James McLean

[DelToro]

Pretty sure it has been established Kaiser Bill was pissed off he never became King when Vicky died and the first world war was a hissy fit between arguing members of the same royal families (that included Britain, Germany and Russia) that they played out through their poor subjects, as the many alliances that were built up over years of empire building by them and their governments all failed to stop them from actually sitting down and avoiding conflict.

The Kaiser both admired and detested the British but there is no evidence he ever wanted Germany to go to war with Britain. His main adversary was the French.

 

[urban genie]

How is it political?

Please explain.

Me wearing a marie curie flower is that political too?


McLean wrongly chose to try and make the poppy political imo.

To some people (and this is not necessarly my opinion) it is believed It was poiticised by our 2 previous governments, where previous the poppy and rememberance was a solem amd personal affair for the general public who would come together for the day and remember the fallen (obviously for members of the services and families it was more deeper than that).

But in the last decade it was turned more into a spectacle and a necessity that the poppy was seen as a symbol to solidify the nation behind recent conflicts, where suddenly the poppy wasn't about Nov 11th, but now much more a way to call anyone who opposes recent conflict unpatriotic.

Secondly some groups like UKIP and Britain First have been using it for their own ends which tbf the RBL is discussed at.

The poppy should be a personal choice be it red, white or purple and used only for rememberance and sybol of respect, not a badge seen as support for war or future armed conflicts as that wasn't it's intention.

It seems to some it is now some fashion item from mid October, that has to worn and for me devalues it's meaning.

 

[SWP's back]

Lovely scenes and display at Leicester.

Well done to them.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

The Kaiser both admired and detested the British but there is no evidence he ever wanted Germany to go to war with Britain. His main adversary was the French.

The French certainly had a beef with the Germans following the occupation of Alsace after the Franco-Prussian war but the Germans were very jealous of British naval and economic power. If they wanted to avoid war with us it was because they feared us, not admired us.

In addition, the system of alliances meant that none of the Great Powers could act as an intermediary or honest broker. Instead they were dragged in to any local conflict, as we were in 1914.

 

[urban genie]

The Kaiser both admired and detested the British but there is no evidence he ever wanted Germany to go to war with Britain. His main adversary was the French.

"An English doctor had crippled his arm, he declared, and an English doctor had killed his father after misdiagnosing his cancer as benign: ‘One cannot have enough hatred for England.’"

From a letter he wrote and their was some unearthed documents by a historian the other year (think C4 hhad a doc on it) where it was also said that after Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, followed by his mother Vicky’s death from cancer a few months later, Wilhelm’s ties with Britain were severed abruptly.

Kaiser Bill was obsessed by rivalry with his English cousins... and Europe was on a trajectory to war.

Throw in the mix the Tsar being cousins and the involvement of the ottermans Europe was not politically and monarchally stable enough to handle the situation.

 

[DelToro]

The French certainly had a beef with the Germans following the occupation of Alsace after the Franco-Prussian war but the Germans were very jealous of British naval and economic power. If they wanted to avoid war with us it was because they feared us, not admired us.

German Generals and Ministers may have feared us but the Kaiser had a love/hate emotional relationship with Britain. He loved our culture and history but was always suspicious of our intentions.

 

[DelToro]

"An English doctor had crippled his arm, he declared, and an English doctor had killed his father after misdiagnosing his cancer as benign: ‘One cannot have enough hatred for England.’"

From a letter he wrote and their was some unearthed documents by a historian the other year (think C4 hhad a doc on it) where it was also said that after Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, followed by his mother Vicky’s death from cancer a few months later, Wilhelm’s ties with Britain were severed abruptly.

Kaiser Bill was obsessed by rivalry with his English cousins... and Europe was on a trajectory to war.

Yet he was honoured and proud to attend King Edward VII's funeral in 1910 and even stood guard over his coffin.

 

[SWP's back]

I did back it up but perhaps incompetence is the wrong word. Instead of politicians doing what they should have done and look for ways to resolve the situation, they were only too happy to rush into a war. Chabal seeks to blame German militarism but all the great powers glorified their military prowess and were desperate for a chance to use their firepower. We fought the Boer War, the Mahdi in The Sudan & the Crimean War. Were any of those necessary?

All of that post has nowt to do with Poppies in 2017 mate.

 

[SWP's back]

It's becoming a symbol of the far right just like the union flag has.

Utter tosh.

 

[urban genie]

Yet he was honoured and proud to attend King Edward VII's funeral in 1910 and even stood guard over his coffin.

Pomp and circumstance, he may have hated his cousins, but as kaiser he was duty bound, do you really think people who hate each other in power cannot stay in the same place together for a few hours, our political elite worldwide do it constantly.