There's Only One Poppy

Do you agree?

And if you want a symbol of this cultural and political war that is happening and dividing this country look no further than the humble poppy and the annual row about whether you should wear a white one or a red one.

Every year, like clockwork, this debate rages usually ignited by some newsreader like Jon Snow who refuses to wear one on air saying "there is a rather unpleasant breed of poppy fascism out there — 'he damned well must wear a poppy!'. Well, I do, in my private life, but I am not going to wear it or any other symbol on air."

He is, of course, missing the whole point.

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The poppy is not like any other symbol. It remembers those of two world wars who laid down their lives so that he can wear his stupid socks and be a lefty biased newsreader on his programme.  A programme, may I add, that if the Nazis had won the war would have no chance of being broadcast.

Young men quite literally laid down their lives so that Channel four and the BBC can produce their usual anti-British reports every night.

Now I could accept a student coming out with such drivel about the poppy but from a fully-grown man it is beyond ridicule.

It is also important to note that the Red poppy remembers all victims of war not just our fallen.

These pacifist pathetic white poppies have been around since the Thirties but of course gained massive publicity when Mrs Thatcher famously expressed her "deep distaste" for them when she was asked about them in the commons in 1986.

This played straight into the peaceniks and students' hands and the pacifist symbol gained massive publicity and growth particularly when the tabloid press ran stories attacking the white poppy. A lot of this to be frank was quite distasteful but it has set the scene for this continuing cultural war.

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The Royal British Legion have maintained the moral high ground in this annual debate by having no official line on it and saying it, "is a matter of choice, the Legion doesn't have a problem whether you wear a red one or a white one, both or none at all."

The Legion also stress that it is not a sign of support for war and death. Instead, it is a symbol for remembrance and hope and should not be seen as a symbol of religion or politics.

Compare and contrast that dignified silence with this, from the Peace Pledge Union's own website, "The PPU attitude to the official ceremony, symbolised since 1921 by the red poppy, is that it has become a ritual, which serves to reinforce and perpetuate the view that war is acceptable and 'natural', however regrettable it may be; it gives comfort to veterans and arms merchants, to the bereaved families as well as politicians who start wars. More crucially it does disservice to all who wish for, and work for peace, and know that there are less brutal ways of managing conflict on an overcrowded planet."

My only response to this naïve and pious sixth form debating statement is to quote Falklands veteran Simon Weston who says that he believes those who think the red poppy glorifies war are "hijacking a campaign that helps families of the injured and the dead".

I also hate the pompous and pious way the white poppies have the word Peace written on them as if those of us, and more importantly the fallen, didn't believe or want peace when they went to war?

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Doesn't everyone want peace?

Peace can often only be secured by the use of or the threat of war or retaliation. Peace is secured through strength not weakness.

However, in this snowflake world we are living in the cultural Marxists see strength as a weakness or an evil.

This is why they hated Maggie Thatcher and now hate Trump. This is why they spit out the word nationalism as if it is a swear word.

However, it is clear that people around the Globe want strong leaders whether it's Thatcher, Trump, Putin or the leader of countries like Poland, Hungary and of course Italy.

This annual white poppy row reminds me of my youthful and naïve support of CND.

When the first nuclear missiles were delivered to Greenham Common I paraded around Coventry city centre carrying a coffin!  I thought they would lead to our death and destruction. and I even believed in unilateral disarmament. But I was wrong completely wrong as proved by history and Thatcher and Reagan were correct these missiles acted as a massive deterrent and actually stabilised the world.

Likewise, Trump has faced down the threat of North Korea by stating the simple plain fact that his red button is bigger than Kim's. I am joking but you get my point that no one wants war but we cannot all wear white poppies and sing Kumbaya and hope the aggressor starts putting flowers in their guns, can we?

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I am sorry but I find it hard to disagree with Tory MP and former soldier Johnny Mercer who in a tweet this week said, "White poppies are attention seeking rubbish. Ignore the wearers of them. If you don't want to wear a poppy don't bother; they fought and died so you could choose. But don't deliberately try and hijack it's symbolism for your own ends."

How I would love to ignore them and how I would love to not be having to write another column about this again next year but I somehow doubt that will happen.

But let's end on a cheery note because despite the best efforts of the cultural Marxists and snowflakes only 100 thousand white poppies are sold each year compared to 40 MILLION of the correct Red poppies.

Please wear you Red Poppy with pride as this is a war we have to win.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.