find your own day for it. Unless you genuinely object to commemorating the fallen, which again tbh is fair enough.

 

Three questions; in all sincerity:

1. Where does the poppy money go?
2. If to cater for ex-servicemen and women, why does the state not take care of this?
3. Do the latter not get pensions and NHS entitlements like everyone else? And if so, why does this not meet their needs?

Serious questions, as I've never really understood this.

 

I don't have a contrary cause. I've nothing against poppy day as long as it's not deemed obligatory. In the eyes of some it's virtually become so.
In a time where vital services such as mental health support is being slashed across the board I DO have a problem with local councils having their employees running round strapping giant poppies to lamp posts to reinforce what should be voluntary. It's reaching the point where some people dare not fail to conform.

 

So instead you wear a poppy to mark the fall of an animal? Or summat else? Because the council are sticking a few poppies on lamp posts?

If the Tour de France is coming through do you object to yellow all over the place?

What do you do at Christmas?

Everything is voluntary. Muslims. Christians. Jews. Everything we do in this particular sense is voluntary.

Watching Barnsley is voluntary (OK - I got carried away a bit there - it IS compulsory).

You have no need to conform - there's no pressure from anywhere. It's a myth. Do what you like. Nobody cares.

 

I don't think there's any pressure for me or you to wear a poppy but there is pressure for anyone on TV or any politicians to wear them or else be crucified

 

You're right. And that's wrong. They should be able to be left alone. I wouldn't think anything of anyone not wearing a poppy.

I might however think "who's that pillock with the purple poppy?".

 

I think I can answer the questions as a current serving member of the armed forces.

The poppy money goes to the Royal British Legion who support ex service personnel and their families.

The state doesn’t really recognise ex service personnel and this has been a failing for a very long time. The statistics show that on average, every 11 days an ex serving member of the armed forces commits suicide.

Pensions are only immediate after serving a specific period of time, in the RAF it was 22 years although this has changed recently. If you didn’t serve that lng then your pension was not payable until later in your life, usually in line with your state pension.

Hopefully that helps?

 

So what year made you decide it no longer mattered then like cos I’m quite sure many of those soldiers are still with us today.

 

Red poppy was originally for the world wars. It's not got the same meaning anymore with it now involving wars we got involved in that didn't concern us such as Iraq, Syria and many others. The red poppy should be for the world wars and another colour poppy sold for world wars and any other conflict since. Don't agree with the flashy pin poppys either. It's not a fashion accessory item. Stick with the paper versions.

 

Aye so those world wars and the people that fought in them and gave us our freedom today don’t matter like because of wars they had no involvement in since. Jesus wept.

 

He's never said that world wars or those that thought don't matter. Nowhere has he claimed that or even hinted it

 

I don’t think I’ve ever read something I disagree with more on this forum. It’s your own opinion and you can hold it. It’s my opinion that you are so wrong it’s almost offensive to every single service man who has ever served. When we sign on the line we understand that one day our time might come. For you to define a life isn’t as important because they died at a different time is pretty damn disrespectful.

 

Wearing a poppy of whatever colour should be a personal choice.

 

What's your personal choice?

 

Falklands? No red poppy for those that died then?

 

Roughly 10% of the British casualties in WW2 were civilians (686 in S Yorks). Do they also deserve respect and remembrance?