BILLY BRAGG

Billy Bragg, of Red Wedge, Unite Against Fascism, Hope Not Hate and Show Racism the Red Card fame, tells us that his 'mother’s father was born in Italy' and his wife’s father was born in Spain.'

He organised the 'Hope not Hate' tour which targeted BNP candidates standing in the 2007 local elections. And yet, in 2004, he said he was all for 'beating up BNP officials, members and supporters in the street.' This after a meeting with New Labour bigwigs, Lord Falconer, Peter Hain and Ian McCartney in the Lords. Here are a few words of wisdom from Mr B:

"It's crucial that we continue our campaign against racism and Fascism in Britain."

"I believe that our diversity is our defining attribute."

"We should prepare an inclusive non-ethnic English identity."

In the 18 June 2006 edition of Sunday AM, when the World Cup was in full swing, Andrew Marr asked him which flag was 'fluttering above his house.'

Bragg replied:

"Above my house is the Trinidad and Tobago flag. My wife was born in Trinidad, my son is supporting Trinidad and Tobago… Nobody complains if we sometimes change our loyalties".

Any white Brits out there want an Italian Englishman, whose family support Trinidad and Tobago and 'change their loyalties' once in a while, living next door to them?

Here are the lyrics of the Billy Bragg song, Take Down The Union Jack:

Take down the Union Jack
It clashes with the sunset
And put it in the attic
With the Emperor’s old clothes
When did it fall apart ?
Sometime in the 80’s
When the good and the great
Gave way to the greedy and the mean

Britain isn’t cool you know
And it’s really not that great
It’s not a proper country
It doesn’t even have a patron saint
It’s just an economic union
That’s past its sell-by date
Take down the Union Jack
It clashes with the sunset

And ask our Scottish neighbours
If independence looks any good
‘Cos they just might understand
How to take an abstract notion
Of personal identity
And turn it into nationhood
Is this the 19th Century
That I’m watching on TV ?
The dear old Queen of England
Handing out those MBE’s
Member of the British Empire
That doesn’t sound too good to me

Gilbert and George
Are taking the piss aren’t they ?
Gilbert and George are taking the piss
What could be more British than
"Here's a picture of me bum"
Gilbert and George are taking the piss
Take down the Union Jack
It clashes with the sunset

And pile up all those history books
But don’t throw them away
‘Cos they just might have a clue
About what it really means
To be an Anglo hyphen Saxon
In England-dot-Co-dot-UK
To be an Anglo hyphen Saxon
In England-dot-Co-dot-UK

Billy Bragg can be seen singing Take Down The Union Jack here.

I wonder, when Bragg said this:

“Look at Yugoslavia. That’s what happens in a country that rejects multi-cultural diversity”?

Was he threatening us, do you think?

Bragg lives in Dorset, the whitest county in England.