BensGrandad
New member
I was rather surprised and impressed to see Pocchetino (sp) Spurs manager wearing a poppy on MOTD2 being he is Argentinian and the Falklands etc.
poppies
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supaseagull
Well-known member
During WW2, more than 750 Argentine volunteers fought in the British, South African and Canadian Air Forces, mainly in the 164 Argentine-British RAF squadron, which saw action in Northern France and Belgium and Nearly 4,000 Argentine volunteers fought on the Allied side.
BensGrandad
New member
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- #3
I was basing my surprise purely on the Falklands conflict and recent events as regards their PM.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Don't you remember Tanno wearing a poppy?
There are a lot of Argentinians who don't agree with their stance on the Falklands and think Kirchner is using it to cover up her failure in the economy.
There are a lot of Argentinians who don't agree with their stance on the Falklands and think Kirchner is using it to cover up her failure in the economy.
BensGrandad
New member
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- #5
Still good to see people of all nations respecting the memory of the fallen.
Mellor 3 Ward 4
Well-known member
Which is exactly what she is doing.
- Jul 7, 2003
- 48,257
Very true, however the more pragmatic truth is probably that staff and players at all clubs have been informed that, where they are in a public facing situation for the next few weeks, the expectation is that they should wear a poppy.
Not suggesting for a moment that Pochettino doesn't have a mind of his own, or that he couldn't decline if he felt particularly passionately about it, but he's probably just doing the done thing (after all: at this time of year, I bet certain newspapers task journalists specifically to hunt down photos of famous people not "complying", and the clubs' media departments will be extremely aware of that)/
Ludensian Gull
Well-known member
Think you are spot on Edna, by the way what are the white poppies about?
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Lindsay German thinks that red poppies are a glorification of war and will wear a white poppy.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...-this-year-9814449.html?origin=internalSearch
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...-this-year-9814449.html?origin=internalSearch
Mellor 3 Ward 4
Well-known member
That article gets pretty short shrift, even from Guardian readers.
Lord Bracknell
On fire
This was originally an idea advocated by the Co-operative Women's Guild, in the 1930s. My grandmother was very active in the CWG and supported the white poppy movement as making a bigger statement than the British Legion's version of Remembrance Day. It wasn't that Remembrance Day meant nothing to her - her brother had been killed in WW 1 - it was more a case of not being comfortable with the way the Establishment used the event to promote its own agenda.
But that was the 1930s. These symbols have a different meaning these days.
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 36,298
i think Lindsay German is being a daft bint trying to hijack a simple and well understood mark of respect to peddle a political agenda. claiming that poppies are used to build support for current and future conflict is contemptable and insulting the intelligence of the population, as if being reminded every year of the death and losses of war somehow makes us more hungry for conflicts. beggers belief.
Seagull over Canaryland
Well-known member
Hmmmmm. Possibly true. It also seems a tad cynical (and an uncharacteristically subjective) suggestion from you. The inclusion of 'probably just doing the done thing' caught my eye.
Given the Argentinian connections at Spurs over the years I suspect it is club that is all too aware of the sensitivities around the subject and especially at this of the year. Yes he might have been prompted by someone at the Club to wear a poppy as a diplomatic act of respect. Maybe Pochettino has personal reasons to respect the loss of family members or friends in 1982? Maybe not. The Falklands are a very emotive subject in Argentina, so a reminder may not be needed. I could understand if 'Poch' said that he wishes to acknowledge the loss of life on both sides.
Personally I don't have a problem pausing to reflect on the loss of life on both sides - I recall the images of the terrified young Argentinian conscripts taken prisoner in the Falklands conflict, many of them did not really understand why they were being sent abroad to die - mainly for some politician's vanity.
Afghanistan is currently on our TV screens - and only a few days since we commemorated of the loss of our own James Brynin (plus not forgetting other Sussex service people who made the ultimate sacrifice). We also have the ongoing coverage of the centenary of the outbreak of WW1. These should underline to many who may not give it much thought that we should never forget the sheer scale and horror of war. The act of remembrance does not feel like glorification, although I can understand why some might perceive it that way.
My local churchyard includes the neatly tended graves of British and Commonwealth RAF personnel from WWII. Local people also pay due respect to the adjoining row of Luftwaffe graves. You cannot help but come away with a lingering impression of the horrendous toll on so many very young men, whichever side they were on.
PS did Pochettino also wear a poppy when at Southampton? Something for NSC's sleuths to investigate...
