I have not bought any of his music, but it's always good to see someone take on an MP, and some of his Twitter responses are classics: James Blunt attacks ‘classist gimp’ Chris Bryant over diversity comments | Music | The Guardian
I enjoyed that. The MP was being a right knob. Of course it would be nice if there were equal opportunities for all, but particularly in the Arts and Culture - where you start a career with no idea whether you're going to make a living - it's not surprising if there's a higher percentage of the people who make it through from 'comfortably-off' backgrounds. That's just economics - it's not some conspiracy of toffs. Extra support for the poorer sections of the community is a good idea, but there's no need to slag people off just because of their background. I'm not a fan, but James Blunt is clearly a talented guy.
Less toffs in music? More like the upper echelon of politics, civil service and the like..like this odious prat Point in example. Sun is ending its page 3, and every woman or spokes'person' they spoke to had the appropriate plum in her mouth. Funniest was one, clearly Oxbridge type, who was spouting how more women need to be in politics, to represent women like her blah blah blah and that politics should be compulsory for all school children. Thing is, she IS the exact type she is campaigning against: plummy hoity nitwit of a privileged and educated background (or the next Oscar winning actress if not) typical of many of these highly educated lot who sipped this shit while maintaining their scholarships at the highest establishments and living as far from the poor and disadvantaged as can be imagined. How many of these 'visually abused' women have made a career out of getting them out, and how many men have it as their perk up in a day? Is it THAT bad really? Bloody students...
So you won't be getting in touch with your feminine side, and wearing one of these? BBC News - 'Sweatshop' claims over Fawcett Society slogan T-shirt
Not that im a fan of MP's on the whole but I don't like him either....when I was in the army blah blah blah...having said that he's come up with some witty retort's in the past...
I am a total feminist. And if a woman wants to make her living taking her kit off, and has the right attributes and there is a market, who am I to say no. Just as any women wanting to lead BP or be the next PM, if she has the right attributes, crack on! But I also love a carry on movie
James Blunt was actually in the Household Cavalry - and lead the first light armoured unit that went into Bosnia, if memory serves me correctly... Upper middle class, champagne socialist MP's are, basically, a bunch of hypocritical dicks. They have figured out that promising the poor folk loads of benefits and slagging off the occasional celebrity wins them votes and gets them into power - and that is the only thing they are really interested in. Blunt's background, schooling and upbringing has not helped him get to be a famous and / or successful, that is down to a lot of hard work and a bit of luck. If some gobby MP slags him off just to get into the headlines then he is quite right to have a go back...
@ Comfysofa - "so what..." ? So, at least he has actually had a proper job - it's more than 95% of Labour MP's ever have had !
I wasn't going to answer the "so what", but I am puzzled by it because the letter does not seem to be boasting about the army bit, or anything else - he simply says that nobody gave him encouragement or a leg up in showbiz because he was a soldier, or because he went to Harrow. To be fair to the MP in this case - Chris Bryant - it appears that, like James Blunt, he had both a good education and a few years in a "proper" job before going into politics..... but.... he was a priest! It seems Mr Bryant also made good use of the MPs' expenses system at one stage.
I know you cannot assume that Wikipedia always tells the truth, but this snippet is interesting: "His unit was given the assignment of securing the Pristina International Airport in advance of the 30,000-strong peacekeeping force; however the Russian army had moved in and taken control of the airport before his unit's arrival. American NATO commander Wesley Clark ordered that Blunt's unit forcibly take the airport from the Russian contingent. However, after Blunt queried the order, Mike Jackson, Blunt's superior officer, and Blunt himself refused to comply fearing greater consequences, with Jackson stating that they were "not going to start the Third World War" for Clark. The airport would eventually be shared peacefully by Blunt's unit and the Russians. "
I've heard this story from another source, less ... uh ...ambiguous than Wikipedia. I wish I could remember which one. It may have been the BBC website.
