No poppy thread this year??

riffmongous

As above.. or did I just not see it?

In general I haven't heard much about it this year at all in the British media, in fact if it wasn't for the planned demonstration today I wouldn't have seen any mention of it at all.

What gives? The Gaza conflict just overshadowing it? The veterans groups wanting to keep a low profile at the moment because of the heightened tensions, considering a lot of current veterans did their fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Notmything

Would it be too much to hope that perhaps some of the perennial whiners have other things to be bothered about than something that has nothing to do with them?

ancapailldorcha

I live in the UK and it's been perverted into a symbol of right wing nationalism. I haven't worn one once since I've lived here and never intend to.

z80CPU

I'll venture the Gaza conflict alone overshadowed it.

All I want to know is, will James McClean wear the poppy this afternoon?

retalivity

Was in a pub in Dublin 8 last night and there was a group of 4 Irish people ,all wearing poppies. Found that weird, never seen it in Ireland before other than the odd tourist

L.Ball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354826#Comment_121354826

that sounds like hysterical nonsense, the poppy is worn across the political spectrum.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354879#Comment_121354879

Maybe they had family who fought in the Great War, I think Irish soldiers numbered in the 6 digits.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354891#Comment_121354891

Not in my experience. It's become a tawdry symbol of cultural division now.

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354702#Comment_121354702

They don’t make SF apologists like they used to… or in the same qauntity…

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354891#Comment_121354891

Exactly. Irish people fought in the war as well. Its as if people forget that sometimes.

Its a time for all to remember those that gave their lives and of course, many irish people will have direct family members that gave the ultimate sacrifice.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354898#Comment_121354898

Still plenty of non far right knuckle draggers that wear the poppy.

Although I agree that Tommy Robinson and co dont help in that regard.

I think the whole event has been overshadowed by the Palestinian marches in London this year.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355011#Comment_121355011

I see very, very few people wearing it thankfully.

If someone wants a poppy thread, they should have started one themselves.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355015#Comment_121355015

Why thankfully, if I can ask?

Because of the association now with the far right?

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355022#Comment_121355022

Partly that and partly because, in my experience, British people's grasp of their own history is utterly appalling. Unforgivably so. History education in this country seems to be limited to Henry VIII and the Second World War with the memory of the latter being incredibly whitewashed. Then, you have the exploits of the British Army in Northern Ireland, including Bloody Sunday and none of those soldiers will never be held to account for what they did.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354826#Comment_121354826

I was in a couple of supermarkets in the North of England over the last few days.

The mild mannered middle class people I spoke to on their little stalls with badges and poppies for sale were anything but far right.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355033#Comment_121355033

I can see your viewpoint now, thanks.

I would still say that the poppy is about WW1 specifically and all the soldiers, British and Irish included, that died during that conflict.

But I can understand if someone is looking from the perspective at the British army as a whole, across their history, then they may view the poppy through a different lens.

silverharp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354998#Comment_121354998

The same British army (WW1) that was blowing Dublin city centre to bits and murdering Irish civilians at the time? at least there was a certain logic of Ukrainians joining the SS, enemy of my enemy and all that. Just shows how people can be manipulated , if young men just wanted excitement the IRA was probably recruiting at the time.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355011#Comment_121355011

I was reading an interesting discussion last night about how the poppy began to be seen as a show of support for the current British armed forces from the time of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars onward.

It definitely has been hijacked by right wing / far right English nationalist types in the last decade, which is unfortunate as even many English people are starting to concede it has become a somewhat controversial emblem.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355075#Comment_121355075

See, that's the sort of thing that's just ignored altogether here. Sure, any country at the time would have responded to a separatist insurrection at home in the same way but it still should be taught so people can form a reasonable understanding. Germans are taught about the Holocaust as children and go on trips to concentration camps. Whitewashing just creates ignorance.

slay55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354826#Comment_121354826

That’s nonsense.

Notmything

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354931#Comment_121354931

Maybe someone forgot to update the bots on what to be upset about today.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355087#Comment_121355087

To a point, but I wouldnt let the far right win in that regard.

When I see a war vet wearing the poppy or a memorial service, i dont think of Tommy Robinson.

I just think what a different place we in Ireland and Britian would be living in, if it wasnt for them and the sacrifices they made.

ejmaztec

There's a white poppy thing going on over there now, to cover losses on all sides. I don't know where the money goes though.

I've always been of the opinion that the defence budget should fund whatever the poppy charity funds, and that there shouldn't be a need for charity.

Governments did after all sent people off to get killed and wounded on their behalf.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355132#Comment_121355132

I would agree. The original idea behind the poppy was fine, it's just that the more nutty fringes of the far right plus the likes of the Daily Mail and the Daily Express have tried to hijack the symbol somewhat in recent times.

Also, older English people point out the whole Remembrance Sunday and poppy wearing phenomenon was much less of a thing in the 1970s and 1980s (the weekend often passed by barely noticed), but for some reason, interest in it and wearing of the poppy has ramped up in the last 10 or 15 years or so

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355160#Comment_121355160

You can never control what the Nazis and far right do but the government indulging in using it as a cultural cudgel to beat their opponents with and not catching flak for it is a massive red flag for me.

Then, you've gack like this:

slay55

..

