Oh Dear, This Might Dent Labour's Lead In The Polls!

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world-war-1/495499/WW1-centenary-Ed-Miliband-criticised-for-poppy-wreath-message
I'd hope that the LOTO would have been a little more constructive!

[Gromit]

Another Twitterer wrote

// Tories cynically sabotaged wreath laying ceremony to paint Ed Miliband as unpatriotic. In doing so, they bring great shame upon themselves. //

I agree. I hope this was a cock up by the organisers, and not a deliberate attempt to agrandise Cameron.

[ludwig]

^ who knows. Perhaps the organisers said 'you'll be handed a wreath..blah di blah blah', and Cameron (or his people) was the only one with the gumption to query what would be written on it, and ask whether could write his own message instead.

[Gromit]

Oh dear, it is looking increasingly like the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport set this up so their boss, the Prime Minister was the only person who got to write a personal message.


// Labour sources said Miliband was not given the opportunity to write a personal message as he was handed the wreath moments before he had to lay it. They said he came prepared to write a message but the procedure was different to what usually happens at the cenotaph in London and he had to take the wreath without getting the chance to sign his name.

A spokesman for the DCMS said: “The same wreaths and pre-written messages were provided to all wreath layers."

It is understood the prime minister’s office asked for a card in advance and it was added to the wreath in the morning. No one was given time on the morning to write a message but some brought their own message or wreath and substituted it on the morning. //

Seems like the Hapless Labour were hoodwinked and out-smarted (nothing new there then).

[Svejk]

///Seems like the Hapless Labour were hoodwinked and out-smarted (nothing new there then)///
And some fools want them to run the country.

[Hypognosis]

Cheap, childish playground trick. You can almost hear the Tories sniggering behind the bike sheds…

[jomifl]

If the wreath really was from the leader of the opposition why could he not have attached a note. If it wasn't then why not? something fishy here.

[Cloverjo]

jomifl, why would he have thought of attaching a note. When ever someone lays a wreath, you don't see them bring a note out of his or her pocket to put with it as well. The wreath is the important part. I agree with hypognosis. I can imagine Cameron loves this.

[Orderlimit]

Its everyone else's fault.

[naomi24]

I imagine all the wreaths to be laid by our politicians were ordered together by one Civil Servant. David Cameron appears to be the only one who thought about writing a personal note.

[jomifl]

clover, I think you missed my point which is that milliband didn't pick up a wreath from his local florist on his way to the ceremony. I expect Cameron's card had 'from the prime minister' written on the back.

[naomi24]

All the wreaths were made at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Edinburgh by disabled ex-servicemen. It says so on the notes. As I said, ordered in bulk by a Civil Servant who probably also wrote the notes.

[Cloverjo]

I've never seen such huge cards attached to any bouquet or wreath, regardless of who bought it, or from where. This is designed to make Cameron look good and the others mean and uncaring. IMO it makes him look smug and takes away from the important point of paying tribute to the fallen soldiers.

[naomi24]

Cloverjo, I've no doubt the other politicians could have written their own notes had they thought to do it. David Cameron should be commended - not criticised.

[Svejk]

so now Cameron's smug because he pays due deference to our soldiers.

[Cloverjo]

No, because he wrote his note on a sheet of A4 paper, not on a tiny card which the norm, and because the others didn't know they'd have the opportunity to write something so public.

[youngmafbog]

Come on, you want to be leader of your country; think a bit.

It would not have been difficult to have bought your own note and attached it, they must have known a note would be on it and they should have guessed people would look at it to see what they had to say.

Perhaps best left now though as it is pretty distasteful to score political points on this particular subject.

[naomi24]

//because the others didn't know they'd have the opportunity to write something so public. //

They didn't?

[Cloverjo]

When you are asked to lay a wreath, that is what you do. You don't expect to write on an A4 piece of paper too.

[Gromit]

The Department of Culture (i.e. The Government) offered Cameron a card to write months ago. They did not offer the same courtesy to Salmond, Clegg and Miliband.

The usual protocol used on Remembeance Day was not followed in this instance, which caught the rest of the politicians out.

A cheap, dirty trick, especially at a Remembrance Ceremony.

[Svejk]

they had exactly the same paper, clover.
either one of them turned the paper over to write a proper message.
Or took a personal interest instead of getting a minion to scribble something.
Or its a Machiavellian plot (by the conservatives?) to belittle Ed.