Having said Brexit won't impact Blighty's music industry and its touring market in Europe, for example, asked if Brexit would be “bad for British rock music”, he replied: “No. What’s it got to do with the rock business? How are you going to tour in Europe? Oh dear. As if we didn’t tour Europe before the fucking EU. Oh give it up!”, the plank is whinging about not being able to tour in Europe without complicated visa requirements, and blaming the very Brexiteer government he supported ...
And of course, like all aggressive authoritarians, it's one rule for him and another for everyone else ...
The frontman continued: “I do think our government should have made the easing of restrictions for musicians and actors a higher priority. Every tour, individual actors and musicians should be treated as any other ‘Goods’ at the point of entry to the EU with one set of paperwork.
Musos should be privileged with frictionless borders, but the ordinaries, nah, they can go hang. And as far as James Blunt is concerned, even ordinary musos can go hang ...
Then you’ve got James Blunt saying it doesn’t matter and won’t affect him – and you know what? He’s right. With the amount of money he makes from touring, he won’t even notice.”
“This is basically a tax on new and emerging musicians. It’s not a tax that will have any impact on your James Blunts and Roger Daltreys. Someone will sit in an office and fill in all of their paperwork.”
I always thought musos were thick as chair legs, but these two fell out the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down.
SoD
Just seen Blunt was a former Rupert in the Life Guards ...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Blunt#:~:text=James%20Hillier%20Blount%20(born%2022,during%20the%201999%20Kosovo%20War.
So he's got an excuse, what's Daltry's?
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 20 January 2021 at 19:49
Daltry has been rock royalty since what, the early sixties? Actually this is no more embarrassing than his sticking safety pins in his face and otherwise trying to be a punk in the late '70's. Or the "Two Who" with his recorded screams from Won't Get Fooled Again obviously mixed into the live performances.
One of DJ Trump's final acts as president was to pardon rapper Lil Wayne, who faced a dime in Club Fed for a weapons charge. Some other celebs who could afford connected lawyers also got off:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/01/20/trump-pardons-rappers-lil-wayne-kodak-black-biden-inauguration/4225254001/
The rich are different. Surely, SoD, you wouldn't advocate for mandated egalitarianism?
Posted by: Bob | Wednesday, 20 January 2021 at 20:22
I don't care how much either of them earns, it's when they demand state privilege - just like affirmative action, positive discrimination, quotas, fake jobs and fake qualifications, a la BLM / Antifa - there's a problem.
The pardoning system in the US is an absolute effing joke. The pols choosing the judges is too. The media and tech companies allowed to monopolise around one political party too.
The election was fraudulent before the first vote was even cast, let alone counted.
Pressing the constitutional reset button with an uprising is fully justified. The Don is Uncle Sam's equivalent of Navalny, a freedom fighter against a fake democracy.
At least you and the Rooskies have got a freedom fighter, which is more than we can say about Blighty.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 20 January 2021 at 21:19
Ooops what a giveaway ...
https://www.foxnews.com/media/paul-krugman-mocked-god-save-king-inauguration-british-anthem
Or "look who's back in town".
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 20 January 2021 at 21:27
"I always thought musos were thick as chair legs"
To extend the music metaphor further, "Thick as a Brick". Keepin' it British.
Posted by: Whitewall | Wednesday, 20 January 2021 at 23:25
Of course no one went abroad before the EU was invented. No one ever sold goods or services to other countries. However did civilisation develop before the countries of Europe combined into the glory that is the EU ?
Posted by: johnd2008 | Thursday, 21 January 2021 at 01:34
Nigel Farage isn't Blighty's freedom fighter?
Posted by: Bob | Thursday, 21 January 2021 at 02:04
SoD
This remind you of anyone:
https://www.samizdata.net/2021/01/samizdata-quote-of-the-day-1389/
Posted by: Wigner’s Friend | Friday, 22 January 2021 at 14:21
Well Wiggers, seems I'm not the only one still espousing the benefits of EU and Single Market membership. This dimwit Brexiteer minister just made the perfect argument for it using Northern Ireland's status as his example! ...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tory-minister-question-time-accidentally-23366285.amp
Thick as a brick, to use Whiter's catchphrase.
The dimwit is exactly right, of course. I said years ago when Theresa May was negotiating the agreement that NI would be the place to invest or buy property if it could leverage the Good Friday Agreement to stay inside the EU Single Market and the UK single market.
And Gibraltar, if they can make the EU Schengen zone membership agreement stick ...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.politico.eu/article/gibraltar-no-deal-brexit-risk-border-spain-uk-schengen-fabian-picardo/amp/
Gib deal's looking a bit shaky at the moment, so cross-fingers. I love the place, been there twice. My bolt hole as and when Blighty goes tits up.
Next-up Scotland. Then maybe London and the home counties, God willing.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Friday, 22 January 2021 at 19:20