We love the Queen – but not what’s happened during her reign

By DAVID WOODING

NEARLY half of the population think Britain has changed for the worse during the Queen’s 60-year reign.

As the nation prepares to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee, a poll reveals that only one in four – 27 per cent – believe the country has got better over the last half-century.

But the overwhelming majority of people say next weekend’s celebrations will be great for Britain – with 65 per cent confident it will boost our flagging economy, compared to 19 per cent who disagree.

The figures – in a ComRes poll for ITV News at Ten tonight – reflect the results from April 2011, when the same question was asked about the Royal Wedding. Then, 64 per cent agreed and 19 per cent disagreed.

Eight out of ten believe the Diamond Jubilee contributes to Britain’s reputation as a country with its own distinct character. Only 11 per cent don’t.

Nearly half of people, 46 per cent, will watch the celebrations live on TV, compared to 38 per cent who said they would watch the Royal Wedding on the box.

In another vote of confidence for Her Majesty, the majority of people, 56 per cent, say Queen Elizabeth II is one of the greatest monarchs Great Britain has ever had. And only 17 per cent are opposed to the monarch.

That’s a massive vote of confidence – and should help get the celebrations off to a great start.

Cameron to take sex out of marriage

By DAVID WOODING
SEX is to be taken out of marriage law – so gay couples can tie the knot.
Ministers plan to solve a legal wrangle by ditching the historic requirment for newlyweds to consummate their union.
The rules say a marriage is not complete until a man and wife have “ordinary and complete” intercourse.
But the detailed description of what that means would make it impossible for gay and lesbian couples to fulfil their vows.
I’m not going to go into the precise wording of what consummation means by law for fear of readers crying “Too much information.” But suffice to say the coalition is considering a re-write of a key section of the Matrimonial Causes Act.
It would end the right to annul a marriage on the grounds of non-consummation.
Last night a furious MP claimed it would reduce marriage to the level of a civil partnership – an option already available to gay people.
Tory Edward Leigh (pictured left) accused Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone diminishing the meaning of wedlock for everyone.
He said: “If the government presses ahead with the redefinition of marriage, it will have profound effects on the ability of individuals to have a marriage annulled.
“This is something that is particularly important to Catholics for whom annulment is permitted by the church, but divorce is not.”
Ministers have been forced to consider dropping consummation so the law applies equally to straight and same-sex couples.
Rash
But in a letter to Ms Featherstone, Mr Leigh warns the legislation is complex and cannot be changed “at the stroke of a pen”.
And he warned of a rash of legal challenges if the need to consummate a marriage is removed.
“In legal terms, this would mean a couple are married the moment they complete either a civil or religious marriage ceremony,” he said.
“This would diminish marriage to the level of a legal contract and remove any link between marriage and children – or indeed between marriage and physical intimacy.
“This would constitute an unprecedented assault on the deeply-held beliefs of those who say a marriage is not complete until the act of consummation.
“It would fly in the face of assurances that this change would only affect marriages solemnised by a civil wedding since all marriages would be affected by this change.”

Queens
It is the latest legal controversy to engulf plans to allow gays and lesbians equal marriage rights.
Ministers have been warned they may need to re-write the Royal Marriages Act of 1772.
It does not allow same-sex marriages and a change would be needed to allow two Queens or two Kings on the throne.
Gay marriage has caused a massive split in Tory ranks – despite PM David Cameron promising MPs a free vote.
Home Secretary Theresa May last week became the most senior minister to back marriages for all.
She said she was a strong supporter of marriage and it should be available to everyone regardless of sexual orientation.
But fellow Cabinet minister Owen Paterson is the most senior Tory MP to oppose the idea.

