[Bill Carpenter]

I'm puzzled, Nigel, by the intended result of a statement like, "The Guardian is not a left-wing rag." Is it to move the perceived center, for the benefit of both the timid partisan and the low-information voter? Is it to convey a subtle, and perhaps self-flattering threat, that there is a real leftism out there, lurking behind the compromises of the system, that will bring the Revolution when the time is right? It is like the assertion that "Obama is not a liberal." There is clearly some intended payoff for the statement, but I'm not sure what it is.

With respect to poppies, yes, when symbols appear to be corrupted, they present a quandary for people whose intention with respect to the symbol is unchanged. They can go on saying the same thing with it at the risk of being misunderstood or they can stop expressing their intention or use a different symbol for it, alternatives which can also be misunderstood. Plenty of room for hypocrisy and manipulation around corrupted symbols.