Billy Bragg on free speech, Morrissey, and the resurgence of the Far Right - GQ Magazine

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.”
 
How I ever found myself here - Heaven knows. Was I taken in by none too subtle lies? Why did I make a scapegoat of the ones next door? Blotting out the sound of innocent cries.
PA-36964412.jpg
 
How I ever found myself here - Heaven knows. Was I taken in by none too subtle lies? Why did I make a scapegoat of the ones next door? Blotting out the sound of innocent cries.
PA-36964412.jpg
I don’t know. You tell us. We’re not mind readers.
 
Billy Bragg sent his son Jack Bragg to local state schools in Dorset not to private schools. State schools are government funded schools what they call "public" schools in America. I know that a lot of wealthy people send their children to private schools, but Billy Bragg isn't one of those people. There is a beautifully maintained school in Burton Bradstock. Some state schools are good schools they are called "outstanding" schools and there are still a few state-funded grammar schools.

Burton Bradstock is a beautiful village in Dorset it is a safe place to live there is very little crime there. There is no graffiti, no litter and barely any traffic. There is a very genteel feel about the place. Burton Bradstock has a spectacular coastline with cliffs and miles of unspoilt beaches. Burton Bradstock is a predominantly white, middle-class and politically Conservative ('Tory') area. A lot of the residents in Burton Bradstock seem to be marching towards retirement. There appears to be just one Asian who runs the local garage/car salesroom. Even though Billy Bragg lives in a predominantly white, middle-class, Tory area he still believes very strongly in multiculturalism and diversity.

Billy Bragg is straight he isn't gay at all he is happily married to his beautiful, intelligent wife Juliet Bragg (née Wills). They have one son together Jack Bragg. Billy Bragg's wife Juliet is also his manager! Even though Billy Bragg is straight he cares very deeply about LGBTQ issues and feminism.

Billy Bragg also cares about environmental green issues and he has travelled all over the world and also toured all over the world with his music singing and talking about the issues that matter to him. Billy Bragg will never stop protesting and standing up for the good causes that he believes strongly in. Billy Bragg flies over to America and Canada quite a lot. Billy Bragg is still a left-wing activist.

I believe that Billy Bragg drives a battered old Shogun 4x4 car and he walks his dog on the beach he sounds very down-to-earth. On the "Following the Mozziah" Blog the Rat says "Dorset is where the Islam-loving, Israel-hating, self-proclaimed environmentalist, Billy Bragg lives in his very un-environmentally friendly house with his two gas-guzzling 4x4s on the drive". See link: http://followingthemozziah.blogspot.com/2019/07/thursday-july-18th-2019-day-2863-in.html

Billy Bragg is a staunchly anti-Tory activist and he surprisingly lists David Cameron, George Osborne and the Queen of England among his fans.

Billy Bragg believes that Jeremy Corbyn isn't antisemitic. Billy Bragg does admit though that there is antisemitism within the Labour Party he said “I think there is a problem. The (Labour) party has a problem, the leadership has a problem – and the problem is they have not taken it seriously from the start.”

On Twitter Billy Bragg seemed to be saying that the Jewish community has “work to do” in order to rebuild trust with Labour. He holds up his hands and says he messed up. “I failed to recognise the right of the Jewish community to decide for themselves what does and doesn’t constitute racism. It’s the Macpherson principle, and I made a very insensitive response to someone’s question that implied that I knew better than the Jewish community about what is and isn’t. I personally don’t believe it amounted to antisemitism, it was just very insensitive. It denied them the right to decide what is a racist attack on their community, and that’s wrong and I apologise for it.” It would be nice to see politicians do that more often: admit when they got something wrong.

Billy Bragg lives in splendid isolation at the end of a private road in an enormous detached white house. Billy Bragg said “Me and my missus have worked hard over the years, and the result of that is we have a really nice house. It’s all our own – neither of us inherited any money. I’m very fortunate they pay me to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.”

Sometimes Billy Bragg goes to Waitrose, sometime Morrisons. Billy Bragg said “It depends what I want. After years of stringent testing, I’ve found out that the hummus is better in Morrisons.”

Billy Bragg enjoys walking along the clifftop near his home, which he does with Nordic sticks (which are like ski poles). It gives him a bit of upper-body exercise, gets the heart rate up a bit.

