Sir, – So, England’s footballers have been cleared to wear poppies in today’s match against Spain (Sport, November 10th) after some members of the far-right English Defence League (as well as Prince William and the British prime minister) were among those who protested against Fifa’s decision not to allow the poppy to be worn.
The right of anyone to wear the poppy at this time should be defended. However, one only has to watch BBC, ITV, or Sky TV to realise that there is some kind of poppy fascism at work. Even the judges and participants on Strictly Come Dancingare sporting gigantic poppies in the most prominent position they can find – presumably on instructions from TV management. Discussion programmes often featuring people from countries with no history of poppy-wearing have the ubiquitous flower on every lapel in sight. The words "sledgehammer" and "nut" come to mind. – Yours, etc,