I applaud Martin for making his feelings absolutely clear. Morrissey could learn some lessons from him but ..... and there is always a but, is there not? If Martin has held these feelings since, it would seem Viva Hate, then I'm afraid I hold very little respect for him. If he did think Morrissey racist at that time and all of the other times from which he has used quotes then there is no excuse in my book for following someone you believe to be racist for nigh on 30 years. It paints a very poor picture of Martin. A very poor picture indeed.
I am no apologist for Morrissey. I dislike the clear, right-wing path he seems to be treading but I do not believe him to be racist. Stupid in the extreme at times. Insensitive. Self-serving and many other negatives but racist? No. If I thought him racist I would have stopped supporting him long ago. I wouldn't wait almost 30 years before voicing that view. I am less supportive of Morrissey these days, not because I think him racist, but because I think that his neccesity to be in the public eye, to be a contemporary wit and topical social commentator have proven him to be quite dim. Morrissey (a man who lives in a bubble) has long lost touch with what is and is not real. He seems to have no real sense of how harmful and hurtful some of his comments can be? I don't care if he is right. Sometimes he is but there is a time and a place but it would seem Morrissey cares not a jot about collateral damage He doesn't care because, in his bubble, no-one can touch him. Morrissey is, in that respect, very much like the politicians and royalty he claims to despise - aloof from the real world but able to pontificate on what's best for everyone else.
As for Martin. I now know where he stands. It couldn't be clearer but on reading his article I now hold less respect for him than I hold now for Morrissey. Martin has by his own words attempted to identify Morrissey as racist yet supported Morrissey - not least of all by actually 'supporting' him. I have no respect whatsoever for those that support what they consider to be racist behaviours. It must be pointed out that Martin, like others before him, has unsuccessfully attempted to use Morrissey's own words against him and is now applying a painful analysis of the word "shelve". Desperate times, methinks.
To conclude. Martin. You have outed yourself as someone who knowingly, it would seem. supported what you believed to be racist behaviours. Shame on you. Morrissey. Take a leaf out of Martin's book - tell us exactly what you think without ambiguity. If you truly believe in treading a right-wing agenda just come right out and say it. If you genuinely think that Marine le Penn, UKIP etc. are ways forward for humankind then say so. Constantly hiding behind others on TTY, facebook (official or otherwise) is utterly cowardly and the kind of thing say a royal or politician would do. See, you're not so very different from them after all. Shame on you.