Billy Bragg doesn't swear very much and he seems to be clean living. Billy Bragg is loyal and faithful to his wife Juliet and is a good father to his son Jack.

Billy Bragg believes that he has stayed true to his working-class roots in Barking and he still supports football. Back in Barking admiring residents successfully campaigned to have a cul-de-sac named "Bragg Close" in his honour!

Billy Bragg said "Put it this way, we all watch EastEnders down here (in Dorset)".

Billy Bragg does admit, albeit rather sheepishly: "Maybe I am middle class now, but what does it matter?"

"What I’m trying to say is that I haven’t changed. I think I’ve stayed exactly as I have always been. It’s the political landscape around me that has shifted beyond recognition."

Billy Bragg said "There’s no reason I shouldn’t live here (in Dorset). I haven’t sold out my principles. I just sold my house in London. And I want to live by the sea because it’s so beautiful."

Billy Bragg still cares about marginalised communities in Britain. Billy Bragg said "There are still marginalised communities, and among them is the community of which Stormzy is a member, which is young black men,” he says. “They are still making music that talks directly to people. Stormzy wants to appear on my timeline and on your timeline, and he’s made a great record [2017’s "Gang Signs & Prayer"] to do that. You can still hear [political music] if you listen to music coming from that area.”

I happen to like both the music Stormzy makes and also I love Morrissey. Stormzy is in fact a Christian and a lot of Grime artists in the UK are Christians. Grime music is homegrown British music. I think some people confuse 'Grime' music with 'Drill' music and gangster rap.

At the end of the day Billy Bragg seems ok as a person he isn't a thug or a gangster type. I just wish that Billy Bragg would show kindness, love and support towards Morrissey and that he would listen more deeply to what Morrissey says rather than to dismiss him. Billy Bragg is a Remainer and Morrissey is a Brexiter, but they could still get on with each other.

I also wish that Billy Bragg and his beloved Labour Party would be more supportive towards Britain's Jewish communities and stop all the hate.

One of Stormzy's songs "Blinded By Your Grace" sung by Katherine Jenkins:



As Billy Bragg himself says, he’s “not really the world’s greatest singer – no one comes to a Billy Bragg gig to hear my singing… The point is that I’m not really a musician. I can’t read music and I can only play chords… what I am, bottom line, is a communicator.”

If there is something vaguely patronising about the soubriquet "the Bard of Barking", he might be one of the crown princes of the English couplet though.

Billy Bragg isn't in fact totally English as his late mother is of Italian descent. Billy Bragg's mother sadly died in 2011. I thought that it was cruel that some people on here made fun of Billy Bragg's mother who isn't around anymore to defend herself or her son.


The schools in Billy Bragg's area of rich leafy Dorset may as well be private because they are all white and full of the children of other white millionaires.

If 'the Bard of Barking' had stayed in multicultural Barking, East London, his son Jack would have attended a school with a majority of African and Muslim children and had a taste of what real 'diversity' is all about. But Billy didn't want his kids to enjoy the diversity that he espouses for everyone else. In fact he moved as far away from Barking and its black newcomers as he possibly could.

This makes Billy a liberal hypocrite - a capitalist Blairite in socialist clothing. In his day to day life in Dorset he does not encounter social 'diversity' in any form, yet he calls anyone who criticizes this blatantly anti-white system a racist and a fascist.

The man is a fraud who has earned his millions and comfortable diversity-free lifestyle from decades of lies and deceit.
 
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Billy Bragg sent his son Jack Bragg to local state schools in Dorset not to private schools. State schools are government funded schools what they call "public" schools in America. I know that a lot of wealthy people send their children to private schools, but Billy Bragg isn't one of those people. There is a beautifully maintained school in Burton Bradstock. Some state schools are good schools they are called "outstanding" schools and there are still a few state-funded grammar schools.

Burton Bradstock is a beautiful village in Dorset it is a safe place to live there is very little crime there. There is no graffiti, no litter and barely any traffic. There is a very genteel feel about the place. Burton Bradstock has a spectacular coastline with cliffs and miles of unspoilt beaches. Burton Bradstock is a predominantly white, middle-class and politically Conservative ('Tory') area. A lot of the residents in Burton Bradstock seem to be marching towards retirement. There appears to be just one Asian who runs the local garage/car salesroom. Even though Billy Bragg lives in a predominantly white, middle-class, Tory area he still believes very strongly in multiculturalism and diversity.

