RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: Left-wing luvvies mixing pop and politics just bore me to tears

Be honest, have you ever heard of Macklemore, Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Lukas Graham or an Irish band called something like Begorah?Nope, me neither. But they are the support acts who have pulled out of Ed Sheeran’s American tour after rapper Macklemore was banned from arenas because of his pro-Palestinian on-stage propaganda.I’ve heard of Cliff Michelmore, who used to present the BBC Light Programme’s Two-Way Family Favourites with his wife Jean Metcalfe. But Macklemore? Not a clue.Apparently, he’s famous for dressing up in ‘Jewface’ and falsely accusing Israel of ‘genocide’. Which is why promoters have pulled the plug on him and all the other non-entities on the Sheeran bill have walked out in solidarity.Obviously, I have heard of Ed Sheeran, although I’d be hard-pressed to name one of his songs. But my mates in the music industry rate him highly and he seems like a nice boy.Sheeran has been left high and dry by the row over Macklemore, real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, who concluded his act recently shouting ‘Free Palestine’. Naturally, Jewish-American organisations objected fiercely and promoters responded by kicking him off the tour.The other support acts took to social media – where else? – to express their shock and horror. Begorah claimed Macklemore had been silenced by ‘billionaires’ and ‘Zionist lobbies’. Rowe compared the plight of the Palestinians to the Irish potato famine.Sheeran now faces the prospect of continuing the tour as a one-man band. Why not, it worked for Don Partridge. He deserves better, having behaved impeccably, keeping his own political views to himself, following the example of the late, great Dolly Parton and not wanting to alienate any of his millions of fans. Sheeran has been left high and dry by the row over his support artist Macklemore, real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, who concluded his act recently shouting ‘Free Palestine’Rock stars have always paraded their, almost uniformly Left-wing, political views, largely through their lyrics. But in recent years they have started using concerts as agitprop rallies.Having seen Bruce Springsteen live countless times over the past few decades, and followed him since the Greetings From Asbury Park album in 1973, I won’t be bothering again – even if he plays Finsbury Park, a few stops down the Piccadilly Line from me in North London. Murrayfield 2023 was my last rodeo.Much as I love the music, I can live without his Leftie luvvie lectures at every concert. He even kicked off his last UK tour in Manchester with a rant about Donald Trump. Frankly, who cares what he thinks about Trump. It would be more surprising if Bruce turned up in a red MAGA baseball cap.Yet there is no evidence these rock star endorsements make the slightest difference. Springsteen campaigned in Philadelphia, PA, for both Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris. On both occasions, the following day the good people of Pennsylvania went out and voted for Trump.Neil Young is another case in point. A few years back we went to see him at the Hydro in Glasgow. All started well, with Young at the piano performing classics like After The Goldrush.Half an hour in, though, it all went pear-shaped as he brought on a crowd of people in HazMat suits, spraying pretend chemicals on stage, and delivered a tedious rant about pesticides. As you can imagine, that didn’t go down well with the bevvied-up Glaswegian crowd who had paid good money to hear the hits.And I speak as someone who enjoyed Young’s anti-Bush Living With War album and tour in 2006, along with his fellow Crosby, Stills and Nash sidekicks. I also made a series for Radio 2 called Why Do The Left Have All The Best Songs?But music is one thing, naked politicking quite another. I don’t go to concerts, or football, or the theatre for that matter, to be told what to think, how to behave or how to vote.When I turn up at a 10cc gig, the great Graham Gouldman doesn’t share his opinions on inheritance tax with the audience. Rock concerts, sporting events and plays should be about escapism, not an opportunity for musicians, footballers and actors to drone on about their view of the world.And don’t get me started again on the gormless Remainers waving EU flags at the Last Night of the Proms. Why bother? Who are they trying to impress?It’s always a one-way street, too. Wall-to-wall wokery. As regular readers will know, I gave up my season tickets at Tottenham after 40-odd years because I was sick and tired of the bogus virtue-signalling and the Premier League clambering on every woke bandwagon, from trans rights to climate change.If I wanted to observe a minute’s silence before every game, I’d go to a funeral. I certainly didn’t want to have to pay a few grand to be forced to suffer multi-millionaire players ‘taking the knee’ to Black Lives Matter. They were still at it at the start of this season, six years after the death of George Floyd 4,000 miles away in Minnesota. Why? Boy George’s pro-Israel song has just cost him a gig in Jesus Christ Superstar. Yet when someone like Macklemore is ‘cancelled’ over his anti-Israel stance, the Left squeal like stuck pigs, writes Richard LittlejohnThe theatre’s just as bad. I can remember writing about Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch during his curtain call at the Barbican berating the audience about asylum seekers and passing the bucket round for Syrian refugees. They’d gone there to see his Hamlet, not his Jeremy Corbyn impersonation.Never underestimate the ability of these self-righteous, serial emoters to make everything about them, no matter how ridiculous and hypocritical they sound.The latest luvvie to get in on the act is someone called Andrew Garfield, best known apparently for playing Spider-Man and now starring in a new movie, The Uprising, about the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt against King Richard II.His role has obviously gone to his head. Promoting the movie, Garfield claimed it should be ‘galvanising’ for modern audiences, who could see themselves reflected in the characters on screen.Then he added: ‘And I hope that if any billionaires watch it, they’re scared witless.’ (Only he didn’t say witless, using another word which sounds like it and isn’t suitable for a family newspaper. This column doesn’t do asterisks.)For the record, Garfield, while not a billionaire, is conservatively estimated to be worth around $20million – roughly £15million at today’s exchange rate. Should he be worried witless, too?So we’ve got one wealthy actor banging on about the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt and another – presumably not short of a shilling – musician droning on about the 1845 Irish potato famine. You couldn’t make it up.Yes, I’m all in favour of free speech. But, as I said, it’s a one-way street. While, for instance Cumberbatch’s pro-migrant rant is seen as ‘brave’ and doesn’t impair his successful career in the slightest, Lewis actor Laurence Fox’s Right-of-centre views mean he can’t get a part for love nor money these days.Boy George’s pro-Israel song has just cost him a gig in Jesus Christ Superstar. Yet when someone like Macklemore is ‘cancelled’ over his anti-Israel stance, the Left squeal like stuck pigs. One rule for them, etc.But there’s an even more pressing reason why these virtue-signalling luvvies should shut up about their political views.I’ve always been a fan of Billy Bragg, an outspoken Left-wing musician, no matter how diametrically opposed our political beliefs. In one of his finest songs, Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards, he satirises an encounter with a fanzine writer backstage.Mixing pop and politics, he asks me what the use is?Precisely. And more to the point, it’s boring. From now on, my column will be appearing in the Mail once a week – you’ll find me on this page every Friday. See you then.