Irish People Poppy Watch

Current Affairs
261

Do you know much about the war or why fellas signed up?

WW1 was the most futile of all wars.

My own grandfather fought in ww2 but I have no feelings as such on it. The man never spoke about it and instead turned to alcohol as a crutch to deal with its horrors. The war destroyed him and in turn ruined my mothers family growing up with it.

Wars are fought for the rich but by the poor. There is nothing honourable in them.

Those poor fuckers that went off for whatever reason, mainly for money, knew fuck all of the horrors they would face. Pity is all I have for them.

262

[quote=“Mark Renton, post: 859856, member: 1796”]Do you know much about the war or why fellas signed up?

WW1 was the most futile of all wars.

My own grandfather fought in ww2 but I have no feelings as such on it. The man never spoke about it and instead turned to alcohol as a crutch to deal with its horrors. The war destroyed him and in turn ruined my mothers family growing up with it.

Wars are fought for the rich but by the poor. There is nothing honourable in them.

Those poor fuckers that went off for whatever reason, mainly for money, knew fuck all of the horrors they would face. Pity is all I have for them.[/quote]
:eek: Really man??

263

Your post reminded me of this article I read in the Guardian Mark.

This year, I will wear a poppy for the last time

I will remember friends and comrades in private next year, as the solemnity of remembrance has been twisted into a justification for conflict

Friday 8 November 2013 10.34 GMT

Over the last 10 years the sepia tone of November has become blood-soaked with paper poppies festooning the lapels of our politicians, newsreaders and business leaders. The most fortunate in our society have turned the solemnity of remembrance for fallen soldiers in ancient wars into a justification for our most recent armed conflicts. The American civil war’s General Sherman once said that “war is hell”, but unfortunately today’s politicians in Britain use past wars to bolster our flagging belief in national austerity or to compel us to surrender our rights as citizens, in the name of the public good.
Still, this year I shall wear the poppy as I have done for many years. I wear it because I am from that last generation who remember a war that encompassed the entire world. I wear the poppy because I can recall when Britain was actually threatened with a real invasion and how its citizens stood at the ready to defend her shores. But most importantly, I wear the poppy to commemorate those of my childhood friends and comrades who did not survive the second world war and those who came home physically and emotionally wounded from horrific battles that no poet or journalist could describe.
However, I am afraid it will be the last time that I will bear witness to those soldiers, airmen and sailors who are no more, at my local cenotaph. From now on, I will lament their passing in private because my despair is for those who live in this present world. I will no longer allow my obligation as a veteran to remember those who died in the great wars to be co-opted by current or former politicians to justify our folly in Iraq, our morally dubious war on terror and our elimination of one’s right to privacy.
Come 2014 when the government marks the beginning of the first world war with quotes from Rupert Brooke, Rudyard Kipling and other great jingoists from our past empire, I will declare myself a conscientious objector. We must remember that the historical past of this country is not like an episode of Downton Abbey where the rich are portrayed as thoughtful, benevolent masters to poor folk who need the guiding hand of the ruling classes to live a proper life.
I can tell you it didn’t happen that way because I was born nine years after the first world war began. I can attest that life for most people was spent in abject poverty where one laboured under brutal working conditions for little pay and lived in houses not fit to kennel a dog today. We must remember that the war was fought by the working classes who comprised 80% of Britain’s population in 1913.
This is why I find that the government’s intention to spend £50m to dress the slaughter of close to a million British soldiers in the 1914-18 conflict as a fight for freedom and democracy profane. Too many of the dead, from that horrendous war, didn’t know real freedom because they were poor and were never truly represented by their members of parliament.
My uncle and many of my relatives died in that war and they weren’t officers or NCOs; they were simple Tommies. They were like the hundreds of thousands of other boys who were sent to their slaughter by a government that didn’t care to represent their citizens if they were working poor and under-educated. My family members took the king’s shilling because they had little choice, whereas many others from similar economic backgrounds were strong-armed into enlisting by war propaganda or press-ganged into military service by their employers.
For many of you 1914 probably seems like a long time ago but I’ll be 91 next year, so it feels recent. Today, we have allowed monolithic corporate institutions to set our national agenda. We have allowed vitriol to replace earnest debate and we have somehow deluded ourselves into thinking that wealth is wisdom. But by far the worst error we have made as a people is to think ourselves as taxpayers first and citizens second.
Next year, I won’t wear the poppy but I will until my last breath remember the past and the struggles my generation made to build this country into a civilised state for the working and middle classes. If we are to survive as a progressive nation we have to start tending to our living because the wounded: our poor, our underemployed youth, our hard-pressed middle class and our struggling seniors shouldn’t be left to die on the battleground of modern life.