Billy Bragg is straight he isn't gay at all he is happily married to his beautiful, intelligent wife Juliet Bragg (née Wills). They have one son together Jack Bragg. Billy Bragg's wife Juliet is also his manager! Even though Billy Bragg is straight he cares very deeply about LGBTQ issues and feminism.

Billy Bragg also cares about environmental green issues and he has travelled all over the world and also toured all over the world with his music singing and talking about the issues that matter to him. Billy Bragg will never stop protesting and standing up for the good causes that he believes strongly in. Billy Bragg flies over to America and Canada quite a lot. Billy Bragg is still a left-wing activist.

I believe that Billy Bragg drives a battered old Shogun 4x4 car and he walks his dog on the beach he sounds very down-to-earth. On the "Following the Mozziah" Blog the Rat says "Dorset is where the Islam-loving, Israel-hating, self-proclaimed environmentalist, Billy Bragg lives in his very un-environmentally friendly house with his two gas-guzzling 4x4s on the drive". See link: http://followingthemozziah.blogspot.com/2019/07/thursday-july-18th-2019-day-2863-in.html

Billy Bragg is a staunchly anti-Tory activist and he surprisingly lists David Cameron, George Osborne and the Queen of England among his fans.

Billy Bragg believes that Jeremy Corbyn isn't antisemitic. Billy Bragg does admit though that there is antisemitism within the Labour Party he said “I think there is a problem. The (Labour) party has a problem, the leadership has a problem – and the problem is they have not taken it seriously from the start.”

On Twitter Billy Bragg seemed to be saying that the Jewish community has “work to do” in order to rebuild trust with Labour. He holds up his hands and says he messed up. “I failed to recognise the right of the Jewish community to decide for themselves what does and doesn’t constitute racism. It’s the Macpherson principle, and I made a very insensitive response to someone’s question that implied that I knew better than the Jewish community about what is and isn’t. I personally don’t believe it amounted to antisemitism, it was just very insensitive. It denied them the right to decide what is a racist attack on their community, and that’s wrong and I apologise for it.” It would be nice to see politicians do that more often: admit when they got something wrong.

Billy Bragg lives in splendid isolation at the end of a private road in an enormous detached white house. Billy Bragg said “Me and my missus have worked hard over the years, and the result of that is we have a really nice house. It’s all our own – neither of us inherited any money. I’m very fortunate they pay me to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.”

Sometimes Billy Bragg goes to Waitrose, sometime Morrisons. Billy Bragg said “It depends what I want. After years of stringent testing, I’ve found out that the hummus is better in Morrisons.”

Billy Bragg enjoys walking along the clifftop near his home, which he does with Nordic sticks (which are like ski poles). It gives him a bit of upper-body exercise, gets the heart rate up a bit.

Billy Bragg doesn't swear very much and he seems to be clean living. Billy Bragg is loyal and faithful to his wife Juliet and is a good father to his son Jack.

Billy Bragg believes that he has stayed true to his working-class roots in Barking and he still supports football. Back in Barking admiring residents successfully campaigned to have a cul-de-sac named "Bragg Close" in his honour!

Billy Bragg said "Put it this way, we all watch EastEnders down here (in Dorset)".

Billy Bragg does admit, albeit rather sheepishly: "Maybe I am middle class now, but what does it matter?"

"What I’m trying to say is that I haven’t changed. I think I’ve stayed exactly as I have always been. It’s the political landscape around me that has shifted beyond recognition."

Billy Bragg said "There’s no reason I shouldn’t live here (in Dorset). I haven’t sold out my principles. I just sold my house in London. And I want to live by the sea because it’s so beautiful."

Billy Bragg still cares about marginalised communities in Britain. Billy Bragg said "There are still marginalised communities, and among them is the community of which Stormzy is a member, which is young black men,” he says. “They are still making music that talks directly to people. Stormzy wants to appear on my timeline and on your timeline, and he’s made a great record [2017’s "Gang Signs & Prayer"] to do that. You can still hear [political music] if you listen to music coming from that area.”

I happen to like both the music Stormzy makes and also I love Morrissey. Stormzy is in fact a Christian and a lot of Grime artists in the UK are Christians. Grime music is homegrown British music. I think some people confuse 'Grime' music with 'Drill' music and gangster rap.