Chillax…the Prime Minister’s down time

By DAVID WOODING
DAVID Cameron has been branded the most laid-back Prime Minister in modern history after details of his secret leisure habits were revealed.
He switches off by playing snooker, watching “crap” films, quaffing three or four glasses of wine with lunch and having an afternoon nap.
Family weekends at Chequers are spent playing tennis against a machine dubbed “the Clegger”.
His country retreat even has a karaoke machine where he whiles away the evenings.
Lazy 
A close pal denied claims Mr Cameron is lazy but admitted: “If there was an Olympic gold medal for chillaxing he would win it.
“He is capable of switching off in a way that almost no other politician I know of can.”
The PM’s pastimes are laid bare in a new book which lifts the lid on his downtime at Chequers.
It will revive claims by critics that he is too lazy and complacent and is tempted to coast.
Tory and Labour opponents have dubbed him “DVD Dave” for his love of boxed sets and have poked fun at his weekly “date nights” with wife Sam.
But supporters say his ability to unwind helps him cope with the strain of the job without going off the rails.
His Sunday routine starts with an early thumb through the papers, according to the book “Cameron, Practically a Conservative” by Francis Elliott and James Hanning.
He then checks a few things on his computer and may take a couple of phone calls.
But he doesn’t go back obsessively checking the computer or re-writing speeches or fretting about what Sunday columnists have written.
A pal said that after absorbing information and telling his aides what action to take, he tells himself: “I will now go into the vegetable patch, watch a crap film on telly, play with the children, cook, have three or four glasses of wine with my lunch, have an afternoon nap, play tennis.”
Mr Cameron makes full use of a machine that serves high-velocity tennis balls at him on the Chequers court.
He has called it “the Clegger” after his hard-fought 7-5 victory over the Deputy PM.
Once when he was alone at the house one weekend, he called a friend to invite him over for a game of snooker.
But Mr Cameron doesn’t take his luxury retreat for granted.
He has told his kids to make the most of their weekends there.
Relax
And he insists visiting children pose for pictures with him, warning his time at the country retreat will be short-lived.
Daughter Nancy, eight, once told a guest: “Daddy says we’re to enjoy it here as we won’t be here for long.”
One observer said: “David is probably the most laid-back Prime Minister in a long time.
“He’s a world apart from Gordon Brown who beavered away 24/7. He is even tempered and easily shrugs of criticism. He takes everything in his stride and knows when to knuckle down and when to relax.”
But friends say his enthusiastic leisure time is a good sign and shows he is at ease with power.
Education Secretary Michael Gove insists weekends at Chequers, frequent holidays and set family meal times showed he was NORMAL.
He added: “He is the model of how to have a clear divide between the world of work and then relaxation so you can clear your mind.
“There are very few people who have such a finely developed capacity to do that.”

The rise of “McParenting”

By DAVID WOODING
 
PARENTS who keep their kids quiet with junk food and computer games have been blasted by a senior Labour MP.
Diane Abbott warned the rise of “McParenting” was putting the life chances of a generation at risk.
The shadow public health minister said children spent too much time eating chips, watching TV or on PlayStation 3.
She urged mums and dads to spend more time with their kids, giving love and healthy food before possessions.
Ms Abbott attempted to reclaim the families agenda for Labour in a major speech today.
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She said: “We all know that in 21st Century Britain, families come in all shapes and sizes.
“But what I want to warn about is the rise of what I call McParenting.
“Let me be clear what I mean by this phrase. Parents in Britain, of any class or colour, who substitute materialism for parental responsibility. Children who have PlayStation 3s, chips and locked bedrooms, when they should have fresh air, healthy food and warm family relationships.”
Ms Abbott believes too many people from all walks of life think parenting is about “things” – McDonald’s, tuition fees, video games, rather than engagement.
She told the Policy Exchange think tank: “It’s time we spoke up for family love.
“I want to talk about children who get chicken and chips for dinner from the take-away every evening. About the little boy locked away in his room, surfing the dark corners of the internet. About the father who has never been to the park or swimming pool with his daughter. About the mother who’s default position is to curse her son’s school, ahead of turning the television off at home once in a while.
“It cannot be a good thing that by the age of ten, the average British child recognises nearly 400 brand names.”
Ms Abbott wants action to support families, including legal protection for kids from junk food marketing.
She is also demanding teaching of practical cooking skills in schools, and more opportunities for families to get outdoors.
The MP later added: “I am right behind Jamie Oliver when he argues that this Government is a disaster for the health of British kids. The Government should listen to him.
“The Government’s entire strategy has become an expensive advertising programme for its friends in big business, and it’s just not good enough.
“Responsibility deals that rely on voluntary action by the fast-food business, manufacturers and retailers are failing. You cannot expect big business, which makes billions every year by marketing sugary, fatty and unhealthy foods, to willingly limit its own profiteering.”

It’s The Sun wot swung it…or was it?

By DAVID WOODING

MYTHS and conspiracy theories galore have been peddled at the Leveson inquiry about the power broking that goes on between newspaper owners and political leaders.

But today I find myself agreeing with Alastair Campbell. Labour’s former spin doctor told the hearing there was no “express deal” between Labour’s Tony Blair and Rupert Murdoch in the run-up to the 1997 election.

