To feel sorry for Ed Sheeran.....

surely which ever side you stand, using that platform to make political points which are controversial and likely to divide your audience is prone to cause trouble in the audience. someone cheers, someone boos, high emotions and adrenaline, belief that you're right, it's a tinder box situation.
it's a music concert not a political rally.

That is his conviction. To be politics free and neutral. He's standing up for that. I applaud him for doing so.

Brendan ONeill in Spiked on Macklemore

“What’s more, his removal is the greatest gift the Gaza bores could have asked for. Finally, they have their martyr, their shahid, a man who dared to speak up about Evil Israel and was punished by billionaires for doing so. Macklemore says his ‘silencing’ is proof of how ‘dangerous’ it has become to oppose Israel. Please. Israelophobia is the bread and butter of bourgeois opinion. Every literary soiree and leafy campus throbs with loathing for the world’s only Jewish state. That’s what’s most infuriating about the Macklemore thing: it has allowed the keffiyeh classes to launder their drab high-status beliefs as something punk. “

What a world we live in where it is considered a controversial statement though

Less impressive when it’s always the same “fashionable” cause though

I wonder why he was forgiven for this and not cancelled and castigated.

🤔
Surely not a double standard ?

Exactly, the bravery is about putting your foot down and saying no, I won't have any political messages at my show, and causing mayhem to the tour.

I mean it occurred to me it could be, but I couldn't believe it, surely?

Macklemore says his ‘silencing’ is proof of how ‘dangerous’ it has become to oppose Israel.

How very original of him, how stunning and brave to speak out! 🙄

For comparison, Boy George published “We will dance again” in support of Israel a few months ago and also faced professional consequences:

West End Exit: He withdrew from his role as King Herod in a London production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Management Split: He parted ways with his longtime record label manager, Tony Pontius, who refused to be associated with the track.
Platform Removal: His profile and the track were removed from Bandcamp, and the song faced restrictions on mainstream streaming services.
Band Tensions: He faced pushback from members of his own band regarding whether they would perform the song live.

I always enjoy Brendan’s commentary.

I have very little knowledge about Ed Sheeran. No one owes anyone else an opinion. I like a bit of politics in my rock other people don’t. Either option is fine.

I do however, dislike with a passion, people bandying about words like spineless and traitor because people aren’t saying what you want them to say. It doesn’t matter what he has done in the past this time he isn’t doing politics - that’s entirely up to him.

If other people want to speak out, more power to them but you can’t demand others do what you want. Forced speech - not a good look, and it seems the left are way to keen on forcing people to make absences to their ‘gods’.

I presume those that applaud stars being political and standing by their convictions are in support of Boy George as well? They think it's wrong he has been 'cancelled '?

It's rather scary that now not having any opinion is the new 'having the wrong opinion'. But what about next week month, year, decade when the right opinion today is the wrong opinion then.

We live in a democracy, we are allowed views and opinions and we are also allowed to hold views and opinions in private, hence the right to anonimity when voting.

Why would a musician even understand the complexities of middle eastern history and politics, is Ed to be tested on his views on MAID or immigration - both polarising views in UK politics currently.

Let Ed do music and let the politicans, appropriate academics, journalist and activists do politics.

Ed Sheeran is entitled to say that he does not want his tour show used for making political points. He wants it to be entertainment pure and simple. He is right. And it is his choice.

We have seen what can happen when politics gets mixed up with entertainment at the Manchester Arena. Sheeran has pointed out that there are often children and young people at his concerts and he wants it to be an enjoyable evening for them.

There are important points to be made about what is happening in the Middle East, but this is not the place for it. There are plenty of other outlets for views to be expressed.

Nope, not what I meant at all.

Because it’s a silly question. Just the phrase you use “going on about” sits poorly with me when we are discussing mass murder. The left going on about mass murder… imagine!

I know what your point is. That if you care about a free Palestine you must be anti semitic or supporter of Hamas. Such a lazy argument. I can’t engage with it.

What does ‘caring about a free Palestine’ actually mean though?
Does it include ‘free from Hamas’, ‘free from Iranian influence’?
What territory does it entail?

The previous post was talking about Jews, not just Israelis.
And even if you’re only talking about Israelis - are all of them ‘murdering innocent Palestinians every day’?

Shame on me? I'm not the one making racist comments here. You didn't say Israeli's, you said Jews. Actually you said "the Jews".

Nope, zero sympathy for him

This is the problem we face, racism is now considered a worse crime than genocide. The Israeli people are mostly behind their governments decision to commit genocide so yes , a blanket statement for the nation does fit.

I think it's entirely legitimate for an artist to declare their performance spaces politics-free. Not sure that booking this particular support act was the best way to go about that, though. My sympathy is limited.

So because there are worse things in the world, that suddenly makes it okay for you to make blatently racist comments?

And again, you didn't say Israelis. You said "The Jews"