264

Yeah… I have his two medals in my mothers house for Fagan.

He was involved in the evacuation of Dunkirk as far as I know, and carting bits of men back onto boats. He later served in Holland.

265

[quote=“Mark Renton, post: 859861, member: 1796”]Yeah… I have his two medals in my mothers house for Fagan.

He was involved in the evacuation of Dunkirk as far as I know, and carting bits of men back onto boats. He later served in Holland.[/quote]

always find it funny how the Brits see Dunkirk as a noble thing when they fled from France.yet thye slag the French for Surrendering. In reality the Russians single handily won war 2

266

[quote=“Mark Renton, post: 859856, member: 1796”]Do you know much about the war or why fellas signed up?

WW1 was the most futile of all wars.

My own grandfather fought in ww2 but I have no feelings as such on it. The man never spoke about it and instead turned to alcohol as a crutch to deal with its horrors. The war destroyed him and in turn ruined my mothers family growing up with it.

Wars are fought for the rich but by the poor. There is nothing honourable in them.

Those poor fuckers that went off for whatever reason, mainly for money, knew fuck all of the horrors they would face. Pity is all I have for them.[/quote]

I assume he fought with the English in WW2, If so that was futile too. England joined the war to stop a totalitarian regime taking control of Poland and when the war was over a totalitarian regime was in charge in Poland

267

A british soldier sent this to James Mcclean

http://i.imgur.com/QJNJQVO.png

268

[quote=“Mark Renton, post: 859856, member: 1796”]Do you know much about the war or why fellas signed up?

WW1 was the most futile of all wars.

My own grandfather fought in ww2 but I have no feelings as such on it. The man never spoke about it and instead turned to alcohol as a crutch to deal with its horrors. The war destroyed him and in turn ruined my mothers family growing up with it.

Wars are fought for the rich but by the poor. There is nothing honourable in them.

Those poor fuckers that went off for whatever reason, mainly for money, knew fuck all of the horrors they would face. Pity is all I have for them.[/quote]

The great grandfather didn’t have a pot to piss in and had struggled to make ends meet for his wife and two children. War is declared, money there to be earned and off he and I think 8 others went from home to war. Just the way it was. Took a bullet, earned the right to go home, my grandfather was conceived but he died soon after, never saw his son. Fucked up time.

269

1 - Did he regret going to the war?
2 - Was he proud of his decision to go to war?
3 - Did he go to war for anything other than a few bob?

270

[quote=“Mark Renton, post: 859861, member: 1796”]Yeah… I have his two medals in my mothers house for Fagan.

He was involved in the evacuation of Dunkirk as far as I know, and carting bits of men back onto boats. He later served in Holland.[/quote]
My grandfather was over in Holland too. Maybe they were pals.

271

Or maybe they just shared an enjoyment of smoking pot and riding brassers.

272

That’s no more heroic than lads leaving Ireland to “live the dream” in Australia.

Should we have a day of remembrance for the “living the dream” brigade too?

273

Interesting piece from an ITV presenter here:
In the last few days I’ve been subjected to a torrent of racist and sexist abuse as a result of me choosing not to wear a poppy on-screen, while presenting for ITV News.

It was a decision I made a number of years ago, but the backlash this year has been far bigger and more widespread than it has been in previous years…so I thought it best to write a longer explanation rather than in a series of tweets on Twitter. Or a short post on Facebook.

I support and am patron of a number of charities and I am uncomfortable with giving one of those charities more on-screen time than others.

I prefer to be neutral and impartial on-screen so that one of those charities doesn’t feel less favoured than another.

Off-screen in my private life - it’s different.

I wear a red ribbon at the start of December for World Aids Day, a pink ribbon in October during breast cancer awareness month, a badge in April during Bowel Cancer Awareness month, and yes – a poppy on Armistice Day.

I respect and hold in high esteem those in the armed forces, both my father and my uncle have served in the RAF and the Army.

Every year I donate to the Poppy Appeal because above all else it is a charity that needs donations, so that it can continue to help support serving and ex-service men and women and their families.

The messages of “go back to where you came from” have been interesting to read, as have the “fat s–g” comments, and the repeated use of the phrase “black c–t”.

Mostly because it flies in the face of everything that millions of British men and women and those in the Commonwealth have fought for for generations, and continue to fight for: the right to choose, and the right of freedom of speech and expression.

