The James McClean Sponsored Poppy Thread

[Ross.]

19 hours ago, Stellaboz said:

Last year I was on the phone answering a query, nobody was forced to do anything and it wasn't even mentioned. If you want to show respect, feel free to do it in your own time and not tell everyone, especially me. I don't give a shit.

Personally I hold respect for everyone who had to endure both wars, but I don't choose to tell the world or wear a Poppy.

Anyway, here at 11:11 on the 11th carnival begins

I thought the carnival in Köln was in February? The boy in my work usually heads back for the first week or so. Around then anyway.

[Stellaboz]

Apparently that's the main time of carnival, but it starts in November. Same in Maastricht apparently too. Is it a universal thing in November?

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Some belting comments on this as I'm sure you can imagine.

WTF [emoji38]

[Mark Connolly]

Does not wearing a poppy mean you don't support the appeal?

I never wear one, but I always donate. Am I supporting the appeal or not? What about people who bought one once and wear the same one every year, but never donate again?

[Finch road]

Shove the poppy up yer arse

[mizfit]

Does not wearing a poppy mean you don't support the appeal?

I never wear one, but I always donate. Am I supporting the appeal or not? What about people who bought one once and wear the same one every year, but never donate again?

 

I usually stick change in the pots and if I’m offered one I’ll accept it and put it in a pocket (find the plastic a b*****d to keep it on an item of clothing anyway)

 

Think it’s more out of habit, my granny used to take me to the poppy appeal people when I was younger, because her dad was in the military.

[Ross.]

4 hours ago, Stellaboz said:

Apparently that's the main time of carnival, but it starts in November. Same in Maastricht apparently too. Is it a universal thing in November?

Not sure, but most places here that do the carnival thing do it in February/March.

[Granny Danger]

5 minutes ago, mizfit said:

 

I usually stick change in the pots and if I’m offered one I’ll accept it and put it in a pocket (find the plastic a b*****d to keep it on an item of clothing anyway)

Think it’s more out of habit, my granny used to take me to the poppy appeal people because her dad was in the military when I was younger.

 

He must have been some age by then!

[mizfit]

He must have been some age by then!

I’m tired after work leave me be [emoji23]

[Granny Danger]

Just now, mizfit said:

 

 

I’m tired after work leave me be

 

 

Not as tired as your great-grandad would be after an early morning workout.

[chomp my root]

45 minutes ago, Finch road said:

Shove the poppy up yer arse

At the risk of 'nanny stating' I'd suggest anyone honouring 'our lads' this way should only use a poppy with a plastic stem, the ones with a metal pin will smart a little. 

[milton75]

Did anyone else make darts with them, plus a bit of blu-tac, to throw at each other in school?

[jimmy boo]

Shove the poppy up yer arse

Classy as always.

[Cerberus]

What percentage of the army are TA guys?
They deserve no support. Financial or gaudy.

[Tony Ferrino]

There was this snotty woman a couple of weeks ago, who in the foyer of our local supermarket after I'd said no thanks to a help for hero's lottery ticket, very loudly said "enjoy your bottle of wine", behind my back as I walked out.

Will probably still give a pound, but little things like that rile me and will probably give the poppy a miss.

[Mark Connolly]

40 minutes ago, Cerberus said:

What percentage of the army are TA guys?
They deserve no support. Financial or gaudy.

Are you suggesting Hamish Husband is supported by the poppy appeal?

[topcat(The most tip top)]

What percentage of the army are TA guys?
They deserve no support. Financial or gaudy.

“Reserves” account for about 20% of the total

Some “reserves” will be former regular soldiers who could be brought back in if things kicked off big time (as opposed to simply accountants with a khaki fetish)

[topcat(The most tip top)]

I wish there was some way to ensure your poppy donation only went to support causes for ww2 vets etc, people who join the army and fought in afghan etc knew what they were signing up for

Presidential post IMO

[Cerberus]

2 hours ago, Tony Ferrino said:

There was this snotty woman a couple of weeks ago, who in the foyer of our local supermarket after I'd said no thanks to a help for hero's lottery ticket, very loudly said "enjoy your bottle of wine", behind my back as I walked out.

Will probably still give a pound, but little things like that rile me and will probably give the poppy a miss.

You should walk around with a print out of Ainsley Harriot's You Seen Upset face for just these occasions.

[Booker-T]

Normally my default position on such  controversial matters is

1. Meh, I don't give a f**k

2. To each his own

3. What you eat doesn't make me shit

...

Anyway, I regularly pop a few coins into any tins when I see an old soldier collecting.

In my head it's a collection for the really really old guys who were conned/bullied into fighting for nothing more than an imperial territory in world war 1 under the guise of good vs evil, or the really old guys who fought against the nazis, no illusions about the cause here either but we were certainly on the far lesser evil side.

The niggling thing that annoys me about the poppy appeal that gets under my skin is that it's not those old guys that are actually benefiting from donations  - it's the people who should be looked after by the government who are the real beneficiaries of (or are completely reliant) of the appeal. Again, no getting into the ethics of war or these people knowing what they were signing up for but the fact is, they got hurt while working for their employer, their employer owes them a duty of care. It shouldn't be reliant on charity.