West Ham Online

"As a proud Englishman living abroad im shocked at some of the reports coming out of the UK. 2000 Police in and around Central London to stop any trouble, 24-hour guard on the Cenotaph to protect it from attack. Veterans told DON'T wear medals, military berets etc on the way to Remembrance services across the UK. Poppy sellers attacked; War memorials vandalized. This stuff is unbelievable, WTF is going on! UK,Dogs etc"

"Sydney, the UK is not just London and at hundreds of locations throughout the nation rememberings will take place in the same calm and reflected way that they have managed for generations. We are fortunate that we live in a country that, so far, permits its citizens the right to register their concerns in a peaceable way. News outlets and one particular politician are doing their best to stir up trouble about the permitted gatherings whose motivation is to stop the slaughter of a stateless group of people. In terms of disruption to our way of life it is a fact that most of our issues are caused by middle class white protesters who are stuck to major roads, hanging from motorway bridges or spreading orange powder over competitors at sporting events. What do you personally do, down under, on ANZAC day?"

I will be there to pay my respects. Had family fight for Britain in WW2 and our ancestors sacrifice should never be forgotten.

I think this has been blown out of proportion. I expect and hope today will be a non-event in terms of clashes between protestors and people who attend to pay their respects. Country has gone to the dogs though. Politicians on all side should be held responsible.

"""You could make the same argument about supporting West Ham, being an expat and not going to games doesn't make you any less a fan or lesser supporter does it, well in my book it doesn't."" You think you are as good/big a fan of West Ham as someone who regularly actually goes to matches??"

"Mike Oxsaw 6:35 Sat Nov 11 ""If you have a UK state pension that is taxed (at source), how is that not contributing to UK society?"" ----------------------------- That's not entirely true Mike. If anyone lives abroad full time you have to pay tax in that country in which case the UK pension is paid tax free. The key thing to remember is that UK pensions are frozen in many countries at the amount initially given. They are not increased annually as they are in UK and I believe that Australia and Canada are among those. The frozen pension rule doesn't apply to most countries in Europe where there needs to be a reciprocal agreement with those countries. There is a parliamentary working party considering this at the moment I believe. Remember though this was an agreement (as you said) with the government that we paid NI contributions which were used to pay the pensioners of yesteryear while we were young."

"Your name? ""Mike Oxsaw"" Your specialist subject? ""Myself"" ?üòÇ"

"Oxsaw - Why can't you just fuck off. Nobody cares about your wealth, you prick."

"I'm not ""taking"" a pension - it's a deferred payment of money I've already earned. That was the agreement entered into between myself and the government when I turned 18. If that pension, combined with any other income I now have takes me above the tax threshold then it is tax-earning for the nation. Additionally, if I'm outside the UK, I am not a drain on the NHS (although some expats keep their British citizenship for precisely that purpose), and neither am I using the free (to me) resources available through things like a travel pass, pension credits, cold weather allowances and a host of other things I would be entitled to simply by remaining in the UK. It's not just paedophile squat-dwellers who would benefit from me fucking off to warmer climes."

Surely taking the pension means you are a net drain on the UK?

"If you have a UK state pension that is taxed (at source), how is that not contributing to UK society?"

"Sydney - Erh, I think we are all proud to be English and proud of where we come from, that's not gonna cut it. Bottom line is you walked away, fair enough, like I said there's millions of expats, but you no longer contribute to UK society in any shape or form and any decisions by the government, or the like, do not effect you or your way of life in any way, so yes IMO that does give you less right to be judge and jury and opinionated. To leave somewhere and then look down your nose at the place from afar is a bit snooty imo."

"Manuel Im proud to be English, proud of where i come from etc, not sure that means i have lost the right to cսnt the place off or praise it for that matter either! Or why its a contradiction in any way. Would i go back, probably not, do i regret leaving in any way, No as well, do i still have an interest in what's going on in the UK and Politics etc, yes. You could make the same argument about supporting West Ham, being an expat and not going to games doesn't make you any less a fan or lesser supporter does it, well in my book it doesn't. So, i will have my cake and eat it, but each to their own (opinion on that) i suppose."

