Billy Bragg: long statement re: Morrissey on Facebook (7 July, 2019)




"Last Sunday, while much of the British media were lauding Stormzy’s Glastonbury headline show as epoch defining, Morrissey posted a white supremacist video on his website, accompanied by the comment ‘Nothing But Blue Skies for Stormzy...The Gallows for Morrissey’. The nine minute clip lifted footage from the grime star’s Pyramid Stage performance while arguing that the British establishment are using him to promote multiculturalism at the expense of white culture.

The YouTube channel of the video’s author contains other clips expressing , among other things, homophobia, racism and misogyny - left wing women of colour are a favourite target for his ire. There are also clips expounding the Great Replacement Theory, a far right conspiracy trope which holds that there is a plot of obliterate the white populations of Europe and North America through mass immigration and cultural warfare.

My first thought was to wonder what kind of websites Morrissey must be trawling in order to be able to find and repost this clip on the same day that it appeared online? I came home from Glastonbury expecting to see some angry responses to his endorsement of white supremacism. Instead, the NME published an interview with Brandon Flowers in which the Killers lead singer proclaimed that Morrissey was still “a king”, despite being in what Flowers recognised was “hot water” over his bigoted comments.

As the week progressed, I kept waiting for some reaction to the white supremacist video, yet none was forthcoming. Every time I googled Morrissey, up would pop another article from a music website echoing the NME’s original headline: ‘The Killers Brandon Flowers on Morrissey: ‘He’s Still A King’. I’m well aware from personal experience how easy it is for an artist to find something you’ve said in the context of a longer discourse turned into an inflammatory headline that doesn’t reflect your genuine views on the subject at hand, but I have to wonder if Flowers really understands the ramifications of Morrissey’s expressions of support for the far right For Britain Party?

As the writer of the powerful Killers song ‘Land of the Free’, does he know that For Britain wants to build the kind of barriers to immigration that Flowers condemns in that lyric?
Party leader Anne Marie Walters maintains ties with Generation Identity, the group who both inspired and received funds from the gunman who murdered 50 worshippers at a Christchurch mosque. How does that sit with the condemnation of mass murder by lone gunman in ‘Land of the Free’?

As an explicitly anti-Muslim party, For Britain opposes the religious slaughter of animals without the use of a stun gun, a policy that has given Morrissey a fig leaf of respectability, allowing him to claim he supports them on animal welfare grounds. Yet if that is his primary concern, why does he not support the UK’s Animal Welfare Party, which stood candidates in the recent European elections?

Among their policies, the AWF also aim to prohibit non-stun slaughter. If his only interest was to end this practice, he could have achieved this without the taint of Islamophobia by endorsing them. They are a tiny party, but Morrissey’s vocal support would have given the animal rights movement a huge boost of publicity ahead of the polls.

Instead, he expresses support for anti-Muslim provocateurs, posts white supremacist videos and, when challenged, clutches his pearls and cries “Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me”. His recent claim that “as a so-called entertainer, I have no rights” is a ridiculous position made all the more troubling by the fact that it is a common trope among right-wing reactionaries.

The notion that certain individuals are not allowed to say certain things is spurious, not least because it is most often invoked after they’ve made their offensive comments. Look closely at their claims and you’ll find that what they are actually complaining about is the fact that they have been challenged.

The concept of freedom pushed by the new generation of free speech warriors maintains that the individual has the right to say whatever they want, whenever they want, to whoever they want, with no comeback. If that is the definition of freedom, then one need look no further than Donald Trump’s Twitter feed as our generation’s beacon of liberty. Perhaps Lady Liberty should be replaced in New York Harbour with a colossal sculpture of the Donald, wearing a toga, holding a gaslight.

Worryingly, Morrissey’s reaction to being challenged over his support of For Britain, his willingness to double down rather than apologise for any offence caused, suggests a commitment to a bigotry that tarnishes his persona as the champion of the outsider. Where once he offered solace to the victims of a cruel and unjust world, he now seems to have joined the bullies waiting outside the school gates.

As an activist, I’m appalled by this transformation, but as a Smiths fan, I’m heartbroken.

It was Johnny Marr’s amazing guitar that drew me to the band, but I grasped that Morrissey was an exceptional lyricist when I heard ‘Reel Around the Fountain’. Ironically, it was a line that he had stolen that won my affections. “I dreamt about you last night and I fell out of bed twice” is spoken by Jimmy, the black sailor, to his white teenage lover, Jo, in Sheila Delaney’s play ‘A Taste of Honey’.

The 1961 movie, starring Rita Tushingham was an early example of a post-war British society that would embrace multi-racial relationships (and homosexuality too). By pilfering that particular line for the song, Morrissey was placing the Smiths in the great tradition of northern working class culture that may have been in the gutter, but was looking at the stars. Yet, by posting a white supremacist video in which he is quoted as saying “Everyone prefers their own race”, Morrissey undermines that line, erasing Jo and Jimmy and all those misfit lovers to whom the Smiths once gave so much encouragement.

