IPSC Planning Letter/'Advert' In Irish Times On Palestinian Situation

by Boycott Morrissey - Pers. Cap. Sat Jan 24, 2009 15:35

First and foremost people who know me should know by my pseudonym above who I am.

Below I have also attached an update from the Irish Call For Justice on what is the current situation regarding the placement of the ad in the Irish Times. However I also want to use this opportunity to call for a boycott of Morrissey. So indulge me please (I don't want to detract from the thrust of this thread)

I am calling for people to boycott Morrissey as he played a gig in Tel Aviv, Israel last summer. This despite the widespread international call for an economic, cultural, artistic, and academic boycott of Israel. Morrissey can not claim to be unaware of the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel, nor the calls for the boycott. Nor can he not be unaware of the widespread flagrant human rights abuses, ignoring of countless U.N. resolutions, and the International Criminal Courts ruling that the "Security" (see Apartheid, Land Grab) Wall is illegal under international law. Nor can he claim ignorance that Israel flouts every single international law regarding human rights in it's occupation, and treatment of the Palestinians it illegally occupies. Incidentally the week before he played the Israeli gig the Israeli Offense Forces shot dead a 10 year old Palestinian boy in the head for being part of a protest against the Apartheid Wall.

I have been a life long Smiths/Morrissey fan since I was a kid (of the nintinee haties). I put The Smiths up there in the super league of most significant, creative, influential and important bands of the 20th century (that's how much they meant to me). I forgave Morrisseys quirks, eccentricities and often ambigous views on issues like national identity (or his feelings of loss of "englishness" despite the fact he is the son of Irish immigrants) down to his "outsider" role in the music industry. But often those views jarred with me, and sat very uncomfortablly with my own vision of a better world. Increasingly over the lasy year or two I began to see his views as those of your average Daily Mail reader, despite his efforts to appear radical. I now totally understand why the leader of the Tory Party considers himself a Morrissey fan.

Now to put my call to boycott Morrissey into even further context. On his last world tour he outrightly refused to play Canada , because of the Canadian policy of its annual seal cull. So in my eyes already Morrissey set the agenda for him to be judged upon. Slightly earlier in his solo career he also recorded a song that is considered one of his rarer songs. It is called "This Is Not Your Country". The song is about the British occupation of the six counties. It is a rather haunting, and clearly unambigious song in which Morrissey makes clear his own republican views and where his sympathies lay At the time he announced the Tel Aviv gig, I was aghast that he was even considering playing Israel when you take the Canadian boycott into account, and his stated republican sympathies. Neither has Morrissey ever been afraid to nail his political colours (when suits) to the mast in denouncing Bush et al at his concerts (now I wonder is it just to be controversial for the sake of it). Me thinks so.

Now back to Palestine. I won't take up any space in this post to state the reasons why the state of Israel should be independently investigated (and not investigaged by itself, as it always does) to see if it has a case to answer to for war crimes and in my opinion genocide. Incidentally I had a passing conversation with Prionsas De Rossa (a man I wouldn't vote for even if his name was the only one on a ballot paper, but thats just a personal opinion). Even Mr. De Rossa has said "there's no arguement here" when I said I know what the definition of genocide is, and knowing the defintion of genocide accordingly I beleived what Israel has been carrying out is nothing but genocide in Palestine. I do hope he will have the courage of his conviction to verbalise that view on public platforms and call it genocide. Failing that, if someone from either the floor of a public forum or the platform he might share with in a discussion on Palestine calls it genocide, that he will publicly agree.

So to my last word on Morrissey. Aside from viewing him now as having become something of a parody,(see Elvis Vegas years) and going through the motions of making shockingly lyrically weak, musically predictable songs (see Throwing My Arms Around Paris, That's How People Grow Up, All You Need Is Me),. The song titles get longer while the lyrics become more mundane, bland and uttery meaningless and the music and chords like muddy snow as it turns to slush, more indistinguable from the last song. He parades himself as the eternal outsider, (a good marketing ploy Morrissey), but this is one fan that may have taken their time to eventually see through it, but see through it I finally have. As far as I am concerned you played a gig in Israel, you said nothing about the Palestinians the state of Israel oppresses, and you can not claim to be unaware of it. You have the blood of dead Palestinians on your hands. Something I will never forgive you for. Your nothing but a little Englander. As much as you "rally" against the establishment, ultimately you are a part of the establishment. A parody indeed.

BOYCOTT MORRISSEY!!!!!!!!

And now to the email I recieved from the Irish Call For Justice.

"Dear Friend

Many thanks for signing up to the statement on Palestine to be printed in The Irish Times. We have been delighted with the response and with the speed with which people have signed up. So, thank you.

We have decided to defer the advert until next week, Saturday 31st January, following feedback from many people that the timescale to organise payment etc. was too short. We have also tightened up the text a bit, correcting two inaccuracies and improving the style, but without changing anything in content, the demands etc. (text attached).

Thanks again for your support. Please pass the request for signatures (with the text) onto your friends and colleagues. We must make this a strong statement of support for justice for the people of Palestine - and every signature matters!

Best wishes

Marie Crawley

IPSC Chair"

by ec Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:49

Don't know what happened here - will try to find out and let you know.

by palestine petitioner Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:09

anyone know what the story is with this?

no sign of it in the irish times this morning and the ipsc have yet to communicate on it.