The takedowns of this Tory MP who said this about poppies are just perfect
You might recognise Tory MP Johnny Mercer if you watched Channel 4’s celebrity version of Hunted last night.
But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here because he really, really isn’t happy with anyone who wears white poppies for Remembrance Day.
Prompted by this person’s tweet about red poppies …
I will be wearing my RED poppy with pride this year. We will forever remember the sacrifices made by the bravest men and women of our armed forces. #Poppy #LestWeForget #WeWillRememberThem pic.twitter.com/m1slczZHih
— Brian Wood MC (@BrianWoodMC) October 22, 2018
… the Plymouth Moor View MP said this, about white ones.
White poppies are attention seeking rubbish. Ignore the wearers of them. If you don’t want to wear a poppy don’t bother; they fought and died so you could choose. But don’t deliberately try and hijack it’s symbolism for your own ends. Well done @BrianWoodMC https://t.co/HRK3wW3qY5
— Rt Hon Johnny Mercer (@JohnnyMercerUK) October 22, 2018
Well, everyone’s entitled to their opinion. Except some opinions are wrong, and some are right.
These replies are right, and very satisfying they are too.
1.
My grandpa and his 18 year old brother were at the Somme, grandpa came home, is brother did not.
Grandpa always wore a poppy to honour his brother & comrades – he always wore a white one. He earned the right to make that choice and he was not attention seeking.— mollymoo (the beep beep is here to stay). (@mollyluna11) October 22, 2018
2.
My father (Dunkirk, north Africa vet injured out) carried on the tradition. They remembered and honoured but they wanted peace not war.
A white poppy will be laid by a name on a wall in Ypres on 11/11 for my 18 year old great uncle.— mollymoo (the beep beep is here to stay). (@mollyluna11) October 22, 2018
3.
He's called David. This is a special personal year, 101 years since we lost him & now we've found him again. He gets his white poppy because that's what we do. Attention seeking – nope, just our choice for our familiy soldiers, you have no right to disrespect that.
— mollymoo (the beep beep is here to stay). (@mollyluna11) October 23, 2018
4.
My father came from an army family, his father & step father were both full time. Army was in his DNA & he was happy to take on the family tradition for his in-laws because he was respectful & he approved.
No one ever made comments like yours, people were interested & agreed.— mollymoo (the beep beep is here to stay). (@mollyluna11) October 23, 2018
5.
So if you want to call my family veterans attention seekers & rubbish, & ignore them, you have the right to do so – because they fought & (some) died to give you that right.
They also deserve respect, they very much earned it.— mollymoo (the beep beep is here to stay). (@mollyluna11) October 23, 2018
6.
They were first worn in 1933 by the Women’s Co-operative Guild to symbolise a message of “no more war”. Do you think those women, whose lives were so devastated by WW1, were mere attention seekers? #whitepoppy
— Bernadette Meaden (@BernaMeaden) October 23, 2018
7.
This is really unfair. My late mother in law wore a white poppy because her father was a conscientious objector in the war – he didn't fight but he was medical personnel. She never felt like it was right for her to wear a red one. ♀️
— Food, Fash, Fit (@FoodFashFit) October 22, 2018
8.
https://twitter.com/LalehKhalili/status/1054768879321391104
9.
Johnny is proving himself to be the attention seeker. Also, if Johnny cared about ex military he would not vote the way he does on social security matters. Johnny is a hypocrite
— Chris John Ball (@cjball_london) October 23, 2018
10.
https://twitter.com/BennettHuw/status/1054481903766646784
11.
Johnny Mercer displays ignorance of #whitepoppies. They are not "hijacking" anything; they have been worn for 85 years. We wear the #whitepoppy on #RemembranceDay to remember all victims of war and to commemorate the dead by working for peace. #RememberandDisarm #RememberThemAll https://t.co/yABVIXECHy
— Peace Pledge Union (@PPUtoday) October 23, 2018
And then there was this exchange, which was brilliant too.
Couldn’t agree more! The white poppy takes money away from a charity without declaring where it goes I’ll be wearing my poppy with pride
— paul simmons (@simmop468) October 22, 2018
it goes here https://t.co/7vlvcR2Mz6 – since 1934, btw
— Catherina & SM #FBPE♀️ (@justthevax) October 22, 2018
Apologies I stand corrected
— paul simmons (@simmop468) October 22, 2018
OMG Paul, this isn't how Twitter works. You're supposed to continue arguing and then get steadily more abusive 😉
— Brian Harris (@harrisimo) October 23, 2018
this exchange made me so happy – why isn't life always like this
Person 1: XYZ
Person 2: actually, that is not the case [link]
Person 1: oh, didn't know that, sorryWe'd get sh*t done if everyone stuck to the facts!
— Catherina & SM #FBPE♀️ (@justthevax) October 23, 2018
In conclusion …
The comments below this are Good Twitter https://t.co/tUuMqRweD3
— Greg Jenner (@greg_jenner) October 23, 2018
Oh, and this.
And…. we're off #poppyoutrage https://t.co/IaHPWTMqI5
— Otto English (@Otto_English) October 22, 2018