Standing joke / appreciation

[HaraKiriBlade]

I could've just asked you what standing joke meant but I didn't think I would get the satisfying answer that way. Please take a look at this excerpt from a newspaper article:

Prime Minister Paul Martin has enraged Canadian war veterans by backing out of a trip to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Holland. Fighting for survival as an election looms, the PM announced he was cancelling the May 7-9 trip to the Netherlands and Russia.

Cliff Chadderton, chairman of the National Council of Veteran Associations in Canada, called it a "terrible insult" to the Canadian soldiers who fought and died to end the German occupation.

He said he felt "literally ill" to learn of the PM's move, which makes the government's declaration of 2005 as the Year of the Veteran a "standing joke."

"We made terrible sacrifices to liberate the Dutch, and it's not even important enough for our own prime minister to go over? I have no words to describe it," Chadderton said.

'WORST INSULT'

"It's the worst insult I have ever seen. I've seen troops insulted by politicians before, but nothing like this."

I'm just guessing from the excerpt, that one of its application is 'irony'. If you can explain where and/or how the phrase originated, what it usually means, why it is a 'standing' joke rather than just a joke, and its application I would very much appreciate it.

Oh and now that I've mentioned it, which sentence is correct?

1. I'd very much appreciate it.
2. I'd be very much appreciated.

I had been using no.2 until recently, but then I was thinking, since I'm appreciating, or showing gratitude for someone else's work, I should 'be appreciating' that specified someone work, not I should 'be appreciated', in which case I may be saying I should be thanked by unspecified somebody.

However I've used no.2 for a long time and it doesn't sound awkward to me at all. Actually no.1, although grammatically more correct, doesn't come very natural to me since I've recently made the switch.

If you can clarify this I'd very much appreciate it / I'd be very much appreciated (whichever's correct )

[Casiopea]

. . . the government's declaration of 2005 as the Year of the Veteran a "standing joke." / I've seen troops insulted by politicians before, but nothing like this."

It's an idiom, and it means, continual, known, regular. Note the underlined portion above. The troops have been treated like that by the government before. That kind of treatment--treating the veterans as if they are secondary and unimportant--is starting to be a regular thing, which makes declaring an entire year (2005) to the memory of Canadian Veterans somewhat an empty and meaningless gesture if the veterns are always being dis(repected) by the government.

1. I'd very much appreciate it.
2. I'd be very much appreciated.

2. sounds odd. It should be, "It'd be very much appreciated (by me/us)." 'It' stands for an event, say, your/my/her/his working this weekend would be very much appreciated (by the company).