Billy Bragg is a wanker

[Anydaynowonewouldhope]

just read his new statesman word vomit

All very word salad

but what he is saying - but doesn’t have to balls to actually write it down clearly is:

the idea that there are two sexes and women are oppressed by men is reactionary and right wing

people (ie almost all women) must be accountable for this wrong think to - well - to him and other right thinkers

its so disingenuous

and just so soaked in misogyny

and worded in such a fluffy manner that the right on folx can nod away with it and bask in the glow of being so wonderfully righteous

he’s such a dickhead

Your first mistake was reading a Billy Bragg piece in the New Statesman in the first place

However I do agree, especially with the 'fluffy' tone of many TRA ramblings in the mainstream press - they have to use a benign, anodyne tone of love and inclusion because to speak accurately and directly would be to expose what a perverse nightmare this whole thing is

Not All Billy Braggs Are Like That.

only CisBillyBragg is a wanker.

There are still loads of TransBillyBraggs on Twitter who I find to be lovely.

left wing misogynists are the worst

at least right wing misogynists will open the door for you

I take your point.

In fact I think Billy Bragg should be more accountable to the Billy Bragg class which he belongs to.

He is persecuting his own minority class.

He's awful. Such a disappointment.

This is why I stopped subscribing to the NS a few months ago.

That made me laugh!

Heart-breaking really, when you spent your 20s thinking he was the bees fucking knees, and now just feel like a dick.

Love this! I think he (I’m presuming he, haven’t checked his bio, so apple if I’m misgendering) should be referred to at all times as
CisBillyBragg

Apple = apologies!

left wing misogynists are the worst

at least right wing misogynists will open the door for you

Don’t worry! You can just self ID as a transBillyBragg and be a better Billy Bragg than boring, old fashioned, washed up CisBillyBragg 🏆

He is such a disingenous wanker.

Of course death threats, rape threats abd threats of physical violence against JKR aren't OK.

Well why didn't you say that at the time when she was getting it really bad? Your silence spoke volumes mate.

He is such a fucking coward. Terrified to even condemn disgusting abuse against a woman because he doesn't want to anger the gods of Gender Ideology or be seen as 'unkind'. Males first, always.

Prick.

www.newstatesman.com/quickfire/2022/10/jk-rowling-john-cleese-get-wrong-cancel-culture-graham-norton

"A belief in accountability does not involve condoning threats or violence – and freedom of expression does not mean freedom from consequence."

He really thinks this is such a great argument. Apparently he is happy to state that threats of violence are not an acceptable consequence but never goes into detail about what would be a good consequence for someone with the wrong opinions.

Was Maya losing her contract at CGD an acceptable consequence for her freedom of expression?
Was Allison being victimised an acceptable consequence?
What about James Esses being booted off of his counselling course?
Or all the hundreds of others who are facing "consequences" but are not in the public eye and do not have recourse to funding for expensive court cases?

"The failure of democratic societies to hold individuals to account for their actions has led to a drift towards authoritarianism over the past few years"

What on earth is he taking about here? Which individuals is he talking about? What actions? And what does he mean by "hold [...] to account"?

It's all so vague it's hard to extract from it any meaning at all.

It makes no sense. Surely it’s the societies that are keen on holding people to account that are the authoritarian ones. Iranian girls who refuse to wear headscarves? Held to account. Russians protesting against the war? Held to account.
The idea of authoritarianism as something that happens if people aren’t held to account enough for their words is a complete reversal of reality.

It makes no sense. Surely it’s the societies that are keen on holding people to account that are the authoritarian ones. Iranian girls who refuse to wear headscarves? Held to account. Russians protesting against the war? Held to account.

Quite, it's a ludicrous reversal of reality.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel well that’s the thing. And he just seems to assume that he is one of the ones who gets to decide what is the standards to be held accountable to.

he’s only going to get worse as he gets older.

he’ll let something racist out eventually then he’ll get a shock

Haha!

What's that old saying? The right thinks women are private property, the left thinks they're public property.

Exactly, what does 'accountability' even mean here?

Who decides which comments need accountability and which don't?
What form does this accountability take and who decides this?
What does it all look like?

It makes no sense. Surely it’s the societies that are keen on holding people to account that are the authoritarian ones. Iranian girls who refuse to wear headscarves? Held to account. Russians protesting against the war? Held to account.
The idea of authoritarianism as something that happens if people aren’t held to account enough for their words is a complete reversal of reality

Brilliantly put.

The verbiage these people use to try to escape the fact that they simply want to punish people who have views they disagree with, really is quite extraordinary. Bullies always try to blame their victims for the fact they bully them. That’s exactly the psychology behind this ‘ I’m holding you to account’ bollocks.

The thing about the hard left is that they seem to forget that that the shining example of their model is Communist China.

Which indeed Billy Bragg much lionised in the past.

Alrhough ironically - at least in theory if not in practice - communist China is in fact less misogynistic than Billy Bragg.

Bless Billy - coming in with 'some thoughts'.

He is certainly tying himself up in knots in comments as people 'hold him accountable' for that article.

Liked Sharron Davies response the best: 'Utter bullshit!'

I’ve just been reading through his tweets.

his brain is folding in on himself.

there is just so little logic in his thinking it’s odd.

and a surprising lack of accountability for past positions that he’s taken.

i genuinely think he’s a bit dumb.

I always thought he was a prat with awful songs, glad I've been proven correct.