Marks and Spencer insult war dead

[BadFish]

Just name the school bensgrandad. Then there will be 'undisputable truth'...my brothers, neighbours, dog walkers, wifes friends, grocer said...sought of suggests your story is bollocks.
These stories usually are.

I think it is Victoria Junior School. I have emailed them for confirmation. Thought it might be interesting to get their reaction to this suggestion.

 

[BensGrandad]

So why this year and five years ago and not other years?. Are 2012 and 2007 significant years? Something doesn't ring true with this story.

I am told it was a different headteacher the previous one didn't allow it and neither does the new one want to, one in between allowed it. Apparently the local education authority would make no comment and said it was completely down to the wishes or otherwise of the head teacher and they could not interfere.

I will confirm the school when my brother returns from holiday as it was him that told me about it.

 

[BadFish]

I am told it was a different headteacher the previous one didn't allow it and neither does the new one want to, one in between allowed it. Apparently the local education authority would make no comment and said it was completely down to the wishes or otherwise of the head teacher and they could not interfere.

I will confirm the school when my brother returns from holiday as it was him that told me about it.

And are they replacing these activities with something else. Because to be fair i can live without the nativity being no christian myself.

 

[BensGrandad]

And are they replacing these activities with something else. Because to be fair i can live without the nativity being no christian myself.

I am not sure brother didnt say.

 

[BensGrandad]

I must say my brother lives in Feltham but he has 3 daughters who all have girls I lives in Bedfont, I in Hounslow and I think the 3 rd is Staines area. so it could be any one of these but as I have said I will check when he gets back from holiday but my guess would be the one in either Bedfont or Hounslow.

 

[Buzzer]

I know that members of my family (from the generations that actually fought in WW1 and WW2) were never very comfortable about non-combatants making a big deal of "remembering" events that they hadn't themselves experienced.

What a bizarre attitude to have. I'm not sure I believe this.

 

[Gazwag]

Just happened to be in Marks at Holmbush this morning, and they continued playing pop music during the 2 minutes ''silence'' they'd just announced. Complete buffoons.

I was at Hastings war memorial rather than shopping

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

What a bizarre attitude to have. I'm not sure I believe this.

Must admit that I re-read that post carefully but also respect the sentiment behind it. From my own perspective many ex-servicemen didn't openly talk about their experiences on active service so it's not surprising that younger generations never got to understand even some of what they endured, so the act of remembrance could be a personal matter for those that served. I think it is more real if you have an idea what your family / friends went through.

Personally I feel very strongly that it is important to honour those that made the ultimate sacrifice. It is not about glorifying the rights / wrongs of wars that we should/should not have fought, most service people had no say in what they were told to do. Even though Remembrance Day is just a single day per annum I hope it does make many who would not otherwise give a moments thought take a chance to reflect on what it means.

I also think it is right to honour service people returning from campaigns with street parades to show public support for them. I think most punters would see this as respecting them rather than an act of glorifying the war itself which I would be far less comfortable about. Hopefully these events and Remembrance Day would also make people not take for granted the way of life we enjoyand maybe use their democratic rights to speak out against future conflicts.

I can remember naively thinking during coverage of the Vietnam war and even with the Cold war prevailing around that time too that surely there wouldn't be more Wars in my lifetime yet then we had the Falklands, Gulf 1 & 2, Afghanistan plus many smaller campaign. My cynical and more jaundiced view of the world now wouldn't surprise me if Iran is next. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[wunt be druv]

Front page of the Daily Mail this one.How very dare they!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

What a bizarre attitude to have. I'm not sure I believe this.

You'll just have to take my word for it. I know that my father never spoke of the serious action that he was involved in during WW2, and it was only after he'd died (in 1982) that I found out that his ship had been torpedoed in the Mediterranean in 1943. He was decorated for service in the evacuation of Dunkirk and he never talked about that either. I doubt if he was the only veteran to keep his thoughts to himself. To my knowledge, he never took part in any Remembrance Day events. He did, however, have a fondness for entertaining the family with anecdotes about some aspects of his naval service, including a story about the one war wound he was particularly fond of - the broken toe he suffered when keeping wicket for a Royal Navy team against the US Navy in San Francisco. "Representing King and Country in a contest with a foreign power is a dangerous activity", he used to say.

 

[Nibble]

While I can understand that people may not want to attend a specific remembrance service I feel they underestimate the power of ritual.

