Remembrance

[klr]

I feel enormous pity for the families of those who've died in wars. However, I think there have been an amazing number of programmes about remembrance on UK TV this year - more, I think, than I've ever seen. As well as televised (not to mention in-the-flesh) services and ceremonies on the 11th itself (Friday) and on Remembrance Sunday, it also seems that all public events and entertainments (eg football matches) on the days around these days have had to feature minutes of silence - and there's been righteous indignation in the media whenever a match hasn't included a minute's silence. I think our media and indeed lots of our people are alarmingly becoming increasingly fond of monstrous outpourings of public grief, where the important thing seems to me to be not what's in your heart, but making sure everybody sees you doing it. I think that kind of hypocrisy does nobody any good, and I'd much rather see energy expended actually doing something - like ensuring we never enter daft wars - rather than a whole lot of extra public breast-beating.

That sums up my perception as well - it's all "voluntary", but anyone seen to be "opting out" is going to draw down a storm of criticism on themselves. Much as I dislike FIFA, I could sympathise with their initial stance that the poppy should not be worn because it could be construed as a political symbol.

Yes, but it made the king-to-be very cross, and so they compromised.

The fact that FIFA is already very far down in the estimation of English FA* might also have had something to do with it. Someday, FIFA will likely need the English to help them on something or other, maybe changing one of the rules of the game where the home associations have a permanent vote.

*Completely FIFA's doing of course, but that's another story.

[John_fi_Skye]

I feel enormous pity for the families of those who've died in wars. However, I think there have been an amazing number of programmes about remembrance on UK TV this year - more, I think, than I've ever seen. As well as televised (not to mention in-the-flesh) services and ceremonies on the 11th itself (Friday) and on Remembrance Sunday, it also seems that all public events and entertainments (eg football matches) on the days around these days have had to feature minutes of silence - and there's been righteous indignation in the media whenever a match hasn't included a minute's silence. I think our media and indeed lots of our people are alarmingly becoming increasingly fond of monstrous outpourings of public grief, where the important thing seems to me to be not what's in your heart, but making sure everybody sees you doing it. I think that kind of hypocrisy does nobody any good, and I'd much rather see energy expended actually doing something - like ensuring we never enter daft wars - rather than a whole lot of extra public breast-beating.

That sums up my perception as well - it's all "voluntary", but anyone seen to be "opting out" is going to draw down a storm of criticism on themselves. Much as I dislike FIFA, I could sympathise with their initial stance that the poppy should not be worn because it could be construed as a political symbol.

Yes, but it made the king-to-be very cross, and so they compromised.

The fact that FIFA is already very far down in the estimation of English FA* might also have had something to do with it. Someday, FIFA will likely need the English to help them on something or other, maybe changing one of the rules of the game where the home associations have a permanent vote.

*Completely FIFA's doing of course, but that's another story.

In fact, they're not even "The English FA", are they? As with postage stamps, they're arrogant enough just to be "The FA". Sweet, as they say.

[klr]

...

In fact, they're not even "The English FA", are they? As with postage stamps, they're arrogant enough just to be "The FA". Sweet, as they say.

... and it's also the RFU (Rugby Football Union), because they too were the first.

Out of spite, I make sure to refer to them as "English" whenever I can.

[John_fi_Skye]

...

In fact, they're not even "The English FA", are they? As with postage stamps, they're arrogant enough just to be "The FA". Sweet, as they say.

... and it's also the RFU (Rugby Football Union), because they too were the first.

Out of spite, I make sure to refer to them as "English" whenever I can.

Out of spite, I refer to them as bastards.

[klr]

...

In fact, they're not even "The English FA", are they? As with postage stamps, they're arrogant enough just to be "The FA". Sweet, as they say.

... and it's also the RFU (Rugby Football Union), because they too were the first.

Out of spite, I make sure to refer to them as "English" whenever I can.

Out of spite, I refer to them as bastards.

Spoken like a true Scot then.