I am almost loathe to write this post, because I suspect everyone who reads it is going to at best disagree with me and at worst be mortally offended. Probably if you’re particularly patriotic or have a relative in the army, you just shouldn’t read this, because I promise my viewpoint is going to be irreconcilably oppposed to the viewpoint of 95% of the population.

Yesterday was Remembrance Sunday, tomorrow is Armistice Day, and I am currently undergoing my yearly ritual of politely declining to buy poppies. I have nothing against Remembrance Sunday as a day, and I am more than happy to say prayers for soldiers on both sides of the conflict. I am actually very interested in the First World War especially, and go through periods of addiction to the literature of that time. But there is no way on this earth that you are ever going to persuade me to buy a poppy. (more…)