just read the OP, and thinking, oh, people still wear white ones. When i was 16, many moons ago, i had a typically rebellious outlook and wore a white poppy - people were quite openly offended by it, i cant honestly remember if i removed it or not. that was over 20 years ago!! uggh.

I made my own white poppy, so no money made from that.

Now of course i wear my red poppy with pride. I still hate war (dont we all) and despair every time i hear of another one of our soldiers lost. I also despair of losses for the "other sides". I want to pull our troops out of every war zone and bring them home or send them on peace keeping missions. But thats niave, i know that is not possible. I personally wouldnt join the army or want my children to, but i have the utmost respect for those who do - to wear a white poppy, even though the sentiment is admirable, is niave and sorry, disrespectful.

I wore my red poppy today.

When I wear my poppy I remember Vera Britten and her testamenet to youth, which deeply affected me. A whole generation of young men wiped out. Remembrance sunday was started aftre this in an act of 'never forgetting' them, which seems like a small thing to do.
Of course every one hoped that WWI would be a lesson that such a terrible war could never happen again, but it did.

But, WW2 was a diffrent war which needed to be fought and for which I am very grateful to both my grnadfathers and all their generation for doing so, and providing the privileges and freedom we have today.

I buy my poppy every year from and old soldier, and wear it as an act of grtaitude to those few that are left, I want them to see that our generation have not forgtton thier sacrifices, and I feel this very deeply and emotionally, so find it hard to uderstand why evryone would not want to show this physical demonsrtation to that genartion now dyng out.

Of course I understand, that with recent conflicts there are now more complex associations for poppy waering, but none which would prevent this imporatant act of remembrance and gratitude from me.

book? wha book?

wow, I generally buy a red poppy and I've never seen a white poppy.
I agree with Rhubarb that there shouldn't need to be a poppy fund to pay for help and assistance for vets, but thats the same argument for ALL charities surely? if its good work thats supported by a majority why doesn't it get government funding? or is there a case for charitable funds because they have more chance of standing outside the shortterm political hurly burly? (I've spent 15 yrs in the not-for-profit sector btw so I do have some understanding of how charities work)

As far as poppies go;
I havn't supported any of the conflicts that the british government has commited troops to during my lifetime.
I don't support or agree with the current/ historical model of a standing armed forces.
I have very little support or faith in the current or potential future government of the UK
I have always associated Poppies and rememberance day with the world wars. Whilst there might be images of the current conflict in London all I've seen up here has been veterans of WW2 with poppies, a news item about the laying of a wreath on the war memorial (Boer War btw) and a special service planned for rememberance sunday.

I wear a poppy to remember WW2 and all those miltary and civilian who died to try and prevent Nazism from engulfing Europe.

There may well be other associations and connatations in other people's minds. But I don't think anyone would argue that poppies aren't a symbol of WW2 (even if they also are a symbol of other wars) so I will continue to wear one.

I would have no problem with anyone wearing a white poppy - before I read some of the thread I actually assumed it was for either the non combatants who were killed or for conscientuos (sp?) objectors who suffered for their beliefs.

Thanks for asking about him though

which brother?

I have three. My eldest served in Northern Ireland and East Germany. Lost many friends to bombs and checkpoint shootouts and now suffers post traumatic stress syndrome. Tried to kill himself 2 years ago. He won't be wearing a red poppy.

My youngest brother is the one with learning difficulties.

And I don't see how wearing a pacifist symbol could be construed as offensive. Would anyone be offended if I wore an amnesty symbol?

We are all wanting the same things, peace and an end to the fighting and killing. We just all go about it in different ways.

I'll believe that amount of money is going to these war-torn countries when it actually gets there. The government has promised similar amounts before, to the third world, and has yet to deliver. I'd also like to see an end to the development in this country of WMD. How they can justify bombing a country for allegedly having WMD when many parts for these weapons came from THIS country, when we are still developing these weapons freely - that's astonishing and insulting to every tax payer in this country.

Rhubarb - after 43 years close association with the Armed Forces, I have a fairly good idea of the range of things they do I think.

I didn't say don't vote the govt in; I didn't vote for them anyway as they have bog all understanding of defence and no desire to improve their knowledge either. Totally agree about Brown - sooner he goes the better.

My taxes are paying for things I don't agree with either, but that is the nature of democracy. The govt have never had any intention of doing more than the minimum for the Armed Forces or for some medical research, which is where charity comes in.

Yes, we have a responsibility to some of those killed and maimed - £510 million to Afghanistan from the UK over the next four years should help I think, and the £10 million going to the HALO trust to clear landmines that Russia had left there.

Quick hijack with regards to your other thread about your brother - could the RBL or SSAFA not help? They are good on pulling together agencies to help.

I wonder how many people against the red poppy have actually had a close family member die in war.

To wear th white poppy on remembrance Sunday is shameful and probably worn by spineless people who would never do anything for their country. To gain attention on the back of something so painful and poinient is disgusting.

scaryteacher, we are letting lots of other dictators carry on with ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Don't think for one minute that war is all about peacekeeping.

And I hate it when people say, if you don't want the war don't vote the government in. I didn't want the war, I campaigned against the war, we didn't get a bloody choice - how's that for democracy? No-one voted Brown in as Prime Minister, yet he's been PM for nearly three years now.

My choice has been taken away from me. My taxes to go paying for Trident and the making of bombs such as Daisy Cutters which is what they used in Iraq to inflict maximum damage. I had war veterans campaign alongside me against the war in Iraq, they were disgusted that the Daisy Cutter was being used.

My taxes are paying for lots of things I don't agree with so I'll be damned if I'm going to give yet more of my money to fund something the government should be held responsible for.

We also have a responsibility to those people who were killed and maimed by our bombs and guns.

You need to stop paying taxes then Lollipop as you are funding 'active' servicemen. They'd be no bloody good if they weren't active would they? I think you mean current service personnel.

You also need to clarify what you are against - Afghanistan or the entire MOD. You also need to consider that the Armed Forces don't just fight - they are involved in anti piracy ops off Somalia; they inderdict drugs; they are often first on the scene when there is a natural disaster to give medical help and rebuild shelter for people; they are involved in peacekeeping.

Were you against involvement in Bosnia and Kosovo, or should we have stood back and allowed Karadzic to carry on with his ethnic cleansing?