"Millions of people down the years have left the UK for hundreds of different reasons, hell, even some of the Royal Family have left, some go back, some don't, so it's hardly anything strange or ''wrong''. That said, ''a proud Englishman abroad'' does come over as a bit of a contradiction. I rarely, if ever, comment on any situation in the UK on here, as in a way I do feel that I have lost my right to do so, as I chose to leave, so I do agree with COYI to an extent. You can't have your cake and eat it, etc. Sydney - How many times down the years on here have you ended a post with UK, dogs, etc? It must be way over a hundred, so one would have to wonder why so much interest still after leaving, what over 20 years ago? Maybe you are still trying to justify to yourself that you made the right decision, and that's not to say you didn't either."

"""I will be at the Cenotaph on Sunday remembering our fallen. You won't"" No i wont but does not mean it means any less to me than you, lost far too many of my family in those wars and still remember hearing the story's told by my grandmother through her tears of the brothers she would never see return from the war. Fair play and respect to you for going and paying your respects, you can fuck off with the rest of your bilge though."

"You spout faux outrage based on what you have seen and read in the media from, presumably, thousands of miles from London. You would have no way of independently knowing what is occurring in London as you chose to emigrate to another country. I will be at the Cenotaph on Sunday remembering our fallen. You won't."

"You spout faux outrage based on what you have seen and read in the media from, presumably, thousands of miles from London. You would have no way of independently knowing what is occurring in London as you chose to emigrate to another country. I will be at the Cenotaph on Sunday remembering our fallen. You won't."

"""lost your right"" Bwahahahahahahaha best i never set foot in the UK again, i may get arrested for breaching this imaginary rule you speak of. Best i stay here earning a ""six figure salary"" than risk being slung in clink if i set foot in the UK know ive been rumbled."

It's the perfect day for this protest. Armistice comes from the Latin for 'No War'.

"It means you lost your right to whine and bitch about what MIGHT be going on in the UK from what you see and read from afar when you chose to leave it. As someone else pointed out earlier on this thread, Remembrance Day will be observed on Sunday in the same way it has been for the past hundred odd years. Get a grip man, and stop falling tooth and nail for media propaganda."

“The second is a reported assault on a poppy stall seller whilst a demonstration was taking place at the station. Detectives have extensively monitored CCTV and spoken with key identified witnesses. There is insufficient evidence to take the investigation further at his time. “We have no reason to believe that poppy sellers are at any risk or being intentionally targeted.” https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1832979/veteran-poppy-seller-attack-palestine-march-investigation

COYI Choosing to live and work in another country means i can't be proud to be English is that correct? Just curious how this works! Please explain.

"""As a proud Englishman living abroad im shocked..."" Hahaha. You chose to emigrate from the UK and immigrate to another state. What a patriot you are!"

"Iron Duke 2:54 Sat Nov 11 Thanks for the heads up, really appreciate that! Your right im never coming back after reading your post. Similarly, if you ever think about visiting Oz, DONT, you're liable to get bitten by a snake or spider as soon as you step off the plane, and defiantly don't go swimming if the crocs don't get you the sharks will, assuming you dont get stung by the jellyfish."

It’s like a warzone in London. 100 year old war veterans are being beaten up for selling poppies. Police are everywhere. I got told to put my poppy away. It’s best you stay away from the country. Forever.

"Not sure what your point is Ray? Police attend all kind of events, football matches even, they have even been known to patrol the streets! This March/protest for the Palestinians should never have been allowed to go ahead on Remembrance Day, but I'm sure the Met will come down hard on any counter protest or people out to show respect for those who died. I'm by no means crying just think it's a sad state of affairs all round and anyone who criticizes or questions this ""right to protest"" on such a day is somehow a right-wing crank. Surely the protester could have a weekend off singing from the river to the sea etc, many of whom are middle class Britons who probably lost relatives during the world wars."