A week has passed since the video appeared on Morrissey’s website and nothing has been written in the media to challenge his position. Today it was reported that research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a UK based anti-extremist organisation, reveals that the Great Replacement Theory is being promoted so effectively by the far right that it is entering mainstream political discourse.

That Morrissey is helping to spread this idea - which inspired the Christchurch mosque murderer - is beyond doubt. Those who claim that this has no relevance to his stature as an artist should ask themselves if, by demanding that we separate the singer from the song, they too are helping to propagate this racist creed."


Regards,
FWD.

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As an activist, I’m appalled by this transformation, but as a Smiths fan, I’m heartbroken.

It was Johnny Marr’s amazing guitar that drew me to the band, but I grasped that Morrissey was an exceptional lyricist when I heard ‘Reel Around the Fountain’. Ironically, it was a line that he had stolen that won my affections. “I dreamt about you last night and I fell out of bed twice” is spoken by Jimmy, the black sailor, to his white teenage lover, Jo, in Sheila Delaney’s play ‘A Taste of Honey’.

The 1961 movie, starring Rita Tushingham was an early example of a post-war British society that would embrace multi-racial relationships (and homosexuality too). By pilfering that particular line for the song, Morrissey was placing the Smiths in the great tradition of northern working class culture that may have been in the gutter, but was looking at the stars. Yet, by posting a white supremacist video in which he is quoted as saying “Everyone prefers their own race”, Morrissey undermines that line, erasing Jo and Jimmy and all those misfit lovers to whom the Smiths once gave so much encouragement.

This is a beautiful piece of writing. It's incredibly evocative. It exudes a palpable sense of loss. I too am heartbroken.

Moz is also a patriot. The kind of "nationalism" Bill hates.
 
Moz is also a patriot. The kind of "nationalism" Bill hates.

A patriot that will not live in the country he purports to be a patriot of. Give over. This just makes you look more stupid that I thought you to be and I thought you quite, quite stupid.
 
Except, the video wasn't made by a "white supremicist". Such a lie.

"Morrissey is now a man who knowingly shares white supremacist material on his platforms and, when challenged, doubles down". Now if you read both comments which one is the lie? That's right kids, it's Stephen Hoffman the well known alt-right activist and propogator of hatred.
 
So ironic that it is not the Brexit Party, or Ukip, or For Britain, or even the Conservative Party, being exposed for blatant racism - but the Labour Party. Panorama last night on the BBC was truly shocking. How Bragg can have the nerve to criticise Morrissey - when the party Bragg supports has been exposed as being riddled with hate. He should be hanging his head in shame. Total hypocrite.
 
New GQ Article by Billy Bragg:

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/music/article/billy-bragg-interview-morrissey-free-speech

Excerpt: "So, call it what it is, says Bragg. Morrissey is now a man who knowingly shares white supremacist material on his platforms and, when challenged, doubles down. And while he is free to do so, that doesn’t mean he’s a victim when there’s a backlash. “Liberty without accountability is impunity, which is the most dangerous kind of freedom. Freedom isn't a universal good. There are kinds of freedom that are really, really dangerous.”

Hey, Skinnybob, I find it laughable that you search for anti-Morrissey articles every day and then propagate them on here, when Dave (site admin) allows anyone to post anti-Semitic, xenophobic, racist bullshit, that you very kindly allow Dave to get away with...

Btw, you've let your subscription slip...
 
Well, it’s nice to see that Billy has struck gold for himself by criticizing
Morrissey’s opinions.

Publicity and a little pocket change for Bragg while unwittingly promoting Morgoths agenda further.

Thank you Billy :thumb:
 
A patriot that will not live in the country he purports to be a patriot of. Give over. This just makes you look more stupid that I thought you to be and I thought you quite, quite stupid.

Doesn't matter if he lives in Borneo..........he's more switched on to the state of the country than Bill.
 
"Morrissey is now a man who knowingly shares white supremacist material on his platforms and, when challenged, doubles down". Now if you read both comments which one is the lie? That's right kids, it's Stephen Hoffman the well known alt-right activist and propogator of hatred.

Are you familiar with Morgoth's videos? Convince me he is if you are.
 
Well, it’s nice to see that Billy has struck gold for himself by criticizing
Morrissey’s opinions.

Publicity and a little pocket change for Bragg while unwittingly promoting Morgoths agenda further.

Thank you Billy :thumb:

Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Do you mean unwittingly promoting Morgoth's agenda as you just did and I have just done? Have a little think about what you think you're trying to say and then try to type that.
 
Doesn't matter if he lives in Borneo..........he's more switched on to the state of the country than Bill.