At the end of the day Billy Bragg seems ok as a person he isn't a thug or a gangster type. I just wish that Billy Bragg would show kindness, love and support towards Morrissey and that he would listen more deeply to what Morrissey says rather than to dismiss him. Billy Bragg is a Remainer and Morrissey is a Brexiter, but they could still get on with each other.

I also wish that Billy Bragg and his beloved Labour Party would be more supportive towards Britain's Jewish communities and stop all the hate.

One of Stormzy's songs "Blinded By Your Grace" sung by Katherine Jenkins:



As Billy Bragg himself says, he’s “not really the world’s greatest singer – no one comes to a Billy Bragg gig to hear my singing… The point is that I’m not really a musician. I can’t read music and I can only play chords… what I am, bottom line, is a communicator.”

If there is something vaguely patronising about the soubriquet "the Bard of Barking", he might be one of the crown princes of the English couplet though.

Billy Bragg isn't in fact totally English as his late mother is of Italian descent. Billy Bragg's mother sadly died in 2011. I thought that it was cruel that some people on here made fun of Billy Bragg's mother who isn't around anymore to defend herself or her son.


“I just wish that Billy Bragg would show kindness, love and support towards Morrissey and that he would listen more deeply to what Morrissey says rather than to dismiss him.”

My sentiment too.
 
“I just wish that Billy Bragg would show kindness, love and support towards Morrissey and that he would listen more deeply to what Morrissey says rather than to dismiss him.”

My sentiment too.
Never gonna happen until Bragg receives the 'liberal psychological breakdown treatment' described in my earlier post!
 
Never gonna happen until Bragg receives the 'liberal psychological breakdown treatment' described in my earlier post!
In the (enjoyable) song ‘Upfield’, Bragg claims he has a ‘socialism of the heart’. I’ve always wondered what that amounted to, other than a plea to no longer be held to account intellectually. Perhaps he should have just conceded that he’d traded any Marxist perspectives for a ‘liberalism of the mind’. It would’ve arguably been a more honest utterance, but it might have made for a less interesting song.

I doubt ex-miners still attend his gigs.
 
Never gonna happen until Bragg receives the 'liberal psychological breakdown treatment' described in my earlier post!
Whenever you self-venerate, all you're doing is self-soothing in public. What a fragile little narcissist you are. :blushing:
 
In the (enjoyable) song ‘Upfield’, Bragg claims he has a ‘socialism of the heart’. I’ve always wondered what that amounted to, other than a plea to no longer be held to account intellectually. Perhaps he should have just conceded that he’d traded any Marxist perspectives for a ‘liberalism of the mind’. It would’ve arguably been a more honest utterance, but it might have made for a less interesting song.

I doubt ex-miners still attend his gigs.

We doubt ex-miners read your posts. It's called getting on with life. Something you obviously struggle with. Just saying
 
We doubt ex-miners read your posts. It's called getting on with life. Something you obviously struggle with. Just saying
Possibly true. But if I’d have found that attractive I would scarcely have begun listening to Morrissey (or Billy Bragg) and visiting Morrissey related websites. What’s your excuse?
 
The schools in Billy Bragg's area of rich leafy Dorset may as well be private because they are all white and full of the children of other white millionaires.

If 'the Bard of Barking' had stayed in multicultural Barking, East London, his son Jack would have attended a school with a majority of African and Muslim children and had a taste of what real 'diversity' is all about. But Billy didn't want his kids to enjoy the diversity that he espouses for everyone else. In fact he moved as far away from Barking and its black newcomers as he possibly could.

This makes Billy a liberal hypocrite - a capitalist Blairite in socialist clothing. In his day to day life in Dorset he does not encounter social 'diversity' in any form, yet he calls anyone who criticizes this blatantly anti-white system a racist and a fascist.

The man is a fraud who has earned his millions and comfortable diversity-free lifestyle from decades of lies and deceit.
You could probably get a man if you covered yourself in a burka and learned to only speak when spoken to.
 
I had a feeling that was the kind of women you liked. Burka'd up and silent.
Deflecting to cover your own self-hate, as all handmaidens seek to do? If this is where knowing your place leads you to, I’ve no doubt that you’ll mind msmentioning this.......
 

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