 

[Soulman]

Must admit that I re-read that post carefully but also respect the sentiment behind it. From my own perspective many ex-servicemen didn't openly talk about their experiences on active service so it's not surprising that younger generations never got to understand even some of what they endured, so the act of remembrance could be a personal matter for those that served. I think it is more real if you have an idea what your family / friends went through.

Personally I feel very strongly that it is important to honour those that made the ultimate sacrifice. It is not about glorifying the rights / wrongs of wars that we should/should not have fought, most service people had no say in what they were told to do. Even though Remembrance Day is just a single day per annum I hope it does make many who would not otherwise give a moments thought take a chance to reflect on what it means.

I also think it is right to honour service people returning from campaigns with street parades to show public support for them. I think most punters would see this as respecting them rather than an act of glorifying the war itself which I would be far less comfortable about. Hopefully these events and Remembrance Day would also make people not take for granted the way of life we enjoyand maybe use their democratic rights to speak out against future conflicts.

I can remember naively thinking during coverage of the Vietnam war and even with the Cold war prevailing around that time too that surely there wouldn't be more Wars in my lifetime yet then we had the Falklands, Gulf 1 & 2, Afghanistan plus many smaller campaign. My cynical and more jaundiced view of the world now wouldn't surprise me if Iran is next. I hope I'm wrong.

Excellent post imo.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Oh well.

And the war dead are dead - they can't be insulted

Well, they can be insulted... but they won't take offence.

In any case, we are living within the era of 21st century gesture politics - where every little wink, shake of hand, minute's silence is examined in microscopic detail for signs of disrespect. Not sure those of WWI and WWiI would necessarily have shared the same sensibilities around being offended as our current popular culture.

 

[The Spanish]

Every left winger worth their salt already boycotts M&S due to their links with the Terrorist State Israel. Good to see they are now alienating right wingers too. Hope the sods end up going bust. Their honey roast ham crisps are f***ing lovely, mind.

hahahahahahahaha

 

[The Spanish]

Well, they can be insulted... but they won't take offence.

In any case, we are living within the era of 21st century gesture politics - where every little wink, shake of hand, minute's silence is examined in microscopic detail for signs of disrespect. Not sure those of WWI and WWiI would necessarily have shared the same sensibilities around being offended as our current popular culture.

not far off the mark. but we need to remember for many many people even now this is personal and not an exercise in orchestrated patriotism. you only have to drive through the middle of the smallest English village to see how many people have been affected still within living memory. we have to be careful not to allow that to be hijacked by empty posturing. one of the great things about remembrance sunday is the solemnity and the dignity afforded to remembering ordinary ordinary people who died in extraordinary circumstances. not turning it into an I Am Better Than You contest.

 

[stripeyshark]

Totally this. Social Media this morning was awash with it this morning. I opted for a few minutes quiet reflection rather telling people about it via my Facebook status.

This.

 

[pastafarian]

Totally this. Social Media this morning was awash with it this morning. I opted for a few minutes quiet reflection rather telling people about it via my Facebook status.

top comment

i cannot and probably will not ever be able to understand these people that want to be seen to be remembering

i think very simply they just dont get it, and probably never will.

 

[The Spanish]

top comment

i cannot and probably will not ever be able to understand these people that want to be seen to be remembering

i think very simply they just dont get it, and probably never will.

theres thousands of them at football matches every time some fucker dies. these nobs are hard to avoid nowadays. it annoys me when people get all insane about minutes silences at football matches for some poor sod or other, when this affected pretty much every family in the UK and decimated towns and villages up and down the country. the professional grieving that sweeps the nation (or at least the football grounds of the nation) whenever someone pops their clogs is now affecting a real and genuine collective remembrance from some quarters.

Its fair to say most people do get it though pastafarian. if there wasnt the internet or shit newspapers this wouldnt be a debate we would all be just getting on with it respectably. no coincidence all this mania has appeared with the digital age.

 

[Buzzer]

You'll just have to take my word for it. I know that my father never spoke of the serious action that he was involved in during WW2... doubt if he was the only veteran to keep his thoughts to himself. To my knowledge, he never took part in any Remembrance Day events..

All well and good, my Grandad was exactly the same, but there's a world of difference between not talking about one's war experiences and feeling uncomfortable seeing non-combatants commemorating and giving thanks to those who died fighting for everyone's freedom, which was what you wrote.

 

[The Spanish]

All well and good, my Grandad was exactly the same, but there's a world of difference between not talking about one's war experiences and feeling uncomfortable seeing non-combatants commemorating and giving thanks to those who died fighting for everyone's freedom, which was what you claimed.

in fairness i had relatives who never stopped f***ing talking about the war.