Corbyn not at Festival of Remembrance

Merlotgran - I agree with you about Lee Mead having to read the words of Morning
Has Broken. He obviously couldn't be bothered to learn them. This is a singer in West End musicals! And my husband was disgusted that Mead didn't even show enough respect to wear a tie.

There isn't that much information available about past Festivals of Remembrance. Certainly, pictures of the Royal Box only include the Royal Family and Prime Minister (and spouse/partner). The Royal British Legion describes it as being attended by the Royal Family, but not political representatives.

To turn back to remembrance for a bit, I thought the Chelsea pensioner was absolutely outstanding, still a great a voice, and he is singing now on Songs of Praise for Remembrance Sunday. Wonderful chap!

Johnson is the Prime Minister. He and the Royal Family are the leaders of the country.

Strangely, Corbyn did attend the Festival of Remembrance in 2015, but he wasn't in the royal box (maybe he wasn't invited).
Picture from the BBC.

I've been trying to find out if the leaders of all political parties have historically attended the Festival.

More votes to be gained by visiting flooded areas ?

I can start whatever thread I like GGMK3. And in doing so, the same old same old left wingers came out to shout their rallying cry to defend their "Leader". If BJ hadn't attended last night, you would have been the first to criticise. And what a load of old tosh Grandad - "he's 70, he organises his own diary" - is that really the best you can come up with? You can't defend his non-attendance and you know you can't.

I agree with those who say this is a miserable thread. It should never have been started in the first place but, so far, we still have freedom of speech. Just a few more twisting the truth when we should all be rising above it. However, that was never going to happen was it? We may be shocked that the attention was "miserably" turned on one man but looking at today's generally nasty lying front pages it seems, sadly, that the Tories were never going to put the meaning of today ahead of a chance to spread fake news.

Whether he'd actually choose to attend the Cenotaph ceremony I wouldn't like to say, but with an election coming up....

Bloody hell. You can't stop yourselves, can you?

While leader of the opposition Corbyn has attended the Cenotaph ceremony every year. Nowt to do with elections coming up.

I wouldn’t have thought attendance at a concert is seen as more important than visiting flood victims. I’m not a JC fan but the bitching on here unbelievable. I can’t speak for this year but a couple of years ago JC was the only politician who stayed to the very end of the cenotaph parade to clap all the veterans, brownies etc. All the others there had buggered off to lunch. But I’m sure some on here will find something wrong with that as well.

It was the pearl clutching because Corbyn wasn't at the event that he had no particular obligation to be at that I was objecting to.

I don't watch TV and haven't done for years. I had no idea that I had to watch this Festival. As a keen historian I have plenty of opportunity to remember and grieve for those poor slaughtered men, women and children throughout the year.

jura2
you've got it bad-very bad
Do you realise your starting to sound like Donald Trump?
He's the master of 'bad, very bad'

I do think that’s how it should be trisher - people ought to be able to wear/pick flowers without others denouncing them on their beliefs.

You might assume so Pantglas2 and you mightthink that's how it should be. Unfortunately the RBL would disagree with you The RBL state, "The red poppy is our registered mark and its only lawful use is to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal"
In 1997 and again in 2000 the Royal British Legion registered the Poppy under Intellectual Property Rights (1997 Case EU000557058)[36] and Trade Mark (2000 Trade Mark 2239583).[37]
Which is why I say they hi-jacked it.

Suziewoozie ?

What a horrible thread, this has really brought out the worst in some of you people Listen to your miserable selves

suziewoozy I agree it s really nasty stuff

I think you’ll find trisher that no one ‘owns’ the red poppy anymore than the Labour Party and the England rugby team ‘own’ the red rose.

I’ve just seen this thread after posting on the Cenotaph one- I think it’s truly awful that so many of you have piled in on this given what this weekend is all about. It’s not as if there isn’t enough material for threads at the moment is it?

Pantglas2 The RBL can support what they wish, but they shouldn't have hi-jacked the red poppy and used it for purposes it was never meant for when it was originally created.

So glad I didn't watch it last night.

Annie I think perhaps the people now dying in Yemen and in the fighting on the Turkish/Syrian border will not particularly care. It also will not bring their son back or stop other 21 year olds dying. If it brings them comfort then I'm pleased for them but I remain committed to the original concept of the red poppy, now upheld by the white poppy, that the men who died in Flanders Fields are best commemorated by working to prevent war.

disgraceful, and he wants to ruin sorry run the country!!

How anyone can think that the red poppy 'glorifies war' I cannot imagine. To me it's just the reverse.
Neither does the Cenotaph ceremony glorify it in any way, not to me anyway.

As for Corbyn, he was at the Cenotaph laying his wreath - I don't see that the other is compulsory. Whether he'd actually choose to attend the Cenotaph ceremony I wouldn't like to say, but with an election coming up....

I do agree about Leona Lewis. There are plenty of talented celebrity singers who could do justice to an important occasion without sounding like a strangled cat singing flat.

And while we're on the subject of celebrity singers, I was amazed to see Lee Mead, who has a lovely voice, needing to read the words of Morning Has Broken which is as easy to sing as a nursery rhyme.

He can, after all, manage to sing his way through a West End Musical.

I don’t see why the Royal British Legion should be honouring the dead of other countries- the name itself tells us that. We have a royal family, other countries don’t although I’m sure the have their own organisations to commemorate their war deaths.