Poppy Fascism
I learned this phrase yesterday reading Obsolete's blog. It appears that it was coined by Jon Snow back in 2006 when he refused to wear a poppy onscreen. Fair play to him.
I've chafed before about this business of everybody and their dog having to wear a poppy when appearing before television cameras in a studio. It's so false that it amounts to hypocrisy. It's obvious that they are handed out to people as the microphones are being fitted, and it's a knocking bet that the poppies are provided free of charge by the Haig Mob, as a promotional device.
At the moment it seems that charities purportedly supporting 'our boys' are springing up daily. Why? Isn't the Haig Fund doing the job it was set up to do (I don't mean keeping the Haig family in clover)?
As I walked around the town today and yesterday I checked for people wearing poppies - I reckon less than five percent. Still, early days.