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By Jason Michael
Every year poppy fest gets worse. In Britain this cheap little gesture is being used to cover over the sins of an elitist British establishment that profits from war and the international trade in death and suffering.
Walking through George Square in Glasgow on Sunday morning, sniffing out a coronary inducing fried breakfast after the night before, I happened across what might only be described as a pop-up graveyard. Row on row of white crosses were standing in the square bearing the names of regiments that cost Scottish lives everywhere in the world Britain thought it had a score to settle. Right in the middle of this sick little garden of remembrance was a tall brown cross topped with a tin helmet, the now universally understood symbol of a freshly buried soldier.
One would be forgiven for thinking maybe things had gotten a touch out of hand the night before. Glasgow has a reputation after all. Maybe there had been a battle at Dennistoun and this is where the carnage had been interred to save the flesh from the rats. Alas no, this is what happens all over the place during November, the month Brits are encouraged to worship the gods of war.
Once upon a time “poppy day” was an annual event most of us slept through, marked by an irrelevant old woman putting down a wreath at a pointless monument to violence in London. A box of cheap red paper poppies would appear in our classrooms at the start of the month and the teacher would tell us some patriotic lies about brave soldiers, and we could “remember them” at the cost of just 5p a poppy. It’s all different now. Remembering is no longer optional and every year some other little piece of madness gets added to the calendar of poppy fest nonsense. This year the makeshift graveyard was new – to me at least – and before the football match on the television that night some buglers came on the pitch to butcher the last post.
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/924966244377333760
Wearing the poppy is no longer optional on the television. Celebrities and personalities who refuse to wear it are bullied and blacklisted, even foreigners who play for English sports teams are made to wear it – even those from countries once subjugated by the British Empire. The cheap little poppy has grown into a monster. It has taken on a life of its own.
People get upset when people like me decide to take a dump on the poppy, but I am long since over giving a rat’s arse about their feelings or their cheap and meaningless little flower. We’ve heard all the arguments umpteen times; it’s about remembering sacrifice and respecting their memories, it’s about all the “good wars” we fought – like the one where we stopped Hitler and the Nazis, and it’s about supporting “our heroes.” It’s all a load of rubbish, that’s what it is.
We don’t have to honour the memory of war. That’s a fundamentally idiotic position to start with. The so-called “Great War” was an imperial war to advance imperial ambitions. Those in the trenches were fools, and they – more than anyone else – knew it. All that their sacrifices and efforts ever amounted to was a cull of the working class in a war that pitted worker against worker.
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/924967094759886849
“Stopping Hitler and the Nazis” was nothing more than an extension of what happened between 1914 and 1918. There would have been no Nazi Germany had it not been for the ridiculous demands made of Germany by the imperial winners at Versailles. It certainly had nothing to do with ending the genocide. Had that been the case Britain, France, and the United States would have taken in more German Jewish refugees before the outbreak of the war. Maybe if they cared about the victims of the Nazis they would have bombed the railways leading to the death camps. By 1944 the details of this mass murder were well known, as were the death camps, but the decision was made not to intervene.
World War II was only ever about defeating Germany and its allies in a war that was a direct result of the previous European war. As far as London was concerned the 1939-45 war was about protecting British interests – at sea and in those parts of the world where it was pretty much doing what Hitler was doing. Britain was invading other countries, it was known to be holding innocent people in concentration camps, and it never shied away from committing acts of genocide on peoples and races it had determined to be inferior.
So this poppy thing has nothing to do with celebrating “righteous” wars. That’s just a lie. What about this nonsense about an “act of remembrance?” That’s another big porky. What is it that we are supposed to be remembering? That our own government has sent countless young men – and now young women – to lay down their lives for the enrichment of the decision-makers? That’s what it amounts to, and that is what it only ever amounts to; war for profit and population control.
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/925026180205604864
Oh but there are people out there who fought for their country. Surely we must have some respect for them too? Aye, right! We need not have respect for people who choose to use violence. By all means we can pity those who had no choice and who faced the firing squad for attempting to escape, but remember them by assisting in the glorification of war by wearing a cheap paper flower? – Not a hope. What we can do is honour them and their lives by seeking justice from the criminals in government who sent them to their deaths and the institutions that shot them at dawn.
What’s about approaching the British government, the monarchy, and the armed forces and demanding apologies for what they themselves now recognise as historical mistakes, and making them pay compensation for their criminal actions? We can be damn well sure that will never happen. Instead we are having this poppy rammed down our throats again. Our patriotic donations are being used to help wounded servicemen and women, and donations from the public are sorely needed because the government that keeps sending them won’t pick up the pieces.
