<DIV><The estimable Billy Bragg is looking for a community group or similar <BR>in Sheffield who might be interested in staging a meeting with him on the <BR>subject of 'Progressive Patriotism' and what it means to be English. <BR>Would anyone be interested in being put in touch with him, or know <BR>anyone who might be?<BR></DIV> <DIV><Yours, Chris</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>response:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>tell him where to stick it. "Progressive patriotism" is a contradiction in terms. It is pure poison, exacty what Blair and Brown are also serving up. Billy Bragg is fast becoming another Bob Geldoff, and one is already one too many. Here's an excerpt from an article in the Red Pepper (full version: <A href="http://www.redpepper.org.uk/brit/x-may2005-bragg.htm" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT color=#003399>http://www.redpepper.org.uk/brit/x-may2005-bragg.htm</FONT></A>). There's plenty of other articles on the net by and about BB which show that he is
campaigning for us to vote for the War Party (formerly known as the Labour Party). </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>John S</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <H1><SPAN class=SpellE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt">Rockin</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt">' the vote: Billy Bragg for Blair?</SPAN></H1> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN class=msobodytext20><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Omar <SPAN class=SpellE>Waraich</SPAN> </SPAN></SPAN></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">May 2005 </SPAN></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">You woke up this morning<BR>To the fact we�ve lost the things<BR>We took for granted between us</SPAN></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-LEFT: 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: 36pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">-Billy Bragg, <I>The Myth of Trust</I></SPAN></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">�Culture,� Norman Mailer once said, �is worth huge, huge risks.� Billy Bragg seems prepared to take those risks, and his rhymes of resistance and years of political campaigning have established him as the doyen of British protest music. But now that the rock star and songwriter is lending his talents to a string of pro-war New Labour candidates in their election bids, he has fallen foul of several of his fans and fellow campaigners</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>