Have a pop about Poppies.

The 11th of November. Armistice Day. A day of celebration and remembrance of the events 93 years ago, when World War I ended after Germany signed the Armistice.

The poppy is the symbol of the day, representing all those who lost their lives. The flower, seen in its thousands on the battlefields of Flanders and Ypre, has become part of a tradition to help us remember all those who fought and died in the Great War.

But now, the controversy surrounding the Poppy, seems to overshadow the flower itself. And not just in one way.

Bit of a Scam?

When you put your hand in your pocket and pull out a pound for the red box, you are probably thinking you're giving a quid to charity. You'd be right; thank goodness. But if you were to buy a poppy from Kleshna, coming in at up to £60, less of the profit manages to get back to the charitable groups. A feeble 10% from Kleshna poppies goes to charity.

That is shocking. No business should be entitled to make money off the back of fallen heroes. The poppy seen being worn by Gary Barlow on the X Factor, earned Kleshna £54. Disgusting. How can a business pretend to be doing something charitable, yet earn a mass of money in the process?

I think there should be Law against this sort of thing. Turning memories of death, lost ancestors and war heroes into a form of business is revolting. Although not quite as much as what happened last year, which created a whole new level of disgusting.

Picture the scene. Remembrance day in London, and the city is peaceful for the 2-minute silence. Suddenly, members of Muslims Against Crusades begin burning large poppies and shout "British soldiers burn in Hell." Only one man was charged, and was forced to pay £50. That's less than the amount a business is making from profit from one poppy alone.

They plan to repeat the protest this year.

There is disagreement, then there is absolute, evil-intentioned disrespect. Nobody has any requirement to take part in Remembrance day, or to buy a poppy. So if you don't like it, shut up and let us all respect our ancestors who died for their country. We have a right to remember, so let us do that.

I have no real support of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. But I still buy a poppy. People are fighting for us everyday. The least we can do is stay quiet and still in our thoughts for 120 seconds.

Deserve a Kicking

Even one of the most British of sports - Football - has been refusing to support the campaign. Fifa announced that the England squad would not be allowed to wear poppies in their match this weekend, as it went against a ban on religious and political symbols. They have now relinquished the ban, but only to the extent of allowing black armbands marked with a red poppy.

Why did it even get to this stage?? We are brought back to the whole argument of choice. People should have the choice whether or not they want to wear a Poppy. They shouldn't be banned by their managers, or shoved onto them by their wardrobe team. They should buy them for themselves if they want them, or just politely nod at the volunteers selling them if they don't.

I mean, just how hard is a bit of respect?