Poppy fest – a sick carnival of death – has nothing to do with the men and women who have died in Britain’s wars. Britain couldn’t give a hoot for the men and women it sentences to incineration in sub-standard high rises in London. It cares just as little for those who put on a uniform and fight. There are, of course, many people who wear a poppy to remember their service or the loss of loved-ones, and we can feel for these people, but that doesn’t mean that they too are not victims of the trick. War is war, and it is never fought for the good of ordinary people. War is an industry. It’s all about money. That’s the bottom line.
Hetty Bower, anti-war veteran
Random Public Journal 
Very eloquently put this says it all well done
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Well said very eloquently put this says it all
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Well said. I also am very tired of this virtue signalling on an epic scale. What good does it do any 18 year old who died in the mud? They’d think we were mad to imagine that it’s *in any way* compensation for that massacre. The only solution is to wear the white poppy of the Peace Pledge Union .
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Yet, not for one millisecond, thank that “18 year old Boy,” for standing up against oppression, with BALLS bigger than you could ever wish for, and in doing so, giving you the very FREEDOM, to spew your insidious and spiteful, nay, ungrateful and Vile, diatribe of sick and inherently flawed comments. Foolish apologist. Run, like the coward you are, off to your padded safe-space, already adequately stocked wit nappies, safety-pins, Left-Wing, Libturdian propaganda newsletters, gender-neutral and organic products.. I hope you have sufficient wet-wipes? How dare you spit upon their sacrifice, you insufferable bore. You defile truly humble Women and Mens’ heroism, in the name of democratic freedom? You do not speak German today, nor Japanese, or Arabic, for the BLOOD spilt on the alter of Peace that you disingenuously subscribe to? You and our “ilk,” of pacifists, appeasers and apologists, are all that wrong with the NWO/Millennial “mental disorder.” Pathetic, loud mouthed, self-opinionated, spoilt, fringe-element opinionated, cossetted, surreal, alternative-reality, Snowflake. Go rely on state welfare and benefits, as that is the top plateau of your irrelevant existence. Parasitical non-entity of a oxygen thief.
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What a load of racist incoherent crap. What about the 18 year old child put against a wall and shot for desertion? Take your pish elsewhere.
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You will find that the Ayrian belief system was long in place before ww2. The english and by that i mean of saxon descent believed the were pure blood and superior and that the indigenous brits which they labled celts were inferior and should be wiped from the land.
The saxon aryan peoples went so far as to steal the native history and make it their own, see digging up glastonbury for king arthurs body. This was to give them legitimate claim to the isles. Ayrian means Noble, of noble blood. DNA has shown they were anything but.
The book Blood of the Isles is worth a read.
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When you have been brainwashed by this megga corupt establishment…the fear holds you back..sadly…Yes its all Control…Power…and Money..
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I no longer wear the poppy – of any colour – for much the reasons outline above. I do put money in the tin because I am all too aware of veterans who need the help but I also donate to such charities throughout the year as well. I also remember the war dead every time I go past a war memorial and one my actions whenever I visit a new place and pass by the war memorial is to read the names of the dead and imagine what impact their deaths would have had on their community when they died. I’ve served in the armed services and marched at Remembrance Day parades in George Square – and I don’t regret doing so – but never again. Anyone who objects to this – especially if they themselves have not served – can kiss my a***e.
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Plenty wear them on the telly how many of us wear them on the street?
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And that is your opinion which you are entitled to. I have the opposite opinion. I wear the poppy to remember those in the 2 world wars, whivh I am entitled to do.
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I’m not stopping you Maggie.
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Its about memory to the fallen and sod all to do with establishment, the money from poppies is used to help the families of the fallen and other uses, it has never been used to glorify or symbolise a celebration of war or the idiot politicians that get the country into it, it symbolises the sacrifice made so we can have freedom of speech
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Rubbish!
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Have you ALL simply failed to understand what the RED Poppy truly stands for?? It is NOT a celebration of WAR, a Victory dance, a hard-on for killing??!! You are so sadly deluded. It is actually about a remembrance of Sacrifice, humble and freely given, to give you the very Democracy and Freedom of (sic, Hate, speech) you now richly and yet so totally undervalued by you? Bow your heads in ignorant SHAME.
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“Humbly and freely given?” Will you explain the idea of conscription to us then?
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Not an easy read , not sure what to say. Going to read it again and make a comment .
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You’re more than welcome to.
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I am a veteran who has demons because I put on a uniform so you could be safe to write this shit. Maybe one day my demons will leave me and my little cross will be in George Square. But until then keep your fucking opinions to your self. You are just a fucking stain on society!