He goes even further and downplays the “perceived power” of newspapers to influence elections.

“I just don’t buy it,” he said. “The Sun backed us because we knew we were going to win. We didn’t win because The Sun backed us.”

There are two things that trouble me, however, about his insistence that Labour didn’t care whether or not he won the support of  Britain’s top-selling newspaper.

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First of all, why was the party leadership  so incensed when The Sun ended 13 years of support?

And secondly,  I wonder if he could explain the slightly different view voiced in a private discussion I had with a senior figure close to Mr Blair just before polling closed on May 1, 1997.

I am not going to reveal my source, but I was summoned to a hotel room in Sedgefield and told in gushing terms how The Sun helped to clinch the landslide victory.

The Labour source said:  “The Press has made a huge difference in this campaign.

“If we’d had The Sun going on at us hell-for-leather on Europe, it could have been a different story.”

I used his words to create a story under the headline “It was The Sun wot swung it” which was publshed next day. (See reproduction of the story below)

My own view has always been that politicians talk to journalists to spread their message, promote themselves,  and smear the opposition – sometimes those within their own party.

We in turn stay close to them because it’s our job to get stories.

Funny how one party cries foul when the other is getting all the attention and then says it is perfectly above board when it’s their turn to get a good Press.

Give us credit for your successes if you want to – or claim it was all your own work.

But you can’t have it both ways.

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The article from The Sun, May 2, 1997:

It’s The Sun wot swung it

By DAVID WOODING

JUBILANT Tony Blair praised The Sun last night for helping to clinch his stunning General Election victory.

The new PM admittedBritain’s favourite newspaper played a big part in swinging millions of voters behind New Labour.

He told party bigwigs our support was vital in spreading the message that the party was fit to govern.

A source close to Mr Blair said: “The Press has made a huge difference in this campaign.

“If we’d had The Sun going at us hell-for-leather onEurope, it could have been a different story.”

It is the SECOND time in five years that a political leader has said “Thanks my Sun” for helping him to electoral triumph. After John Major clinched victory from Labour at the 1992 poll, Tories admitted: “It’s The Sun what won it.”

Mr Blair was swift to give credit to our role in his win when he looked back over his 34-day election trail.

He believes the size of his majority was down to the success of his carefully-run campaign – and getting the message across.

But he was also thankful for a series of own-goals from the Tories, whose election strategy he branded “a shambles.”

A senior source in the Labour leadership camp said: “We did an awful lot right and they didn’t score many points on the key issues.

“One of their big mistakes was thinking a long campaign would suit them. In fact, it was great for us. We are used to it. We ran an extremely successful campaign. Our message was loud and clear. We were all singing from the same hymn sheet.

“But if there is one person responsible for the result, it is Tony.

“He was fantastic and this will give him added strength when he moves into No 10 as Prime Minister.”

For the first time, officials admitted Mr Blair was hit by the jitters as John Major tried to make him crack.

Slick

Tories even put an undercover “gaffe watch” unit on the Labour leader and deputy John Prescott for three weeks. But they called off the spy team when they failed to find a single chink in Labour’s slick campaign strategy.

A source added: “Tony would be the first to admit he was very tense at the start of the campaign.

“Although he knew much time and effort would be spent trying to discredit him, I don’t think it dawned on him until it started.

“There was a certain amount of tension. The last weeks have meant a huge change in his family’s lives.

“He grew in confidence and stature as time went on, and by the final week he was really motoring. It has been superb to watch him go.”

Mr Blair admitted last night he feels SORRY for John Major. A source said: “He has some sympathy, but thinks Mr Major never faced up to the difficulties in the Tory Party.”

Scottish independence: The choices in a nutshell

By DAVID WOODING

MUCH has been said and written about the break up of the United Kingdom and what it would mean for the people of Scotland and the rest of these islands.

Some have claimed that a fully independent Scotland would be landed with a debt-ridden economy and others have argued over the timing of a referendum and what the question on the ballot paper should be.

Michael Gove (left) with David Wooding

But nobody has brought the key issues into sharper focus than Education Secretary Michael Gove.

In a few off-the-cuff words, he summed up the choices facing voters north of the border. He accused SNP leader Alex Salmond of ducking the big question about independence – and lacking the nerve to call a referendum on full independence.

Scots-born Mr Gove’s unrehearsed words on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme this morning get straight to the point and are worth reading in full.

