The Poppy

Started by ONeill, October 28, 2009, 12:30:43 AM

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Hoof Hearted

Quote from: Archie Mitchell on October 28, 2009, 08:44:36 AM
It gives the unionists yet another chance to play the religion card. Imagine the uproar if people freely wore an Easter Lily to work etc?

At least the Lily is only worn on Easter Sunday. I don;t have a problem with remembrance Sunday and all that craic, But it isnt until 8th Nov, the poppies have been on show from last Thursday. It gets earlier by the year.
Treble 6 Nations Fantasy Rugby champion 2008, 2011 & 2012

ardmhachaabu

My workplace is very mixed and I haven't seen one Catholic wearing one, Protestants however not only wear them but have them everywhere, workstations etc - I think it's used by Unionists as a badge of Britishness and little else
Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something

Minder

There are about 250 people where I work and it is mixed, I have never seen more than two or three people wearing poppies.
"When it's too tough for them, it's just right for us"

rossie mad

I dont want to go off on a tangent here but i was up in the north two weeks ago.

I was heading up to a friend from between banbridge and castlewellan or newcastle i think.
The route i took was armagh city,pontyzpass,loughlowbridge i think, banbridge and then the castlewellan road and i turned off somewhere on that road.

I noticed that every so often there was a UJ or Northern flag flying from different telephone poles and the markethill road there was a fair few splattered.

Then when i went down to my friend who lives on an oul country road i noticed a big farmyard beside his house and a lot of good land to the back and a big white pole with a UJ flying.

This wasnt the first big farm i noticed with a UJ flying outside on a long pole.

My friend is nationalist but is not political.He doesnt care as long as theres peace which is my oulook too.The easy option maybe but it actually irked me that every morning when my friend and his neighbours wakes up they sees this flying and even though they dont seem to care i have to say it would bother me.

Im maybe naive as my trips to the north has only been to crossmaglen and enniskillen a couple times to watch roscommon and yes even though there was a nice few tricolours in cross i never seemed to notice anything else.

On the trip two weeks ago i genuinely seen only one tricolour in the north and alot of bunting and flags for peares og in armagh city.

On the way home i decided going through the republic i would look for tricolours and see were we as genorous with the flag flying.

I went through monaghan cavan and leitrim and down to south roscommon.
I seen two. One outside the slieve russel hotel in cavan and one outside the mbna building in carrick on shannon.

My point is this are the UJs been flown for triumphalism or insecurity?

Was it just the route i took that was unionism favoured or is there other areas in the north where the tricolour is flown every half mile along a road?

Hereiam

There is one erected outside Omagh on the Gortin road by a local farmer. I have often thought of putting the tri colour up on our road but then you think why would I need too, i have nothing to prove. The one time that i will put it up is when that paisley cu*t passes on. That will be a great day.

Zapatista

Quote from: rossie mad on October 28, 2009, 10:13:41 AM

My point is this are the UJs been flown for triumphalism or insecurity?



Both. I works both ways too. In the south Superquinn and such places use the flag to encourage you to stay away from Aldi and Lidl. True patriots.

Declan

QuoteIn the south Superquinn and such places use the flag to encourage you to stay away from Aldi and Lidl. True patriots.

Must say I've never seen that Zap - Wherabouts?

Orior

Used to be that the poppy was a reminder of the tragedy of war, the sacrafice and desire for peaceful resolution.

Now I think it is used to pay for the continued cost of war.


The vast vast vast majority in the north of Ireland wear it to remind themselves and everyone else that they're british. My mum would buy one, but would never be seen wearing it (I hope! lol)
Cover me in chocolate and feed me to the lesbians

ONeill

Did you just type lol?
I wanna have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames.

Aerlik

Quote from: Orior on October 28, 2009, 10:47:55 AM
The vast vast vast majority in the north of Ireland wear it to remind themselves and everyone else that they're british. My mum would buy one, but would never be seen wearing it

Agree, and my mam too used to buy one or two.  I notice the Dutch, French or Belgians don't bother with the poppy.  Does anyone know why that might be?
To find his equal an Irishman is forced to talk to God!

Orior

Quote from: ONeill on October 28, 2009, 10:49:15 AM
Did you just type lol?

Yeah, I'm not a smilie type person
Cover me in chocolate and feed me to the lesbians

nrico2006

Don't see many people in work wearing them but often wonder if they are for show or are they genuine.  I personally see them as being a symbol of the 'protestant' sort even though they are marketed as a sign of respect for the dead who as I have been often reminded came from both communities.  The woman and her ma wear them and they actually see it for what its meant toi be but it doesn't stop me from binning hers as soon as she drops her guard, there will be a row in the future if my daughter ever has one near her.  As I mentioned I often get the line 'both sides fought..' from the womans ma but maybe she is naive and doesn't realise how it is perceived by from the majority of catholics.  I remember a few years ago in Strabane there was uproar at people  wearing Easter Lilys to work, even though the town is 99.9% Nationalist and it is a symbol to respect the dead from a previous war also.  It sickens me that Unionist politicians cause uproar at this while there is no problem when it suits there agenda. 

Regarding the flag flying, it doesn't seem to be as much in our nature to have flags everywhere in our towns etc, maybe we are lazy.  I live in Waringstown (few miles from Banbridge) and there is loads of Union Jacks etc flying all year around.  The same goes for Lurgan, the whole town is covered all summer even though it is mixed.  I would love to see the reaction of the Unionist politicians if there were Tricolours everywhere, be a different story altogether. 
'To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal, light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle.'

Agnes Dipesto

While at QUB studying politics as part of my course, we had a German teacher for most of the first semester and excellent he was too. This dick in the class continued to wear his poppy throughout the semester as a reminder to the teacher who won the war. p***k!


Gnevin

Quote from: Aerlik on October 28, 2009, 10:53:41 AM
Quote from: Orior on October 28, 2009, 10:47:55 AM
The vast vast vast majority in the north of Ireland wear it to remind themselves and everyone else that they're british. My mum would buy one, but would never be seen wearing it

Agree, and my mam too used to buy one or two.  I notice the Dutch, French or Belgians don't bother with the poppy.  Does anyone know why that might be?
It was generally the commonwealth nations that adopted the poppy. Canada, Australia et al

In fact the Canadian have the poppy on the quarter from 2008.
Anyway, long story short... is a phrase whose origins are complicated and rambling.

Aerlik

Quote from: Gnevin on October 28, 2009, 11:22:13 AM
Quote from: Aerlik on October 28, 2009, 10:53:41 AM
Quote from: Orior on October 28, 2009, 10:47:55 AM
The vast vast vast majority in the north of Ireland wear it to remind themselves and everyone else that they're british. My mum would buy one, but would never be seen wearing it

Agree, and my mam too used to buy one or two.  I notice the Dutch, French or Belgians don't bother with the poppy.  Does anyone know why that might be?
It was generally the commonwealth nations that adopted the poppy. Canada, Australia et al

In fact the Canadian have the poppy on the quarter from 2008.

Thanks.  Never knew that.  The poppy is not a common sight in Aus. 
To find his equal an Irishman is forced to talk to God!