James Mclean............

[Bus-Conductor]

Bollocks, if you don't believe there is hypocrisy in Mclean then that's down to you and you clearly don't understand the poppy and rememberance day yourself anyway, too busy preaching through your endless level of self worth to consider what it really means these days.

And I must remember to ask my Russian wife who brings her culture to our home here to forgive my over powering nationalist attitude that she has to live with.

He's not being a hypocrite though. If he was working for the british army he would be but he's not. He's working for a private company in a country he's entitled to live in. We do not have to agree with the (all, most or some) politics of a country to live or work in it. He's not a hypocrite because he doesn't want to be seen supporting a faction of what the poppy stands for because to him that would be hypocritical, believing that a faction of what the poppy stands for have committed atrocities - atrocities that are perhaps connected to him or his family.

Some acts of british soldiers deserve remembrance (my grandad was a POW in Poland for the record) but some don't, and it doesn't matter how they try to associate other causes, to some the poppy will always be associated with bad as well as good issues.

As others have said, our soldiers often suffered for exactly this freedom to think, say and do what we want, not what others want us too, as long as it doesn't hurt others.

 

[Mr Pink]

His not wearing one is not a statement about free choice or anything like that though, it's about politicising the issue from a republican stance yet again.

Lots of Irishmen from both sides died serving in the British army, James McClean is always playing up to the political divide in NI, he should take a leaf out of Martin O'Neill's book, but he won't as he just doesn't have the same class. 'Controversial' James just can't keep his big stupid fucking mouth shut to be honest.

This is totally it, many won't get that - but this is it. Obviously you can't prove it, but like you I know that's what it is.

 

[max cady]

how many of you will be wearing an Easter Lily to commerate Ireland's dead come Easter sunday.

 

[Legend10]

how many of you will be wearing an Easter Lily to commerate Ireland's dead come Easter sunday.

how many of us live in Ireland and if we did would refuse to wear one?

 

[max cady]

how many of us live in Ireland and if we did would refuse to wear one?

If you did live in Ireland.........You would have a choice.......right.

 

[forgotten_child]

Unfortunately stances like this will provoke an arguement, although personaly I disagree with McLean's decision, the choice is his. The negative side of this is the reason for his choice, he has always been known here as some one who likes to stir up trouble and speak his mind, unfortunately he seems ignorant of what has happened in the past, and like a percentage of the youth of NI still carry on the bitterness and hatred on both sides.

Standing at the local cenotaph on Sunday morning I noticed members of both religions paying there respects, and laying wreaths. There will always be a divide in NI, with some Catholics refusing to wear the poppy but that is there choice and most have a valid arguement for doing so, It is twats like McLean with his various comments on Politics with a lack of understanding that will always keep the dark times lingering here.

 

[max cady]

Unfortunately stances like this will provoke an arguement, although personaly I disagree with McLean's decision, the choice is his. The negative side of this is the reason for his choice, he has always been known here as some one who likes to stir up trouble and speak his mind, unfortunately he seems ignorant of what has happened in the past, and like a percentage of the youth of NI still carry on the bitterness and hatred on both sides.

Standing at the local cenotaph on Sunday morning I noticed members of both religions paying there respects, and laying wreaths. There will always be a divide in NI, with some Catholics refusing to wear the poppy but that is there choice and most have a valid arguement for doing so, It is twats like McLean with his various comments on Politics with a lack of understanding that will always keep the dark times lingering here.

I don not think it is necessary to refer to the young man as a twat just because of his mis-guided comments. Ok so he may or may not know the past history of our country. I have lived through the troubles from the 60's and witnessed the Omagh massacre which claimed the lives of many families I was familiar with, I also witnessed many a soldier, policeman etc etc be maimed or killed. I have never worn a poppy and possibly will never wear one and that is my choice. I cannot give a reason why I have never worn one as I do not have one. I have my own opinion on Ireland's troubled history.