He said: “We need to have a decisive yes or no question on whether or not the people of Scotland want to be independent or not.

“Alex Salmond has been trying to play a tactical game here in order to strengthen the political position of his party. By doing so, he has avoided and dodged so far some fundamental questions.

“Do the people of Scotland want to have the same level of welfare benefits as the rest of the United Kingdom? Do they want to be part of the same nation that has the British Broadcasting Corporation and a National Health Service?

“Do they want the Royal Navy and the British Army to remain institutions that embody patriotic feeling and sentiment or do they want to sunder and separate them?

“Do they want you and I to be forced to choose between being British and Scottish, to have a narrow, exclusive, ethnic nationalist identity as our only choice or do they believe that we should be plural, multi-cultural, modern and 21st century?

“These are big questions that Alex Salmond has dodged. He shouldn’t have to dodge them for ever.”

The Iron Lady – it’s about so much more than just Thatcher

DAVID WOODING reviews the hot new political movie

THIS fascinating movie shows Britain’s most divisive political figure in a new light – as a real human being.

If you’re a nerd, fan or critic expecting a potted history of Margaret Thatcher’s 11 years in power you’ll be disappointed.

This poignant film barely scratches the surface of the real-life dramas which shaped her Premiership. The Falklands War, the poll tax riots, the miners’ strike and the Brighton bomb are all a sub-plot to a rather sad but charming story about getting old.

It vividly depicts how giants of history are really just frail, ordinary people underneath. And Meryl Streep’s incredible portrayal of Mrs Thatcher achieves what the Tory icon often failed to do herself – by winning  our admiration, sympathy and respect.

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher

The Iron Lady is about so much more than the rise and fall of a legend.

It’s about the tragedy of old age, the struggle by women for equal rights and the rise to power of a grocer’s girl from Lincolnshire.

Thatcher’s amazing life is seen through the prism of an old lady struggling with dementia, mourning the loss of her husband Denis and having flashbacks to the days when she ran the country.

Tories have been swift to express their uneasiness with the subject matter while Lady Thatcher is still alive – and Labour tribalists baulk simply at the idea of a film about a woman whose legacy they detest.

But you must put the political ethics to one side and watch this as a piece of pure cinema. Forget the historical inaccuracies, too. Maggie never wore a hat in the Commons, she was not with Airey Neave in the car park when he was blown up and I’ve never before heard she barked “sink it!” when generals asked  what to do about the Belgrano.

Director Phyllida Lloyd certainly knows how to use artistic licence to great dramatic effect. She once produced a quirky version of Wagner’s Ring cycle at the ENO, in which the Rhinemaidens were mini-skirted, fishnet-stockinged, spiky-heeled pole dancers and the heroine Brunhilde became a suicide bomber. I was sceptical about that – but it worked. Lloyd’s idiosyncratic style works wonders in The Iron Lady, too.

Sadness

There’s also great use of music from  Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Bach to Bellini and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Shall We Dance?”

Meryl Streep’s portrayal spans 40 years and the flashbacks give a balanced picture of the woman – her determination, vision, weaknesses and failings – all in nugget-sized  episodes, rather than detailed analysis. The 90-minute film also takes us  back six decades to Thatcher’s childhood working during wartime in her father’s grocery shop.

The movie sends out a powerful message about the tragedy of dementia – and the sadness of loneliness endured by many in old age.

It may struggle to turn Thatcher’s critics into full-blown admirers. But if they’re honest with themselves, they’ll admit to feeling rather more warm towards her after seeing this.

At the very least, thousands more people will see Lady Thatcher for what she really is – a human being.

The all-time Christmas Top Ten

By DAVID WOODING

CHRISTMAS is a time for giving,  worship, parties….and dusting off our festive CDs for their once-a-year spin.

I’ve just been going through my favourites and have picked out the ten which have endured the passage of time without losing their appeal.

My choice is purely based on the quality of the music and not because they rekindle memories or have some nostalgic importance. I’ve also shied away from popular songs, which need no introduction, but list those at the bottom.

Mine are all carols and larger-scale “classical” works, some well known and others not. But I hope you’ll lend your ears to them all and perhaps discover a joyful new piece to brighten your Christmases. Click on the title to hear each excerpt.