Uh huh. If you believe that then you're significantly more stupid than I believe you to be and I now believe you to be exceptionally stupid. Morrissey more switched on to the state of the UK? Ha! What nonsense.
 
Uh huh. If you believe that then you're significantly more stupid than I believe you to be and I now believe you to be exceptionally stupid. Morrissey more switched on to the state of the UK? Ha! What nonsense.

How is he not? You think Bragg is? Moz is the only punk rock superstar in town baby. :rock:
 



"Last Sunday, while much of the British media were lauding Stormzy’s Glastonbury headline show as epoch defining, Morrissey posted a white supremacist video on his website, accompanied by the comment ‘Nothing But Blue Skies for Stormzy...The Gallows for Morrissey’. The nine minute clip lifted footage from the grime star’s Pyramid Stage performance while arguing that the British establishment are using him to promote multiculturalism at the expense of white culture.

The YouTube channel of the video’s author contains other clips expressing , among other things, homophobia, racism and misogyny - left wing women of colour are a favourite target for his ire. There are also clips expounding the Great Replacement Theory, a far right conspiracy trope which holds that there is a plot of obliterate the white populations of Europe and North America through mass immigration and cultural warfare.

My first thought was to wonder what kind of websites Morrissey must be trawling in order to be able to find and repost this clip on the same day that it appeared online? I came home from Glastonbury expecting to see some angry responses to his endorsement of white supremacism. Instead, the NME published an interview with Brandon Flowers in which the Killers lead singer proclaimed that Morrissey was still “a king”, despite being in what Flowers recognised was “hot water” over his bigoted comments.

As the week progressed, I kept waiting for some reaction to the white supremacist video, yet none was forthcoming. Every time I googled Morrissey, up would pop another article from a music website echoing the NME’s original headline: ‘The Killers Brandon Flowers on Morrissey: ‘He’s Still A King’. I’m well aware from personal experience how easy it is for an artist to find something you’ve said in the context of a longer discourse turned into an inflammatory headline that doesn’t reflect your genuine views on the subject at hand, but I have to wonder if Flowers really understands the ramifications of Morrissey’s expressions of support for the far right For Britain Party?

As the writer of the powerful Killers song ‘Land of the Free’, does he know that For Britain wants to build the kind of barriers to immigration that Flowers condemns in that lyric?
Party leader Anne Marie Walters maintains ties with Generation Identity, the group who both inspired and received funds from the gunman who murdered 50 worshippers at a Christchurch mosque. How does that sit with the condemnation of mass murder by lone gunman in ‘Land of the Free’?

As an explicitly anti-Muslim party, For Britain opposes the religious slaughter of animals without the use of a stun gun, a policy that has given Morrissey a fig leaf of respectability, allowing him to claim he supports them on animal welfare grounds. Yet if that is his primary concern, why does he not support the UK’s Animal Welfare Party, which stood candidates in the recent European elections?

Among their policies, the AWF also aim to prohibit non-stun slaughter. If his only interest was to end this practice, he could have achieved this without the taint of Islamophobia by endorsing them. They are a tiny party, but Morrissey’s vocal support would have given the animal rights movement a huge boost of publicity ahead of the polls.

Instead, he expresses support for anti-Muslim provocateurs, posts white supremacist videos and, when challenged, clutches his pearls and cries “Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me”. His recent claim that “as a so-called entertainer, I have no rights” is a ridiculous position made all the more troubling by the fact that it is a common trope among right-wing reactionaries.

The notion that certain individuals are not allowed to say certain things is spurious, not least because it is most often invoked after they’ve made their offensive comments. Look closely at their claims and you’ll find that what they are actually complaining about is the fact that they have been challenged.

The concept of freedom pushed by the new generation of free speech warriors maintains that the individual has the right to say whatever they want, whenever they want, to whoever they want, with no comeback. If that is the definition of freedom, then one need look no further than Donald Trump’s Twitter feed as our generation’s beacon of liberty. Perhaps Lady Liberty should be replaced in New York Harbour with a colossal sculpture of the Donald, wearing a toga, holding a gaslight.

Worryingly, Morrissey’s reaction to being challenged over his support of For Britain, his willingness to double down rather than apologise for any offence caused, suggests a commitment to a bigotry that tarnishes his persona as the champion of the outsider. Where once he offered solace to the victims of a cruel and unjust world, he now seems to have joined the bullies waiting outside the school gates.

As an activist, I’m appalled by this transformation, but as a Smiths fan, I’m heartbroken.

It was Johnny Marr’s amazing guitar that drew me to the band, but I grasped that Morrissey was an exceptional lyricist when I heard ‘Reel Around the Fountain’. Ironically, it was a line that he had stolen that won my affections. “I dreamt about you last night and I fell out of bed twice” is spoken by Jimmy, the black sailor, to his white teenage lover, Jo, in Sheila Delaney’s play ‘A Taste of Honey’.

