Fratton Fred wrote: » that isn't a like for like comparison. The Iron Cross is a military medal, the poppy is a symbol of remembrance. I don't know of anyone that would have an issue with the Germans wearing a symbol on their shirts for Volkstrauertag.
ohnonotgmail wrote: » sondagefaux wrote: » Why don't people living in Ireland who wish to commemorate the fallen of both world wars wear a French symbol at this time of year, or a Belgian symbol? Why does it have to be a British symbol? If the real motivation is to commemorate the dead, then adopting a French or Belgian symbol should be readily accepted. If the real motivation is to display some sort of loyalty or respect for the British state, which I suspect is true of most poppy wearers in the republic, then say so and stop pretending otherwise. because i dont have any relatives who died while fighting in the french or belgian armies. quite simple really.
sondagefaux wrote: » Why don't people living in Ireland who wish to commemorate the fallen of both world wars wear a French symbol at this time of year, or a Belgian symbol? Why does it have to be a British symbol? If the real motivation is to commemorate the dead, then adopting a French or Belgian symbol should be readily accepted. If the real motivation is to display some sort of loyalty or respect for the British state, which I suspect is true of most poppy wearers in the republic, then say so and stop pretending otherwise.
Fratton Fred wrote: » Deleted User wrote: » Wear one if you want, don't wear one if you don't want to. Freedom of expression and all that, as is the right to comment. Isn't that what one side in ww2 was for and the other side wasn't? yep, precisely.
Deleted User wrote: » Wear one if you want, don't wear one if you don't want to. Freedom of expression and all that, as is the right to comment. Isn't that what one side in ww2 was for and the other side wasn't?
sondagefaux wrote: » In other words, you're not commemorating the dead, you're commemorating the British army war dead. Quite simple.
Well, apart from the Soviet Union which wasn't exactly too keen on the whole freedom of speech thing...
ohnonotgmail wrote: » The purpose of the poppy is not to remember the great war, the purpose is to remember those who fell in that war. a significant number of which were irish. hopefully i can get my hands on one of the nice enamel. and i'm not middle class. neither were most of the soldiers who died. the OP is one of the biggest loads of nonsense i've seen on boards. and thats a pretty low bar.
Duck Soup wrote: » It's an interesting comparison. Whereas the poppy explicitly honours all UK military service (a British version, I suppose, of "Support Our Troops") past and present, the Volkstrauertag [literally "people's day of mourning"] commemorates members of the German armed forces and civilians who died in armed conflicts, also to include victims of violent government oppression (which I'd take to be a direct reference to the Nazis). So if we want the most precise comparison possible, let's change the Iron Cross to a blue cornflower (apparently a German national flower) and change the Volkstrauertag from a national day of mourning (soldiers and civilians) to a commemoration of German soldiers service, which would predominantly be WW1 and WW2. So would the British government, people and media be happy for an England football team (or Welsh, Scottish or Norn Iron) to play a Germany team sporting a symbol commemorating the service of WW2 German soldiers? I think their heads would explode.
[Deleted User] wrote: » Yes, I'll admit thats a hazy concept with the Russians.... Then again they did lose 27 million killed and did the heavy lifting on the ww2 European land battlefields.
ohnonotgmail wrote: » sondagefaux wrote: » In other words, you're not commemorating the dead, you're commemorating the British army war dead. Quite simple. i will report my first post on the thread. you seem to have missed it ohnonotgmail wrote: » The purpose of the poppy is not to remember the great war, the purpose is to remember those who fell in that war. a significant number of which were irish. hopefully i can get my hands on one of the nice enamel. and i'm not middle class. neither were most of the soldiers who died. the OP is one of the biggest loads of nonsense i've seen on boards. and thats a pretty low bar.
Fratton Fred wrote: » Deleted User wrote: » Yes, I'll admit thats a hazy concept with the Russians.... Then again they did lose 27 million killed and did the heavy lifting on the ww2 European land battlefields. Pre or post Molotov-Ribbentrop pact?
Deleted User wrote: » Yes, I'll admit thats a hazy concept with the Russians.... Then again they did lose 27 million killed and did the heavy lifting on the ww2 European land battlefields.
sondagefaux wrote: » The poppy commemorates British soldiers. Not soldiers of any other state.
Fratton Fred wrote: » Pre or post Molotov-Ribbentrop pact?
sondagefaux wrote: » Good ol' Uncle Joe - only one of the worst mass murderers in human history. Still, he did have a nicer moustache than Hitler's so he wasn't all bad. The notion that the Allies, which included the Soviet Union under Stalin, and the French and British empires (in which millions died of starvation during WWII: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/soutikbiswas/2010/10/how_churchill_starved_india.html) were fighting in favour of democracy is utterly risible when you examine the facts of how they behaved before, during and after WWII. Ireland was absolutely right to stay out of that morally bankrupt slaughter in which totalitarian brutes fought against each other over control of Europe with the support of racist, genocidal imperial powers.
ohnonotgmail wrote: » sondagefaux wrote: » The poppy commemorates British soldiers. Not soldiers of any other state. of course it does. was this not clear already? I suppose that makes me some sort of enemy of the people or some such ****e.
Fratton Fred wrote: » Duck Soup wrote: » In that context, I'd have to agree with FIFA about the use of the poppy on football shirts. It commemorates the service of those who fought against Germany, Argentina and many other countries with better football teams. Would English people be happy to see a German national team take the field with Iron Crosses on the sleeves? that isn't a like for like comparison. The Iron Cross is a military medal, the poppy is a symbol of remembrance. I don't know of anyone that would have an issue with the Germans wearing a symbol on their shirts for Volkstrauertag.
Duck Soup wrote: » In that context, I'd have to agree with FIFA about the use of the poppy on football shirts. It commemorates the service of those who fought against Germany, Argentina and many other countries with better football teams. Would English people be happy to see a German national team take the field with Iron Crosses on the sleeves?
sondagefaux wrote: »
Fratton Fred wrote: » and the easter Lilly? iirc, there was a certain amount of knicker wetting within republican circles when the Irish government government chose to remember the "Opposing side" in the 1916 commemorations.
beach_walker wrote: » I have no problem with British people wearing the poppy (even if it has gone a bit nuts in recent years). However anyone wearing one in Ireland is doing so purely for attention.
tipptom wrote: » The opposing side!!! Yeah,sure every little country that was invaded and ruled by a massive brutal and savage force needs to remember the murderous terrorist scum that brought and maintained that terror to their country and maybe they should chuck a few quid to the ex soldiers who have hit on hard times since their terrorist hey day terrorising the people of the subjugated country. That makes perfect sense. You just couldn't make this sh*t up.
MeatTwoVeg wrote: » fair dues to anyone who wants to wear one in Ireland, a lot of Irish people have served in the British Army. The Easter Lilly on the other hand is basically stating that you support terrorists and state subversives.
MeatTwoVeg wrote: » I don't wear symbols, but fair dues to anyone who wants to wear one in Ireland, a lot of Irish people have served in the British Army. The Easter Lilly on the other hand is basically stating that you support terrorists and state subversives. I'd have nothing but content for anyone I'd see wearing one. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be a thing here, I've seen far more people wearing poppies than Lilly's.
Fratton Fred wrote: » sondagefaux wrote: » The poppy commemorates British soldiers. Not soldiers of any other state. and the easter Lilly? iirc, there was a certain amount of knicker wetting within republican circles when the Irish government government chose to remember the "Opposing side" in the 1916 commemorations.