As for James McLean no-one will ever know what troubles he witnessed in his life or his family for that matter but let us remember he was brought up on the creggan estate notorious for Bloody Sunday were 14 innocent people were murdered by the british army. i have read many on here say the poppy should be worn as a mark of respect but just maybe in the eyes of James McLean that was asking to much. At the end of the day he has his right of choice.

 

[Legend10]

Bloody Sunday isn't an answer! Or perhaps for example you believe all the people of Warrington should hate Irish people!

Thankfully they are more sensible than that, without the ability to learn from wrongs and move on current and future generations have no chance!

 

[Teemu]

I didn't buy a poppy as it would've cost me at least 20p in order for it to be a worthwhile donation and I'd rather eat a Chomp. James Mclean can do what he wants.

 

[worcestersauce]

I'm seriously thinking about not wearing a Poppy again, I'm old enough to remember remembrance day when every adult in this country had gone through the war and remembrance day was a day full of tangible memories of friends, comrades and family who died in the war and guess what, there were people who wouldn't wear one, people that had fought in the war, and by and large people accepted that choice, after all if they'd put their life on the line nobody could say they were hypocrites or unpatriotic.
Now it appears we have a nation full of people who have never had a gun pointed at them in anger forcing other people to wear Poppies on pain of being labelled unpatriotic traitors, here's the thing, the Poppy is not patriotic, it is not about showing how great this great country is and it is not about strutting your stuff and attacking people who see it differently.
Force one person to wear a Poppy and you insult every single sacrifice.

 

[Legend10]

Jesus the poppy or rememberance isn't about patriotism or nationalism, it's about people, human beings, service people and civilians who have made the ultimate sacrifice and people who ahve been innocent victims and their families that they leave behind.

Believe it or not we have been at war since the second world war finished and there are god knows how many people in this country today who are victims either personally or through family and friends. This is not a nation full of people who have never had a gun pointed at them in anger, on the contrary there is more than one generation in this country that have seen significant losses and continue to see it. There are still sons, daughters, husbands and fathers losing their lives, being seriously injured or suffering from severe mental pain. And there are still victims from Dunblane, 9/11 and other tragedies who are part of the modern rememberance service, completely innocent victims and their families.

I'm a 45 year old man in this country who is far from unusual in that I had colleagues killed, shot, blown up and maimed and people all over the Uk have experienced the same.

It's not about forcing anybody to wear a poppy and nobody should be forced to do so, but that is entirely different to having one removed from your football shirt and thus making a political statement in the process, that is a disgrace and mclean is an ignorant hypocritical **** for doing it.

 

[worcestersauce]

You think I don't know what the Poppy is about?
This country is full of people who have never had a gun pointed at them in anger and this country has not been at war since the second world war, this country has been involved in small wars and actions since the second world war but that is not the same thing.
It is about forcing someone to wear a poppy that is exactly what is happening here.
Even if all the things you say were true that would not prevent someone choosing not to wear the poppy. If someone doesn't want to wear the poppy they should not have to without having to explain themselves and without anyone else making an attack on them.
I wear a poppy but as I said on my first post I am considering doing so no longer, I don't care about people seeing my respect and my remembrance which is genuine, I sometimes wonder if everybody's is, there is a term for an over the top display of insincerity "a poppy show" if we are not careful this country is in danger of turning remembrance day into just that.

 

[nightgoat]

It's not about forcing anybody to wear a poppy and nobody should be forced to do so, but that is entirely different to having one removed from your football shirt and thus making a political statement in the process, that is a disgrace and mclean is an ignorant hypocritical **** for doing it.

I hadn't realised they had already heat sealed the poppy onto his shirt and he made them take it off.

But you've basically just said no one should be forced to wear a poppy but anyone who decides not to is a hypocritical ****. Nice.

 

[riggi]

To be honest, how do we know that there ever was a ww1 or 2? Im skeptical.

 

[Legend10]

I hadn't realised they had already heat sealed the poppy onto his shirt and he made them take it off.

But you've basically just said no one should be forced to wear a poppy but anyone who decides not to is a hypocritical ****. Nice.

To make what basically boils down to a political statement against this country and then choose to live here is in my opinion being a hypocritical ****.