The 1961 movie, starring Rita Tushingham was an early example of a post-war British society that would embrace multi-racial relationships (and homosexuality too). By pilfering that particular line for the song, Morrissey was placing the Smiths in the great tradition of northern working class culture that may have been in the gutter, but was looking at the stars. Yet, by posting a white supremacist video in which he is quoted as saying “Everyone prefers their own race”, Morrissey undermines that line, erasing Jo and Jimmy and all those misfit lovers to whom the Smiths once gave so much encouragement.

A week has passed since the video appeared on Morrissey’s website and nothing has been written in the media to challenge his position. Today it was reported that research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a UK based anti-extremist organisation, reveals that the Great Replacement Theory is being promoted so effectively by the far right that it is entering mainstream political discourse.

That Morrissey is helping to spread this idea - which inspired the Christchurch mosque murderer - is beyond doubt. Those who claim that this has no relevance to his stature as an artist should ask themselves if, by demanding that we separate the singer from the song, they too are helping to propagate this racist creed."


Regards,
FWD.

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Billy Bragg is spot on. Morrissey has let his mask slip. He has turned into a right racist c***. I am off to eat animals in protest.
 
Billy Bragg is spot on. Morrissey has let his mask slip. He has turned into a right racist c***. I am off to eat animals in protest.
That's funny, because Americans read the same thing Morrissey says and it doesnt bother us. Your country is so f***ing stupid that it tries to annihilate any person that protects any semblance of patriotism under the guise of ant racist. Psst, you might have a better job, a future, healthcare if you kept the foreigners out. Economics 101, supply and demand theory. Sorry. You knuckle daggers can't read.
 
All of that is down to Dave (site admin) not giving a crap. Even though he's "looking for ways to improve the site". Not even lying. That's what he said. Have a look in the 'Site Feedback / Suggestions' section.

I agree entirely. It wouldn't take much at all to ensure that the site is a safer more welcome space that it currently is. The blind hatred seems to be escalating.

"All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting." Geroge Orwell.
 
Are you familiar with Morgoth's videos? Convince me he is if you are.

"White supremacist" is a smear term. No one self-identifies as a "white supremacist". Morgoth is not a "white supremacist" because there is no such thing. But sometimes people use "white supremacist" to describe "white nationalist" (which is a real thing) because it sounds more sinister.

Well if that's what he meant, is Morgoth's Review a white nationalist? I don't want to label him when he's not around to defend himself but as I mentioned in my last article, Morgoth's writing has been published in The Daily Stormer (the #1 white nationalist website in the world) and has been a recent guest on The Daily Shoah (the #1 Alt Right podcast in the world). So he certainly not anti-white nationalist.

Morgoth was a blogger before he was a Youtuber and has been known in Alt Right circles for years. He's not well known because he's never really sought out e-celebrity but he is widely respected. Morgoth's style is tame because he has to deal with hate speech laws and internet censorship but I can assure you that Morgoth is fully redpilled on everything. All the stuff I talk about on here, he knows. He's just a lot more polite about it than I am.

Like I said, he's not a white supremacist because there's no such thing. But let's not pretend like he's something he's not. He's not Paul Joseph Watson or Ben Shapiro. He's not some mainstream conservative. He is a pro-white working class advocate.
 
"White supremacist" is a smear term. No one self-identifies as a "white supremacist". Morgoth is not a "white supremacist" because there is no such thing. But sometimes people use "white supremacist" to describe "white nationalist" (which is a real thing) because it sounds more sinister.

Well if that's what he meant, is Morgoth's Review a white nationalist? I don't want to label him when he's not around to defend himself but as I mentioned in my last article, Morgoth's writing has been published in The Daily Stormer (the #1 white nationalist website in the world) and has been a recent guest on The Daily Shoah (the #1 Alt Right podcast in the world). So he certainly not anti-white nationalist.

Morgoth was a blogger before he was a Youtuber and has been known in Alt Right circles for years. He's not well known because he's never really sought out e-celebrity but he is widely respected. Morgoth's style is tame because he has to deal with hate speech laws and internet censorship but I can assure you that Morgoth is fully redpilled on everything. All the stuff I talk about on here, he knows. He's just a lot more polite about it than I am.

Like I said, he's not a white supremacist because there's no such thing. But let's not pretend like he's something he's not. He's not Paul Joseph Watson or Ben Shapiro. He's not some mainstream conservative. He is a pro-white working class advocate.

cropped-stopracismsm-1-1.jpg
 
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Do you mean unwittingly promoting Morgoth's agenda as you just did and I have just done? Have a little think about what you think you're trying to say and then try to type that.


No our opinions don’t matter here.

Bragg’s platform does, and in a sense he’s on Morgoths payroll.

Now, think on.

:tiphat:
 

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