One reason people wear a white poppy in early November is to bear kinship with the brave souls who defend our freedoms while expressing dismay at the failure in dialogue which leads to War.

With the dreadful business in Paris on Friday and this morning’s swoop on a group suspected of fermenting more horrors, it’s terrifically hard to find a rational approach amid the chaotic anxiety of prevention.

On the day the gentle, genial, quelling giant Jonah Lomu has died, empathic thoughts of finding a suasive way through this turmoil naturally turn to the long game. Because it seems inevitable that military force – boots on the ground – is a necessary consequence. (Yeah, but sufficient? Ed)

Might we, this time, think now of the exit strategy? Could we, perhaps, reflect on the the emotional cost to nations and produce a strategically intelligent goal and stick to it?

Al Assad tries to live up to his father. Putin tries to live up to his namesake Ras … putin. Islamic Statements of destruction appear anxious to remold the Qu’ran away from Compassion and Mercy. Ought we maieut a way forward that minimizes atrophy?

While White Poppies are not rounds of ammunition perhaps they could be the 4 bi 2 of dialogue?