No Respect

[WarszaVillan]

He is actually from an estate in Derry that lost something like five or six innocent people on Bloody Sunday

Whch is absolutely shocking, of course.

Derry also lost over 1200 innocent men in WW1.

I wasn't making a judgement on his action. Sure 200,000 Irishmen (half of whom were nationalist) fought for Britain in WW1. The Great War s a huge part of his and my history.

It is and its also a shameful part due to the fact that our leaders took us into a senseless war and one in which 16 million people died. I'm all for remembering and commemorating the dead but I don't like the way it has become celebrated by some. This was outright slaughter without purpose, which is why I wouldn't wear a poppy (although i understand why some do).

This is a very good statement on the matter:  http://dancooperulu.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/why-i-declined-an-invitation-to-lay-a-wreath-at-the-uols-rememberance-service/

I'd say that was a very very poor statement on the matter, allowing his own personal agenda to influence him when he represents 120,000 students.

He was elected, he's taken a principled stand and explained why he did it. It's called democracy

[Jon Crofts]

Democracy, the very thing all those people died defending, how ironic.

[WarszaVillan]

Why is it ironic?

[Ger Regan]

And I'd have an issue with the notion that protecting democracy was at the forefront of the thinking behind Britain getting involved in WWI. I'm certainly no expert, but protecting their interests was surely as big a motivation.

[Sexual Ealing]

And Britain wasn't a democracy.

[WarszaVillan]

And I'd have an issue with the notion that protecting democracy was at the forefront of the thinking behind Britain getting involved in WWI. I'm certainly no expert, but protecting their interests was surely as big a motivation.

Exactly. Which is why the dead should be remembered and respected but the war never celebrated. The number slaughtered equaled 10 holocausts.

[Jon Crofts]

That somehow his act was democratic, that somehow his refusal to lay a wreath at the cenotaph represented the views of the 120,000 multi faith, multi-cultural students he supposedly represents and was in no way just him pushing his own personal political view.
Which if you read carefully his statement you'll see it is just his personal view.  Not once does he state he is representing the Unions of the University or that he has sought their view.  He was not invited to do this personally, he was invited as he holds the office of Vice President of the University of London.

Ironic in that he could have remembered the millions without a voice.

Ironic in that he could have remembered those millions had little or no choice.

[Irish villain]

And I'd have an issue with the notion that protecting democracy was at the forefront of the thinking behind Britain getting involved in WWI. I'm certainly no expert, but protecting their interests was surely as big a motivation.

Wilson regarded neither Fance or Britain as democracies and expressed desire for national-self determination was only applied on former Austrian and German possessions and was quite simply ignored somewhere closer to home! However, you can't hold millions of conscripts/volunteers to account for their governments in WW1 it was a different era to WW2.  Democracy in 1914 barely resembled democracy of 1920.

I have never worn a poppy even though it is becoming more common in Southern Ireland and I might do next year. I would definitely have worn the poppy if I was a Premier League player, I see the bigger picture and I feel some tend to drag up all sorts of atrocities (what nation doesn't have skeletons in the closet?) to justify having a go.

[WarszaVillan]

So they can vote against him next time. He's written an long article explaining why he did this and organised a meeting for students to discuss this issue. You may not like his opinion but how is this at all anti-democratic

[Jon Crofts]

Quite simply that he has abused his position as VP of the Union, like I said he was invited because of the office he holds, he was elected to represent 120,000 students, he failed & now invites students to a meeting so he can explain why he didn't represent them.

He's young, we all make mistakes, hopefully he'll learn from it.

[Risso]

If everybody just stuck to the idea that if you want to wear a poppy do, and if you don't then that's fine and you don't have to worry about saying why, then there'd be no problem.

[Ger Regan]

If everybody just stuck to the idea that if you want to wear a poppy do, and if you don't then that's fine and you don't have to worry about saying why, then there'd be no problem.

Nice in theory. Never going to happen though.

[WarszaVillan]

Quite simply that he has abused his position as VP of the Union, like I said he was invited because of the office he holds, he was elected to represent 120,000 students, he failed & now invites students to a meeting so he can explain why he didn't represent them.

He's young, we all make mistakes, hopefully he'll learn from it.

And maybe over the years you'll grow to understand that democracy is about people holding different opinions. Like hopefully you've realised now that WW1 was nothing to do with democracy and that Britain wasn't even a democracy when the war took place.

[Concrete John]

If everybody just stuck to the idea that if you want to wear a poppy do, and if you don't then that's fine and you don't have to worry about saying why, then there'd be no problem.

Quite!

It's all about perspective as those that wear the poppy do so out of respect, so feel not wearing one is disrespectful.  When in fact there are numerous reasons for not wearing one, many mentioned on here, and very few of them have anything to do with trying to be disrespectful.

[Stu]

Quite simply that he has abused his position as VP of the Union, like I said he was invited because of the office he holds, he was elected to represent 120,000 students, he failed & now invites students to a meeting so he can explain why he didn't represent them.

He's young, we all make mistakes, hopefully he'll learn from it.

And maybe over the years you'll grow to understand that democracy is about people holding different opinions. Like hopefully you've realised now that WW1 was nothing to do with democracy and that Britain wasn't even a democracy when the war took place.

I think that's John's point; he acted on behalf of himself, and not the students he represents. How very democratic of him.