Taking Sides: Billy Bragg vs John Wesley Harding (the guy, not the album)

Billy Bragg comments from yesterday (not sure if this was mentioned on another Bragg thread):

“I was fortunate enough to be doing a gig in Belfast on the night Thatcher resigned and the cheers of celebration are still ringing in my ears. Now, seven times zones away, the streets of Calgary, Alberta seemed strangely calm at the news of her passing.That was until I wandered into a western outfitters, looking for pearl-snap shirts. The two women who worked there were both from Essex and as soon as they heard my accent we fell into to discussing the ignominy that she and her followers heaped upon our beloved county. I bought a couple of shirts and put the two women on the guest list for the show tonight.”

A little while later, he added:

“This is not a time for celebration. The death of Margaret Thatcher is nothing more than a salient reminder of how Britain got into the mess that we are in today. Of why ordinary working people are no longer able to earn enough from one job to support a family; of why there is a shortage of decent affordable housing; of why domestic growth is driven by credit, not by real incomes; of why tax-payers are forced to top up wages; of why a spiteful government seeks to penalise the poor for having an extra bedroom; of why Rupert Murdoch became so powerful; of why cynicism and greed became the hallmarks of our society.

Raising a glass to the death of an infirm old lady changes none of this. The only real antidote to cynicism is activism. Don’t celebrate – organise!”

The 52-year-old said: "This year I think I'll be voting Liberal Democrat because they've got the best manifesto.

"I like what they're saying about proportional representation, I like what they're saying about Europe... if I was a floating voter I'd be floating towards them."

Bragg, who has a long history of fighting for left-wing causes, added: "I think Labour have taken the white working class vote for granted.

"I think the idea of a three party race is more interesting than a two party race."

Fuck you, cock.