An Claidheamh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354998#Comment_121354998

And what better way to remember WWI than fundraise for the terrorists of Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy, Dublin and Monaghan - anyone who thinks it goes to the descendents of WWI soldiers in Ireland is merely deluded

Worth remembering, the Brits refused to pay the pensions of the above

Poppy is nothing more than a British imperialist symbol, their version of the swastika, always was

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355248#Comment_121355248

To you, perhaps.

Each to their own though.

retalivity

Poppy watch on twitter is always good at this time of year for the sheer lunacy of what goes on over the water

https://twitter.com/giantpoppywatch/status/1723043687892939237

riffmongous

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354702#Comment_121354702

Now that you mention it, there's quite a few people missing alright who would have been on both sides of these threads.

Kinda sad in a way, the poppy thread was like a tradition here

AyeGer

Nobody allowed on British TV shows atm without one it seems.

Montage of Feck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355160#Comment_121355160

No coincidence that at that time there were plane loads of coffins flying in from Afghanistan and Iraq.

ejmaztec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355353#Comment_121355353

Recent photos of Charlie the third not wearing a poppy might leave him suffering the same fate as Charlie the first. Perhaps he's had enough of the poppy BS as well? 😛

nachouser

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2017/nov/07/david-squires-on-football-and-poppygate-2017

...

circadian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355353#Comment_121355353

Spotted Roy Keane and Shay Given wearing them recently so yeah could be a production stipulation now. Mental of thats the case.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354879#Comment_121354879

In Dublin I would not be surprised at all, the British Legion operates in Ireland and many Irish citizens serve in various branches of the UK's forcers. Back in my day (40 years ago) it was fairly common for young fellas to join An Slua Muiri (Naval Reserve) and transfer later to the Royal Navy. I'd say about 3 or 4 of my intake did that. I remember in particular one guy from Limerick, who made no bones about it - his objective was to get his cox cert for free with us and then go for a commission in the Royal Navy.

L.Ball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355248#Comment_121355248

Poppy is nothing more than a British imperialist symbol, their version of the swastika, always was

lol, lmao even.

65535

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355621#Comment_121355621

Did you really 'lol' or 'lamo' ?

What part of British Imperalism did you miss ?

(My own Grandfather served in the Connaught Rangers in Flanders Fields at the tender age of 15)

Padre_Pio

People don't care care if you wear a poppy.

They really care if you DONT wear one.

It's like not saying "thank you for your service" to US military personnel.

Reminds me of the Heil Hitler bit in JoJo Rabbit.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355160#Comment_121355160

Exactly.

You'll find it was around the time of the illegal Iraq invasion, that the spin war started as well, and they got it into the nations psyche that you HAD to wear a poppy or else you were against the war effort.

Then you HAD to wear one to appear on tv.

Then it wasn't just for a week around Armistice Day, it became all of November. Then certain channels or presenters wanted to be the first to be seen wearing it, so it began to appear in October.

It's been marketed really well, so much so that any public figure who refuses to wear one us vilified and cancelled. So for fear, 99% go along with it. I would have thought someone like Keano would have had more backbone, but perhaps he's happy enough to don one?

Admittedly, there seems to be no controversy around it this year. Probably because the slaughter in Gaza is making so much of the news.

anplaya27

Origins:

https://www.history.com/news/world-war-i-poppy-remembrance-symbol-veterans-day

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355422#Comment_121355422

The women presenting Big Brother live evictions last night had her poppy on the side of her outfit at the beginning of last nights show. She was out after the first ad break with it moved to the front of her dress. Someone must have highlighted that it wasn’t very visible. It’s a ridiculous state of affairs over there these days.

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355856#Comment_121355856

I dunno what’s worse , watching Big Brother or wearing a poppy.

mattser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354702#Comment_121354702

😂😂

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355075#Comment_121355075

No they weren’t recruiting at the time, apart from the fact that they didn’t exist as the IRA till 1919.You could’ve joined the IRB or the Irish Volunteers or the Cumann na Mban.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355720#Comment_121355720

I would suggest too that much of British politics and the media has moved further to the right in the last decade or so and seem to interpret the poppy as some sort of symbol for right wing British / English nationalism (even if many people are still wearing it for the correct reasons).

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355353#Comment_121355353

I noticed this year that the poppy is far less obvious than In recent years.

On most presenters I have seen it's a small pin badge these days rather than a bigger badge.

BaywatchHQ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354891#Comment_121354891

I've never understood when people say "sure many Irish people died". Just because something has a link to Ireland doesn't mean you have to support or honour it. By that logic you should be wearing a republican Easter Lilly.

The relations are quite distant anyway, I have 3 great great uncles who died in WW1. It is interesting to read information about them but I don't feel emotional about people who died before my grandfather was even born. I've never worn a poppy nor has anyone in my family.

BaywatchHQ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355057#Comment_121355057

You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Start a conversation about Northern Ireland or James McClean and you'll soon see what they are like.

I am a quiet individual if you met me but I still with right wing opinions.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356197#Comment_121356197

I'm not judging a book by the cover.

The people I met were middle class in nice middle class areas.

The sort you might see collecting for various charities in Ireland or the UK.

There's the world of difference between having right wing opinions and being far right.

BaywatchHQ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355720#Comment_121355720

In a roundabout way Keane is actually honouring men who burned his home town of Cork as the Black and Tans were former WW1 soldiers. Or maybe the poppy only represents the soldiers who died during WW1 rather than the survivors. Either way there is far too much controversial history attached to it. Maybe there should be one that is for only Irish WW1 soldiers but sure the English would be offended by that if that was worn on TV.