 

[nightgoat]

To make what basically boils down to a political statement against this country and then choose to live here is in my opinion being a hypocritical ****.

But you just said no one should be forced to wear one. Or did you mean no one except James McClean should be forced to wear one?

Anyway, I already made several points/questions taking your stance apart earlier on in this thread which you didn't bother to respond to, I don't need to keep banging the drum.

 

[Luka Van der Bale]

I couldn't give a fuck what you think!

But you're right james McLean clearly does have a choice and he exercised it in the same way that I have a choice to call him a hypocrite and a **** for living in this country and earning his living here. If you're so anti British as he clearly is then imho it's total hypocricy to ply his trade on these shores.

Mclean was embarrassed yesterday by the Argentine trio at City who have far more of a reason to object than that stupid **** will ever have and whatever their inner feelings may be they represented their club and themselves with the utmost dignity.

Not to even mention the fact that there were changes to rememberance services following 9/11 to make non military victims more inclusive in their memories as well, something that the Irish churches alongside their British counterparts and the British legion prepared and developed together. This includes innocent victims on both sides from the conflicts in Northern Ireland and the South as well. Stupid ignorant **** probably has no idea of this and doesn't even know that his so called own people are included in the rememberance.

You clearly have absolutely no clue about Northern Ireland.

 

[Donki]

Jesus the poppy or rememberance isn't about patriotism or nationalism, it's about people, human beings, service people and civilians who have made the ultimate sacrifice and people who ahve been innocent victims and their families that they leave behind.

Believe it or not we have been at war since the second world war finished and there are god knows how many people in this country today who are victims either personally or through family and friends. This is not a nation full of people who have never had a gun pointed at them in anger, on the contrary there is more than one generation in this country that have seen significant losses and continue to see it. There are still sons, daughters, husbands and fathers losing their lives, being seriously injured or suffering from severe mental pain. And there are still victims from Dunblane, 9/11 and other tragedies who are part of the modern rememberance service, completely innocent victims and their families.

I'm a 45 year old man in this country who is far from unusual in that I had colleagues killed, shot, blown up and maimed and people all over the Uk have experienced the same.

It's not about forcing anybody to wear a poppy and nobody should be forced to do so, but that is entirely different to having one removed from your football shirt and thus making a political statement in the process, that is a disgrace and mclean is an ignorant hypocritical **** for doing it.

It shouldn't be unfortuneately that is the way it is seen, especially over here in our backwater where our so called politicains will do ANYTHING to get a vote. The Loyalits call for it therefore they see it as a symbol of Unionisim and the Repulicans link it to the British forces, its not the way it should be but unfortunately its the way it is. I chose to wear the poppy, its a personal choice, if someone chooses not to that is their choice.

As for James McLean, I just think hes a wanker and thats nothing to do with his relidgious background.

 

[tototoner]

To make what basically boils down to a political statement against this country and then choose to live here is in my opinion being a hypocritical ****.

Choose to live here ?, he was born in the UK

Northern Ireland is still a part of The United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland last time I checked

 

[Montasura]

It shouldn't be unfortuneately that is the way it is seen, especially over here in our backwater where our so called politicains will do ANYTHING to get a vote. The Loyalits call for it therefore they see it as a symbol of Unionisim and the Repulicans link it to the British forces, its not the way it should be but unfortunately its the way it is. I chose to wear the poppy, its a personal choice, if someone chooses not to that is their choice.

As for James McLean, I just think hes a wanker and thats nothing to do with his relidgious background.

And here lies the problem, the fact that it all boils down to our wee backwater country and the way in which (and I'll be careful here) both the poppy and the lily have been politicised beyond belief, to the point where (with the younger generation at least) it has very, very little to do with remembrance for the dead anymore. The two are basically now seen as symbols for either side, no different from the Ulster flag or the Irish tricolour.

The problem I refer to, in the sense of this thread, is that those who choose to comment (or in the case of Legend10's passionate posts) have very little understanding of modern Irish history, and the way things work over here.

Like you, I think McClean is a wanker and whether he wears a poppy has nothing to do with that belief!!!