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It would shine a torch into the dirty little corner where the BNP defecate on our democracy, and that would be much more powerful than duffing them up in the street – which Im also in favour of.

Billy Bragg

All the things about ‘the ugly American’ that we worry about and which the Americans see in themselves, it’s all of that. This is a politics of egotistical display.
BILLY BRAGG

About Country Display Egotistical Themselves
It’s like being stung by a bee and going out and smashing up a beehive, and thinking you’ve solved the problem. There are more beehives out there; more bees will come. But they’re bees. They’re not grizzly bears.
BILLY BRAGG

Bee Problem Smashing Solved Think Unspeakables
The most important thing for anyone, I think, is to be engaged, whether you’re an artist or a journalist is to be engaged in the process at some level.
BILLY BRAGG

Artist Important Journalist Thinking
Don’t saddle me with your ideals, and spare me all your guilt. For a poet with all the answers, has never yet been built.
BILLY BRAGG

Answers Guilt Poetry Saddle
Mixing pop and politics he asks me what the use is / I offer him embarrassment and my usual excuses.
BILLY BRAGG

Mixing Use Usual
I think if you’re going to make political art, you have to engage at some level. You can’t just write about politics, you have to try and be politics as well.
BILLY BRAGG

Art Politics Thinking Try Writing
You can experience a download, but you can’t download an experience.
BILLY BRAGG

Downloads Experience Feelin
You have to recognise your responsibility to your community for your actions. Liberty doesn’t mean that you are not held accountable.
BILLY BRAGG

Community Mean Responsibility
Money maketh man a tory, don’t fire that assumption at me, I like toast as much as anyone but not for breakfast, dinner and tea
BILLY BRAGG

Assumption Fire Men Money Tea Toast
What corporations fear most are consumers who ask questions. Naomi Klein offers us the arguments with which to take on the superbrands.
BILLY BRAGG

Argument Consumers Corporations
Just because you’re gay, I won’t turn you away. If you stick around, I’m sure we can find some common ground.
BILLY BRAGG

Common Gay Ground Sticks
So, in some ways, the political songs tend to be a bit more like reportage, whereas the love songs tend to be like novels, you can pick them up off the shelf and go into them any time.
BILLY BRAGG

Love Political Reportage Song Way
The evil lot who did that thing on September 11 did it because they wanted to create a war between America and Islam. And by invading Iraq, we gave them what they hoped for.
BILLY BRAGG

Country Disaster Month September War
I was in a little punk band and we put out a few punk records that weren’t very political, at all.
BILLY BRAGG

Band Political Records
Baptists burn more slowly.
BILLY BRAGG

Baptists Burn More Slowly
I’m celebrating my love for you with a pint of beer and a new tattoo
BILLY BRAGG

Beer Celebrating Love Tattoo
At some point in your life you have to engage with the fact that you are part of a society.
BILLY BRAGG

Education Free Important Powerful
What happened on September 11 wasn’t the first act of war, it was the most unspeakable act of murder and terrorism. But it was construed by a very small group of people – there is no army out there in the dark waiting to take over America.
BILLY BRAGG

Army Dark Unspeakable War
Were it not for the Clash, punk would have been just a sneer, a safety pin and a pair of bondage trousers.
BILLY BRAGG

Pairs Pins Punk Safety
I came into this whole business by going to see Rock Against Racism gigs with the Clash.
BILLY BRAGG

Racism Racist Rocks
I enjoyed so much working with the guys from Wilco, and riffing off of them, and having someone come up to me with ideas, because normally in the studio it’s me who has to come up with all the ideas.
BILLY BRAGG

Come Guy Idea Ideas Riffing Studio
Start your own revolution, cut out the middleman In a perfect world we’d all sing in tune But this is reality so give me some room So join the struggle while you may The Revolution is just a t-shirt away
BILLY BRAGG

Cutting Middleman Reality Somemroom Struggle
You can be active with the activists or sleep in with the sleepers while you’re waiting for the Great Leap Forwards.
BILLY BRAGG

Activist Sleep Sleeper Waiting
Peace, bread, work, and freedom is the best we can achieve.
BILLY BRAGG

Achieve Bread Politics
I’m still batting away on my politics for the Labour Party. I’m much further to the left of them than I used to be, but that’s because they’ve moved, not me.
BILLY BRAGG

Away Batting Party Stills Used
Whether we like it or not, we live in a post-ideological world. That’s how a Donald Trump can get through. He has no ideology at all: in that sense, he’s a bit like Mussolini.
BILLY BRAGG

Ideology Party Post Sense Thinking Whether World
Without accountability, there can be no freedom. I know it seems like a paradox.
BILLY BRAGG

Accountability Freedom Paradox Seem

It would shine a torch into the dirty little corner where the BNP defecate on our democracy, and that would be much more powerful than duffing them up in the street – which Im also in favour of.

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Popular Authors

It would shine a torch into the dirty little corner where the BNP defecate on our democracy, and that would be much more powerful than duffing them up in the street – which Im also in favour of.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Billy Bragg Quotes