THE wearing of the poppy is undoubtedly a political action, in my opinion.
It commemorates the decision to go to war by governments and the deploying by them of troops under order who could not refuse to obey - indeed, who risked being shot on government order if they did - and the forcible conscription of civilians.
It seems that WWI was indeed avoidable.
Negotiation was called for between 1900-1914, rather than a constant whipping up of war fever and tension across Europe and the British Empire.
If the wearing of the poppy (an innocent act, per se) were not political, it should involve the inviting over of representatives of the German and Austrian armed forces on November 11.
In the words of one of the last WWI heroes, Harry Patch, whose portrait graces the palace of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, ‘remember the poor Germans’.
They suffered terribly, just the same as did our men and, to them, the war was also for the freedom and security of the fatherland.
They were wrongly demonised - of course, atrocity reprisals did happen, we know that - but once the ‘dogs of war’ are ‘unslipped’, anything can happen.
WW1 was a tragedy encompassing the whole of Europe.
Surely friend and foe alike should not remember it as a political act but in reconciliation and brotherhood?
ROGER RICE BOUSHER
Gordon Road, Boscombe
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