Tony Pulis

[Judge Jules]

That's a fucking bullshit argument. It's an anti British army stance he's taking which he's entitled to take given where he's from and what happened there in the past. Him living in England has nothing to do with it.

"Nothing to do with it" my hairy @rse. I spent my year out before university in Germany, where relatives of mine had been turned into lampshades and soap thirty years earlier. By your anti-logic I'd have been justified in publicly berating the German army of the time for the crimes of their predecessors.

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

That's not even close to being the same. Were you asked to wear a badge supporting the German army while you were there? I doubt it. Has he publicly berated current army members? Nope. The only reason there's a shitstorm about it is because of the media making one, like they did when Corbyn did.

 

[tony]

You surely must know the poppy represents the fallen not a celebration of the british army at all. Just the poor saps who were sent over the trenches to preserve our liberty including the Irish who fought Hitler and fascism ( the returning survivors persecuted for it for decades as well )

 

[cloggypop]

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/nov/05/poppy-appeal-subverted-veterans-complain

 

[Judge Jules]

I don't pay overmuch attention to the media, least of all to those which would big this kind of story up, so if there is a sh!tstorm of the kind Aidan describes I genuinely wasn't aware of it. McClean's attitude to this has been known for a long time now.

Nor is the poppy some unspecific "badge supporting the British army" either. What it IS is grateful recognition of the sacrifice of those who gave their lives fighting fascism. McClean (and anybody on here) is free to dissociate himself from that because those people died to win that freedom.

 

[tony]

For Glory
And each of them, who came from afar
To fight here in this bloody awful war
To die in trenches, washed in hero’s blood
The men and women who sacrificed, for the common good.
Remember them today, on the eleventh hour
And wear with pride the blood red flower
Poppy that rose from each forgotten grave
To mark for us, the resting place of the brave.


For the record I don't wear a poppy, and respect his right not to want to wear it, but it is NOT about the British Army, it is NOT triumphalist, it IS anti war

 

[manwithnoname]

That's a fucking bullshit argument. It's an anti British army stance he's taking which he's entitled to take given where he's from and what happened there in the past. Him living in England has nothing to do with it.

I think I'd have more respect for his stance if it wasn't so very clearly a stance that he's been told by someone to take. He genuinely seems too thick to even read, never mind disseminate information and form an opinion of his own.

In fact, he's reputed to be stupid, even by footballing standards. Whatever, I don't care what he does or doesn't wear, nor the reasons he's been told to do so. I certainly don't think he should be castigated for it. It's a choice, after all.

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

You surely must know the poppy represents the fallen not a celebration of the british army at all. Just the poor saps who were sent over the trenches to preserve our liberty including the Irish who fought Hitler and fascism ( the returning survivors persecuted for it for decades as well )

I have absolutely nothing against the poppy myself and would wear one if I were a footballer, but he is well within his rights not to wear it. Some of the fallen to him could represent the British Army members in Northern Ireland and he possibly doesn't want to honour them?

 

[manwithnoname]

I think you should only honour the dead of an army if it has has *never* in its entire existence done anything morally questionable, repugnant, or evil, on whatever terms you wish those words to be relevant, at any point in history, regardless of context.

That would be the only fair way.

I should imagine that is James Maclean's stance also.

 

[Woland]

Not much struck on Klopp's glasses TBH. They remind me of something Dame Edna might wear.

 

[Judge Jules]

That's so awful, it's brill.