CLIVE SMITH: White poppies not needed to teach kids horrors of war

Peace campaigners are encouraging children in schools across the country to wear white poppies ahead of Remembrance Day instead of the traditional red.
Controversial white poppiesControversial white poppies
Controversial white poppies

It’s basically a blatant kick in the nuts for all those who gave their lives for us.

Apparently the red poppy glorifies war. The white one is for peace.

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I’m sure most sensible people want peace. It’s not as if the wearers of the red one put on their battle armour before leaving the house in the morning or talk about the good old days when men were getting killed in the trenches.

Profits from the sale of white poppies are used to make more white poppies. The sale of them benefits no one apart from those who organise, sell and manufacture them. All in the name of peace. How very public-spirited of them.

But profits from the red poppy go to the British Legion to help the families of the fallen or those with disabilities caused through conflict.

The white poppy brigade are just riding on the coat tails of the sale of the traditional poppy, in doing so taking money away from red poppy sales. Shameful marketing tactics. If they want to make money for their campaign they should do it at a different time of year. Perhaps on World Peace Day?

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I know why they don’t do this. It’s because hijacking Remembrance Day suits their own political agenda.

There are certain things that shouldn’t be politicised, this is one of them.

Whatever next? Sex offenders launching Paedo the Bear merchandise in the run up to Children in Need week?

A spokesman for the white poppy campaign said: ‘The white poppy doesn’t offend anyone.’

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So, it begs the question – since when has the red poppy offended anyone? To be offended by the red poppy is to be offended by those who died in conflict. The same spokesman in an interview was also talking about benefit cuts. I’m not quite sure what that’s got to do with the whole poppy debate.

If you teach children the horrors of war, they will appreciate the value of peace. A white poppy isn’t needed to do this, especially not when we are remembering the sacrifices of others.

LIFE HAS A VERY IRRITATING WAY OF BRINGING YOU DOWN TO EARTH

Life always has a way of keeping you grounded doesn’t it?

You have a great half-term weekend away with the kids, made some good memories and you’re feeling good about life.

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Then, on the drive home, your clutch decides to give up the ghost... on a roundabout.

From the looks I was getting from other motorists, I’m sure they thought I’d deliberately parked up there for a sandwich and a read of the paper.

You then find your roadside policy only covers the first 10 miles and it’s extra for every mile after.

Good times.

And when I arrived home I jumped out of the recovery truck and my phone fell out of my pocket shattering the screen.

Happy days.

SOCIAL SERVICES SHOULD SET UP AN OFFICE AT HOLIDAY CAMP

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I’m not saying that I’d win Hello magazine’s ‘father-of-the-year’ but some of the parenting on show at the holiday camp I took the kids to over half-term was abysmal.

There were chav mothers joining the queue for disabled people and pretending that their kids were ill just so they could get into the main entertainments venue before everyone else. Disgusting behaviour.

And how some of the kids were spoken to and treated – in public – it makes you wonder what goes on behind closed doors.

Social services could do with having a mobile office stationed there.

You can hardly blame the kids really when in the future they will simply be more fodder for the Jeremy Kyle Show.

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