REMEMBERING our war dead is one thing. Wasting the Ministry of Defence’s time to explain why a Government Minister wasn’t wearing a poppy during a brief television interview verges on the barmy.

New Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, who replaced the mysterious Liam Fox last month, appeared for seconds with a poppy-free lapel, causing shocked viewers to slate him on Twitter.

Step forward a harassed-looking MOD spokesman to explain Mr Hammond’s appearance was “arranged at the last minute”.

Kenneth Clarke was another in a poppy pickle for the same reason, and Prince William was writing to FIFA to complain the “English team had been ordered not to wear poppies” (later they did). And the RBL had recruited quavery old lads – described by all as “war heroes” – to describe their shock and horror that metal thieves had nicked war memorial hardware to flog for meltdown.

These might have been the same old warriors who, this time last year, were telling us that their dead comrades had been “desecrated” because a handful of yobs and yobettes up and down the country had been taken short on the way home from the pub and piddled over war memorials.

Upon my soul – and poppy-free chest – our Remembrance Sundays grow more and more ill-tempered. Time we reminded Britain that, unlike buying a television licence or paying road tax, poppy-wearing remains optional.