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Thanks for fighting for my freedom of speech Andy. You really are a credit to fascism.
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The guy can feck of and live in North Korea. We remember the dead NOT the actions that resulted in their deaths.
He has free So each to write what he has….but who died to preserve that free speech.
Fill your face with that breakfast hope it’s your last and down it with a warm bottle of Buckfast
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That should be “feck off.” Them heroes certainly didn’t die for a better education system by the looks of things. Wishing people dead over poppies? You’re a fucking moron.
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the irony is on course that public dissent like this in other countries would result in you being swept away in the night by the state police, if you knew anything about anything you would realise that while you don’t have to agree with war, you have to respect those who have given all for your freedom to speak ill of the dead
turgid little innate that you are
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Your spelling is woeful Murray. What the the living hell is an “innate?” No, I do not have to respect those who chose to use violence in the name of empire. I do, however, pity those who were forced to fight against their wills. Thanks for your inarticulate comment.
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If you dont like the fact that people are remembering the sacrafice those gave up so that we could have our freedom tgen do us all a favour and either fuck off or die whichever comes first or even better away and take your face for a shit
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What sort of “freedom” is this, that leaves those of us who disagree with the violent unable to express our opinions without people like you telling us to “fuck off” and “die.” You are an idiot of the highest order, but thanks for sharing that with us.
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Ok, I am trying to establish what your issue is with the poppy specifically. Do you simply disagree with the rich and famous using the poppy as some sort of fashion statement? Or do you actually believe that “normal people” taking the time out to think about the sacrifice of millions is in itself an act of stupidity? Do we learn to forget or forget to learn?
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Both.
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And how many will remember the soldiers who were conscripted into the defeated side. Can their families remember them? Or the innocent civilians killed by both sides, who at least had no blood on their hands? I agree very much with the article. Why does the Royal British Legion have to raise money for ex-servicemen and women? Because successive, corrupt, self-serving governments have been happy to throw away the lives and health of service personnel and make a big play of wearing poppies, but never, ever to properly look after their ‘heroes’, who have to rely on charity. The people the poppies help and their families need proper, compassionate help, not glorification and poverty
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You hardly ever see the White Poppy which helps us remember ALL PEOPLES who died in Wars for me the Red Poppy only represents The War Dead of a Military Nation whose soldiers have been involved in qne war or another for the last 400 years. war is about making money and keeping people in High Places Wealthy, nothing more or nothing less. Me personally I give myself a choice = a WHITE POPPY or NO POPPY at all, me, I choose the latter, why would I want to remember young men and women giving their lives to keep the MEGARICH in positions of Power, there is just something SICK and REPUGNENT about this.
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I am very saddened to read this exchange. As a surgeon I have looked after patients subject to civilan and terrorist violence and state emphatically that if all had witnessed what I have seen – there would be no wars.
Regardless of what you believe in it is a fact that free speech occurs because of the sacrifices that our soldiers made. – we do not live in a totalitarian state nor would anyone in this readership want to – for that i am so grateful. I am a socialist and a pacifist but also extremely respectful of those that stood up for me when they had to.
Whether conscript or volunteer they died and / or were maimed for us – and they left loved ones behind.
To knowingly ignore that is beyond ungrateful – please wear your poppy – it really is such a little sacrifice
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What Christological, messianic nonsense. Oh they died for us, they laith doon their lives for us. Bullshit. We have free speech because we speak freely. Are you seriously trying to suggest the World Wars one and two were about civil liberties and free speech? Stick to surgery. Really.
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Surely what Jason is trying to say is that ordinary people’s genuine remembrance has been hijacked into a government propaganda operation designed to gee us all up into a patriotic fervour so that we unthinkingly support the next military adventure without question.
Even as we read and write these comments we are being lined line-up against Iran (Saudi accusations that Iran are behind the missile launched at them from Yemen) and North Korea (Pentagon sources laying the groundwork for a land invasion of the Korean peninsula).
If our remembrance services were genuine we would surely be remembering the 7 million German dead and the 25 million Soviet Union dead as well as our own 450,000 would we not? And neither would we be entering into other wars of adventure without thought as we have continued to do ever since. Sadly that is not the case.
It is not wars that we should be remembering but the political stupidity that got us into them, to start with. Maybe then we would learn something.
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Thank you. This is precisely the point.
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It is to be remembered that the poppies are not sold – you do not have to buy one but can take one and remember the human cost of freeing others from pitiful situations adopted by dictators of which those that comment here in a negative way do not understand. Should they be the ones to be liberated then they would see things differently !
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What about the orders to execute “cowards?” Wasn’t that a tyranny of fear? Wake the heck up.
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