Why I shall not wear a poppy

[thaiguzzi]

Quote
"Get real. The UK made its choices. Germany didn't get to where it is today from invading other countries. It did it because Germans are more productive than many others such as the British. They also appear to be politically and economically shrewder. "

Well said.
I'm a Brit who's lived and worked in Germany, speak, read & write the lingo. And still have friends there.
Germany is just on a different level to the UK in regards to the whole work enviroment, work ethic, production and, most importantly, business managers and ownership.
No short term thinking or greed there, apprenticeships still a large and very important part of the workplace, stocks and shares profiteering frowned upon, and hence, many thousands of small family run and owned (for generations) companies surviving with quality products in a healthy marketplace that want their products.
And they get to stay out of the world's "shItholes" as someone remarked and avoid spending a large amount of their dosh and young soldiers lives on trying to be the world's policeman.
After losing and surviving two world wars i think they learned their lessons. Comfortably. And admirably.

[tataw]

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/re ... 25736.html

[Giggle]

^ Reasonable explanation for both sides. If it makes you feel better, wear it. It it doesn't, don't. It's a personal decision, don't try to persuade others that yours is the only acceptable point-of-view without expecting a little push-back.

[GT93]

Well "said" Giggle.

I think the German bashing on the Map is getting a bit over the top. I admire post WW II Germany. Discussing Germany seems, too often, to bring out the "worst" in the British.

[tamada]

Quote
"Get real. The UK made its choices. Germany didn't get to where it is today from invading other countries. It did it because Germans are more productive than many others such as the British. They also appear to be politically and economically shrewder. "

Well said.
I'm a Brit who's lived and worked in Germany, speak, read & write the lingo. And still have friends there.
Germany is just on a different level to the UK in regards to the whole work enviroment, work ethic, production and, most importantly, business managers and ownership.
No short term thinking or greed there, apprenticeships still a large and very important part of the workplace, stocks and shares profiteering frowned upon, and hence, many thousands of small family run and owned (for generations) companies surviving with quality products in a healthy marketplace that want their products.
And they get to stay out of the world's "shItholes" as someone remarked and avoid spending a large amount of their dosh and young soldiers lives on trying to be the world's policeman.
After losing and surviving two world wars i think they learned their lessons. Comfortably. And admirably.

I think the strictures of the Marshall Plan maybe had a lot to do with fostering their innate deep inner fortitude and serious lack of military adventurism masquerading as any defense of democracy.

But in the same way as Poland's Remembrance Sunday was apparently subverted into an extreme right-wing ra-ra party, there's no telling what the younger Germans are thinking after decades of serial (s)mothering from Mutti and her forebears. Merkel herself worries about which course her beloved CDU will steer after she gives up the helm.

[saint]

I thought Polands festivities were to celebrate the birth of their nation and nothing to do with the fallen .
As for the Germans they do engineer a nice car or two , and they make the best dogs in my opinion .
But was it not the British engineers who rebuilt , and reopened the Volkswagen factory after the war , and did they not escape paying any war debt .
I remember the British having to pay well into the 60s , and i believe the Russians also ..

[Giggle]

How can we ever thank those Britons for saving the world ... again?

[GT93]

By respectful and polite posts?

I think it's a bit of a stretch to credit the British for the success of modern Germany. I credit the Germans and at a considerably lesser level, the American taxpayers, for helping fund Germany's defence for a few decades.

[Natas]

By respectful and polite posts?

I think it's a bit of a stretch to credit the British for the success of modern Germany. I credit the Germans and at a considerably lesser level, the American taxpayers, for helping fund Germany's defence for a few decades.

Did you guys forget the rest of the nations who were in both World Wars??? Seriously.. Always on this forum either the Brits or the Americans.. FML.
Getting stale.. getting stale

[saint]

How can we ever thank those Britons for saving the world ... again?

Now your just being silly . Everyone knows John Wayne did it all by himself .

[saint]

By respectful and polite posts?

I think it's a bit of a stretch to credit the British for the success of modern Germany. I credit the Germans and at a considerably lesser level, the American taxpayers, for helping fund Germany's defence for a few decades.
[/quote
No , i credited the British engineers for rebuilding the Volkswagon factory , not the success of modern Germany . Although they did have allied forces helping rebuild after the war they started , for many a year .
The migrant situation and the civil unrest its causing they did all by themselves .

[thaiguzzi]

Nobody ever mentions war crimes from a "winning side" either in conflicts of war.
There are WW II scholars who think the RAF committed war crimes / atrocities with the bombing and destruction and 100's of 1000's of unneccessary civilian deaths in Dresden & Hamburg to name but two cities.
War ain't pretty, people should remember the horrific loss of civilians on the "losing side" as well.

[vincemunday]

Yes I have to agree, the carpet bombing of some towns would perhaps be considered a war crime these days and we the English have committed more than our fair share of war crimes over the centuries but fortunately the majority were committed hundreds of years ago when perhaps people were generally more barbaric but genocide still happens even in these enlightened times. War is most definitely ugly, it should never be glorified and I saw very little evidence of that during the period of remembrance. What was significant was the amount of coverage given to the non combatants, the farmers, firemen and the land army etc. In my opinion the coverage was very balanced and the participation of Germany at the Cenotaph made it all the more poignant.

[the-monk]

What s the BRITISH role in this today s Genocide ?
[attachment=0]yemen.jpeg[/attachment]
Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/cartoon/20489

[papafarang]

sad but true Monk

[tamada]

How can we ever thank those Britons for saving the world ... again?

Now your just being silly . Everyone knows John Wayne did it all by himself .

No it wasn't! It was Chuck Norris. I remember it well and then when he was finished, we went for some chimichangas.

[papafarang]

How can we ever thank those Britons for saving the world ... again?

Now your just being silly . Everyone knows John Wayne did it all by himself .

No it wasn't! It was Chuck Norris. I remember it well and then when he was finished, we went for some chimichangas.