1. A Ceremony of Carols Benjamin Britten, best known for his operas, wrote this masterpiece in 1942 during a perilous five-week voyage from USA to Britain at the height of war. It is a luscious setting of medieval and 16th century verse, written for boys’ choir with harp accompaniment. It contains 11 movements, starkly contrasting in mood, beginning and ending with the Hodie (On This Day…) and with a solo harp obligato at its centre. To whet your appetite for hearing the whole work, I’ve chosen Balualow, a lullaby to the baby Jesus, in which Mary sings: “O my dear hert, your Jesu sweit, prepar they creddil in my spreit, and I sall rock thee to my hert and never mair from thee depart.” Heavenly bliss.

2. Christmas Oratorio Johann Sebastian Bach wrote this feast of festive music in 1734. It is written in six parts, meant to be played on each of the major feast days of the festive season. Often it is played in it’s entirety – a full three hours of music. The Weihnachts-Oratorium contains many wonderful highlights telling the story of Christmas. As an introduction to new listeners, I’ve chosen the final movement which couples a lively trumpet theme with a slow chorale.

3. Fantasia on Christmas Carols Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote this in 1912 and it was first performed that year at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford Cathedral. The 12-minute work is based around four folk carols he collected on his travels, with snatches of others such as The First Nowell. It starts slowly and quietly with “This is the Truth”, before raising the tempo with “Come All You worthy Gentlemen”.  The excerpt in this link starts mid way through when the Sussex carol (On Christmas Night all Christians Sing) enters. When “God Bless the Ruler of this House” is ushered in, listen for a host of carols played in counterpoint, including In Dulci Jubilo and the Sussex Carol before it reaches a wonderful climax and a joyous but peaceful ending. Try to hear the whole piece. It is one of the great musical pleasures of Christmas.

4. In the Bleak Midwinter Perhaps the most English of carols. Cheltenham-born Gustav Holst set the words of English poet Christina Rossetti to music in 1906 and it has been a firm favourite ever since. But I have chosen Harold Darke’s anthem setting, written three years later. It’s more difficult to sing so used less as a congregational hymn but it was voted best Christmas carol in a poll of the world’s leading choirmasters and choral experts in 2008.

5. The Messiah George Frederick Handel composed his most famous oratorio in 1741-2 while living in Brook Street, London. He wrote it not for music lovers but to tell the story of Jesus to other people through a large-scale choral work. It is performed in concert halls around the world at this time of year. The Messiah is full of gems, the Hallelujah chorus being most famous. I have chosen this movement – For Unto Us a Child is Born, based on the text of Isiah chapter nine – but do try to hear the whole masterpiece.

6. A Hymn to the Virgin Britten makes a second entry in my top ten with one of his earliest works. The Suffolk-born composer was 20 when he wrote this on plain paper in 1930, drawing in the staves because he had no manuscript book. It is written for eight-part chorus and was one of two pieces by Britten performed at the composer’s funeral in December 1976.

7. In Dulci Jubilo Legend has it this was the luscious sound that filled the air when the angels came to announce the birth of Jesus. The melody first appeared in manuscript form in 1305 but appears to have existed long before then. There have been numerous versions, mostly speeded-up including “Good Christian Men Rejoice” and a modern adaptation by Mike Oldfield. I prefer it played at the original, slower tempo as heard here in an arrangement by J.S. Bach.

8. Bethlehem Down This haunting melody was written to finance a Christmas pub crawl.  Struggling composer Peter Warlock was broke when he teamed up with journalist and fellow bon-viveur Bruce Blunt in 1927. He set the hack’s graceful words to music and entered it for a Daily Telegraph carol contest. They won and blew the money on an “immortal carouse” on Christmas Eve.

9. O Come O Come Emmanuel Perhaps the most solemn of Advent hymns and another gem by that brilliant composer Anon. Originally written in Latin in the 12th century – Veni, Veni Emanuel – it sums up the expectancy of Christmas Day. The composer James MacMillan used the mystical theme for a percussion concerto which I heard premiered at the Proms in 1992.

10.  Gabriel’s Message  This was originally an old Basque carol which was collected by Charles Bordes and reworked in 1892. It tells the story of the archangel announcing to the Virgin Mary of the events that were about to unfold. The words are by Sabine Baring-Gould, who wrote Onward Christian Soldiers.

So you want my pop top ten? Here’s the songs I believe contain some quality for what they are.

1. Happy Christmas. War is Over. 2. White Christmas 3. Have yourself a merry little Christmas 4. Driving Home for Christmas 5. Stop the Cavalry 6. A Spaceman Came Travelling 7. Last Christmas 8. Lonely this Christmas 9. Mary’s Boy Child 10. Merry Xmas Everybody (Yes, you really have got to include Slade!)

