"we feel in England that we have treated you (Irish) very badly, it seems history is to blame" James Joyce Ulysses.

The young Irish footballer James McLean is once again in the news for refusing to wear a poppy and, I am glad to see that his resolve is as strong as ever and support for him continues to grow. Ireland looms large of course in this matter for James McLean as it does for many Irish people and their descendents, like me in fact and my large extended family. He hails from a place he and many others call Derry which is called Londonderry by those who want to highlight their Britishness over their Irishness and Derry by those who want to emphasise their Irishness over their Britishness. It was historically known as Derry and renamed Londonderry by the British after their invasion and occupation of Ireland which, continues to this day. The relationship between Britain and Ireland has been a fraught one and young Mr. McLean is from the tradition that sees itself downtrodden, just as I do. He has his cause and he is going to stand up for it and I for one salute him for that.

My Father was one of 5 brothers who all fought in WW2, I never once saw him or any of my uncles wear a poppy. He was in the 8^Th. Army and served in Greece, North Africa and Italy. The only time I ever heard him say anything about WW2 was when he periodically declared his hatred for Field Marshall Montgomery, Winston Churchill and the Monarchy, all of whom were part of the conspiracy to make his life perilous and uncomfortable. He would have behaved in exactly the same way as James McLean and so would I; he is doing the truth a favour when he reminds us of Britain’s brutal past. The usual armchair generals and right wing journalists will continue to go for him but I reckon that this young man will not break. The annual remembrance day events lost any dignity they might have had many years ago and are now jingoistic military celebrations which are in denial about Britain’s history. It’s time for it to be stopped and replaced by something dignified and a bit more low key. We ought to start with getting rid of the poppies and the odious “poppy police”.