It’s interesting because it shows up some of the hypocrisy and idiocy associated with the poppy fascism. But also interesting that even a seemingly more enlightened and thoughtful commentator on the issue could seriously suggest that generations of Britons fought against racism and for freedom. An extremely whitewashed portrayal of British military history.

274

[quote=“Rocko, post: 859926, member: 1”]Interesting piece from an ITV presenter here:
In the last few days I’ve been subjected to a torrent of racist and sexist abuse as a result of me choosing not to wear a poppy on-screen, while presenting for ITV News.

It was a decision I made a number of years ago, but the backlash this year has been far bigger and more widespread than it has been in previous years…so I thought it best to write a longer explanation rather than in a series of tweets on Twitter. Or a short post on Facebook.

I support and am patron of a number of charities and I am uncomfortable with giving one of those charities more on-screen time than others.

I prefer to be neutral and impartial on-screen so that one of those charities doesn’t feel less favoured than another.

Off-screen in my private life - it’s different.

I wear a red ribbon at the start of December for World Aids Day, a pink ribbon in October during breast cancer awareness month, a badge in April during Bowel Cancer Awareness month, and yes – a poppy on Armistice Day.

I respect and hold in high esteem those in the armed forces, both my father and my uncle have served in the RAF and the Army.

Every year I donate to the Poppy Appeal because above all else it is a charity that needs donations, so that it can continue to help support serving and ex-service men and women and their families.

The messages of “go back to where you came from” have been interesting to read, as have the “fat s–g” comments, and the repeated use of the phrase “black c–t”.

Mostly because it flies in the face of everything that millions of British men and women and those in the Commonwealth have fought for for generations, and continue to fight for: the right to choose, and the right of freedom of speech and expression.

It’s interesting because it shows up some of the hypocrisy and idiocy associated with the poppy fascism. But also interesting that even a seemingly more enlightened and thoughtful commentator on the issue could seriously suggest that generations of Britons fought against racism and for freedom. An extremely whitewashed portrayal of British military history.[/quote]

What better way to guilt the abusers than to throw some more historical inaccuracies at them about why those that fought truely fought. 2 world wars and two world cups :clap:

275

why didnt he emigrate rather than choose killing as a career?

276

[quote=“Rocko, post: 859926, member: 1”]Interesting piece from an ITV presenter here:
In the last few days I’ve been subjected to a torrent of racist and sexist abuse as a result of me choosing not to wear a poppy on-screen, while presenting for ITV News.

It was a decision I made a number of years ago, but the backlash this year has been far bigger and more widespread than it has been in previous years…so I thought it best to write a longer explanation rather than in a series of tweets on Twitter. Or a short post on Facebook.

I support and am patron of a number of charities and I am uncomfortable with giving one of those charities more on-screen time than others.

I prefer to be neutral and impartial on-screen so that one of those charities doesn’t feel less favoured than another.

Off-screen in my private life - it’s different.

I wear a red ribbon at the start of December for World Aids Day, a pink ribbon in October during breast cancer awareness month, a badge in April during Bowel Cancer Awareness month, and yes – a poppy on Armistice Day.

I respect and hold in high esteem those in the armed forces, both my father and my uncle have served in the RAF and the Army.

Every year I donate to the Poppy Appeal because above all else it is a charity that needs donations, so that it can continue to help support serving and ex-service men and women and their families.

The messages of “go back to where you came from” have been interesting to read, as have the “fat s–g” comments, and the repeated use of the phrase “black c–t”.

Mostly because it flies in the face of everything that millions of British men and women and those in the Commonwealth have fought for for generations, and continue to fight for: the right to choose, and the right of freedom of speech and expression.

It’s interesting because it shows up some of the hypocrisy and idiocy associated with the poppy fascism. But also interesting that even a seemingly more enlightened and thoughtful commentator on the issue could seriously suggest that generations of Britons fought against racism and for freedom. An extremely whitewashed portrayal of British military history.[/quote]
Nice sentiment although I think most right thinking people would take issue with this bit.

277

Is that not what he said?? You thick cunt.

278

Best buddies no doubt, pal. I’d say they even shared their whores.

279

Is that not what I already said?? You thick cunt.

280

What the fuck would you know about our noble grandfathers, you cunt. Your grandfather was building a wall up some godforsaken mountain to keep in his two goats while our grandfathers were out killing Gerrys and saving the Jews so that they could murder future palestinians.