Billy Bragg

[bogeyman]

If he believes in socialism so much, why not go and live there and see how far he gets when he tries to criticise the government.

I know Lucy.

'Billy Bragg makes me Gagg'

When I was a young know-nothing, I thought he was pretty radical and cool but in fact he's the biggest toss-pot you could ever meet short of Ben Elton.

He espouses the radical socialist values and edginess of the anti-maggie, anti-poll tax, eat-the-rich, 1980s 'Laahndun', whilst living in rural Devon and receiving beaucoup tax avoidance advice from his IFA.

I don't want to change the world
I'm not looking for a new England
I'm looking for another bung

Bragg is a whanker of the first order, and a massive hypocrite.

All these clowns have been found out now. I'm saddened and astonished that the likes of Billy can still get gigs.

[ctdctd]

Is Billy Bragg the most successful singer who can't sing?

Mark Almond

[HYpno27]

Is Billy Bragg the most successful singer who can't sing? Very probably. Good songwriter, but he should really leave the performing to other people (like Kirstie McCall doing New England).

Bob Dylan

[snaw]

Snaw, I think it is inconsistent for him to spout about 'the workers state' ie communism or socialism, and live the life of someone who has made a shedload of cash from the system he so abhors. He has spent his life living in the free west, criticising it while giving succour to totalitarian dictatorships. (Which he conveniently ignores) Remember when he played in East Germany, at the invitation of that government.

If he believes in socialism so much, why not go and live there and see how far he gets when he tries to criticise the government. (Ooops, the people there didn't like it either and have overthrown most of these states)

There's always North Korea, Billy, although, somehow I don't think he wants to acknowledge the reality of 'socialism'.

Areet - and I'm not a huge Billy Bragg fan or particularly aligned with his politics (Though some I'm ok with), but I seem to have manoeuvred myself into the position of defending him. So in his own words:

BB: They assumed that because I was anti-Margaret Thatcher, I would be pro-them, but it actually wasn't quite as simple as that. I was anti-arbitrary power, so it put me in a difficult situation there. But the great thing about going to those places was to talk to ordinary people—to talk to people in the audience, to talk to the young people who came to the gigs—because the whole Cold War rhetoric that these people were going to take over our country really didn't seem to be borne out by their attitude and their concerns. They thought we were going to take over their country. So it was highly educational, particularly for someone like myself who believed in a more egalitarian society to see what a ****-up East Germany was. That was pretty salutary. It didn't stop me being a socialist, but it certainly stopped me just sticking up for totalitarian regimes.

Is it hypocritical of him to still espouse those views, I dunno. I don't know what he does with his cash, how much he gives away and how much he keeps, how much he raises for charity, how much free stuff he does etc. Once you know that stuff then bag him if he's still a hypocrite but seems to me he's getting bashed cause he hasn't aligned himself with right wing politics just because he made some money.

[DodgyAgent]

Areet - and I'm not a huge Billy Bragg fan or particularly aligned with his politics (Though some I'm ok with), but I seem to have manoeuvred myself into the position of defending him. So in his own words:



Is it hypocritical of him to still espouse those views, I dunno. I don't know what he does with his cash, how much he gives away and how much he keeps, how much he raises for charity, how much free stuff he does etc. Once you know that stuff then bag him if he's still a hypocrite but seems to me he's getting bashed cause he hasn't aligned himself with right wing politics just because he made some money.

It is nothing to do with right or left. He is a hypocrite who's views exist purely and selfishly to satisfy his own conscience. He is fabulously rich (without Thatcher of course he would be paying 90% tax on most of his income) and he knows it. By pretending to support socialist values (sharing/redistribution of wealth) which he arrogantly mistakenly assumes are morally good values (since when did a socialist state ever create any wealth or lift anyone out of poverty?) he thinks that no one can challenge his wealthy lifestyle. Furthermore he can support any political cause he likes because his own wealth is likely to be beyond the reach of the taxman. And if a labour government come to power and put tax rates up and squander a few more billions.. hey so what? he can afford it.

He does not have to use public services either yet he openly and unquestioningly supports an evil system that is foisted upon so many people who have little choice but to depend on it.

"Hey look at me I'm doing those poor east Germans a favour, what are you doing for them?"

what a knob

[snaw]

It is nothing to do with right or left. He is a hypocrite who's views exist purely and selfishly to satisfy his own conscience.

There you go again. What is it with you and your assumptions? Where do you draw this info from exactly?

[BoredBloke]

It is nothing to do with right or left. He is a hypocrite who's views exist purely and selfishly to satisfy his own conscience. He is fabulously rich (without Thatcher of course he would be paying 90% tax on most of his income) and he knows it. By pretending to support socialist values (sharing/redistribution of wealth) which he arrogantly mistakenly assumes are morally good values (since when did a socialist state ever create any wealth or lift anyone out of poverty?) he thinks that no one can challenge his wealthy lifestyle. Furthermore he can support any political cause he likes because his own wealth is likely to be beyond the reach of the taxman. And if a labour government come to power and put tax rates up and squander a few more billions.. hey so what? he can afford it.

He does not have to use public services either yet he openly and unquestioningly supports an evil system that is foisted upon so many people who have little choice but to depend on it.

"Hey look at me I'm doing those poor east Germans a favour, what are you doing for them?"

what a knob

Well said DA

A bit like the whole Bono thing - bangs the drum for an end to world poverty but does so while owning half of Dublin. Or Geldof who without all of his charity work would just be another forgotten 80's pop star. I doubt the royalties from a couple of boomtown rats songs would provide him with his current lifestyle.

[The Lone Gunman]

Bragg is a bit of an enigma though.
He is deep and thoughtful and funny, he has clearly thought long and hard about his subjects.
A great deal of what he says I can agree with, or at least understand.

I just find SOME of what he says to be at odds with his own life and I am sure in some ways he does too.

[Lucy]

Bragg is a bit of an enigma though.
He is deep and thoughtful and funny, he has clearly thought long and hard about his subjects.
A great deal of what he says I can agree with, or at least understand.

I just find SOME of what he says to be at odds with his own life and I am sure in some ways he does too.

If you are an imbecile you can think long and hard about anything, it doesn't mean you are going to come to any kind of sensible conclusion.

[sasguru]

I like the way DA ascribes motives to someone he has not met and has not listened to in any depth. I think his posts show more about himself than Billy Bragg.

HTH