No poppy thread this year??

If anything, it is increasingly seen as all those things

Exactly.its nothing to do with the anglo irish troubles.

its about remembering the british, irish, US, french, belgian etc etc that died in the war.

Are you a shinner a with a deep sense of insecurity because of your garrison ancestry… that’s then only demographic that have an issue with the poppy?

The Legion which support the wounded survivors and families of casualties without any regard to their origin or residence… many of whom are Irish!

People in those countries wear variarions of the poppy, if not the poppy itself.

I think Leo wore a green shamrock poppy.

But they are all commemorating the same thing. Thats the point.

The poppy isnt the important bit, its what it stands for that matters.

It is worn in other commonwealth countries, as you say.

But variations are worn beyond that.

The french have their own version. The Bleuet.

The USA also have their own red poppy.

The Dutch have a memorial day in May.

They are all commemorations of those that died during the world wars.

Like i say, the poppy as a symbol isnt the important point. Its the commemoration that ties all the countries together in solidarity.

If some people choose to wear a poppy and others a bleuet, thats fine. And all should be respected for their commemoration. In my opinion.

From my understanding, commemorations of Armistice Day are way more lowkey in France and the Low Countries (places that actually saw the brunt of fighting in both WW1 and WW2). They don't have the practise of wearing flowers on their lapel for nearly two weeks, nor the surrounding controversy around the same.

My only point is that people have the right to commemorate the fallen during the world wars.

Thats all. Whether they wear a poppy, a bleuet or nothing at all.

Yes, it's their choice and I don't really care what people wear but I just don't see why people want to wear a symbol of another country and especially in light of that nation's history here and more so what the poppy has come to represent in the last 15-20 years.

We have our own National Commemoration Day in July and that's what should be noted.

The commemorations you talk of taking place "all over the country" are really minuscule and attended by a tiny minority as Ireland commemorating remembrance Sunday really declined from the 1930s and it really is now just British thing.

what survivors?

Do you know what year it is?

It was the Irish taxpayer who had to pay for WW1 pensions because the Brits refused - I guess they did care about their nationality and origin

Ooh... I think I hit a nerve there.

I notice you didn't respond to my answer to you about my actual republican ancestry 😎

I don't see it that way.

Imagine your job. You're serving on a submarine, no private life, no personal space for 4 to 5 weeks, a simple bunk bed, not even a meter space above you, and no internet connection. And then there is the threat of being involved in a conflict.

And what precisely are you doing in this job? Keeping others safe and this includes lefties who protest against anything and everything.

This kind of work and service certainly deserves honor and respect.

Nothing right wing about it.

That's just a difference of opinion.

You just have to be happy that in Ireland the RAF takes to the skies, to guard Irish airspace, if the Russians are getting a bit too close again.....

And you call your country "neutral".....

Militarily Ireland is sadly a joke.

My old man served in the British Army so I was a member of the Legion on John Rogersons Quay for years. It was full of old lads who had mad stories of conflicts all over the middle east, India etc. Cheap pints too, always nice to know the Queen was sorting you a discount.. 😄 They have scant few members now, and they're all dying off and not being replaced.

I wouldn't wear a poppy myself but I can respect someone who might.