Welcome to GB…I’m GB!

By DAVID WOODING

DAVID Cameron’s glamorous aide Gabby Bertin turned strike-buster today as she helped man Britain’s borders at Heathrow.

Political hacks feared she had joined the walk-out by civil servants when she failed to take her usual seat in the Commons gallery for PM’s questions.

But it later emerged his Press Secretary was among the army of volunteers checking passports and running immigration controls at the country’s top airport.

Gabby Bertin with Mr Cameron.

Dark-haired Gabby, 32, a popular figure in Westminster, would no doubt grant a welcoming smile to those arriving in the UK for the first time.
But journalists can vouch she is also a tough cookie who would have no truck with anyone who steps out of line.

During her single shift, she had cause to quiz one arriving passenger over her travel documents.

A colleague revealed: “She pressed this woman quite closely because she felt her passport didn’t pass the Bertin test.”

Gabby Bertin – affectionately known as “Berters” in the lobby – joined Tory campaign HQ straight from university and has worked for Mr Cameron since his leadership campaign in 2005.

She has worked for David Cameron since his leadership campaign in 2005 and has since been described as one of the most powerful women in Whitehall.

Number 10 confirmed “a handful” of staff working directly for the PM were among 125,000 civil servants who joined the strike over pensions.

Low risk

Mr Cameron asked members of his policy unit to do their bit to keep Britain’s gateway open during the 24-hour stoppage.

Later there were reports that Gabby had been spotted manning a passport control desk at Terminal One. She was given two days’ training in border security last week and learned how to check passports of passengers arriving on “low risk” flights.

Mr Cameron told the Commons the signs were that contingency measures were minimising the impact of the strike and branded the action a “damp squib”.

Passengers arriving told how they expected long queues but waltzed through the airport in minutes.
It’s not clear how senior a role Gabby was given but she’s renowned for her calm efficiency. Downing Street said it was unlikely she would accept a shift payment even if she was offered it.

Gabby’s used to working in the top-flight – and is definitely here for the long haul.

Poppy pride…or posing?

By DAVID WOODING

REMEMBRANCE Sunday is 17 days away and already politicians seem to be racing each other to be first to wear a poppy.

A host of MPs were proudly – and perhaps a little ostentatiously – sporting one in their lapels during Prime Minister’s question time in the Commons today.

They are sold to honour brave troops killed in action since the First World War – and raise millions for the Royal British Legion’s charitable work.

But in recent years, the well-observed tradition seems to have taken on an unfortunate political edge.

Etiquette dictates that the poppy should be worn in the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday – on November 13 this year.

But Labour MPs today stole a march on the Tories with nothing short of a sea poppies on Opposition benches during Prime Minister’s questions in the Commons.

Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham chided: “Not a Tory on the front bench with a poppy.”

He tweeted: “They have been on sale in Parliament for days and large numbers have them. Surely wearing them encourages others.”

Isn’t this all a little unseemly? Nobody is forced to wear a poppy yet 26 million are sold every year raising an estimated £35 million for ex-servicemen, women and their families.

I’m sure that David Cameron and his MPs will all have bought and worn one before he lays a wreath at the Cenotaph next month.

Demanding the PM pins one to his jacket now is a bit like complaining he hasn’t sent his Christmas cards out by mid November.

No doubt nervous TV presenters will be pinning on a poppy fast lest they get a dressing down from righteous MPs.

Twisted

Channel 4 News man Jon Snow fiercely refuses to give in to what he calls the “poppy fascists” and appears on screen with bare lapels all year round.

While some may find his stance a little extreme, many believe it is unfair to criticise MPs for being poppy-free in October.

Mr Cunningham’s followers accused him of a “petty partisan attack” and “twisted point-scoring”.

Amy Jackson declared: “My father spent 37 years in the Army and always taught me to start wearing poppies on November 1.”

Blogger Harry Cole added: “You used the war dead to try to score a point against the government.”

So what is poppy etiquette? A quick check in Debrett’s guide to good manners says poppies can be worn from the end of October to Remembrance Sunday – but adds it is acceptable to wear them from November 1 or just the week leading up to that day.

The Royal British Legion would probably settle for that – and scowl at the blatant politicisation of the biggest event in their calendar. Besides, the vets’ organization hasn’t even launched this year’s poppy appeal yet.

What is your view on the “poppy police” and “poppy etiquette?” Please leave your comments below.