[kirklancaster]

I wholeheartedly agree with Livia and Kaz.

There may be a small element of society who DO wear a poppy as some sort of 'Status Symbol' but that is no more a reason for the rest of us to justify NOT wearing one, than it is to disown the flag of St George because the thuggish National Front or some other sicko extremist faction has adopted it for their own nefarious purposes.

While it is always commendable to donate to our ex-servicemen's charities, in these troubled times, when our very existence as a nation is under threat - from within as well as from without - and when our own politicians are seeking to further decimate our threadbare armed forces and leave us even more defencless, and when more vitriol is levelled against our military than it is against the evil terrorists who they are risking life and limb to defend us against, it is NOW more than ever, highly essential to actually put our support for our armed service boys and girls on PUBLIC display and to 'Stand Up and Be Counted'.

Whenever the Right Wing Extremists march and protest, the intelligent among us KNOW that they are a minority and that the vast silent majority of the British are not xenophobic, racist thugs.Whenever British Muslim fanatics parade their support for ISIS on our streets, we KNOW that they are in a minority, and that the vast silent majority of British Muslims are peace-loving moderates who are proud to be British.

But how much more satisfying would it be, and how much of a kick-in-the-teeth for such extremists if that majority STOPPED being silent and SHOUTED their support for what they believed in - even if it was only by the wearing of a little emblem which silently, historically, but categorically is universally recognised.

So, I will continue to - both donate - and wear my poppy with pride.