The redesigned FP site is really very good. And their recently hired bloggers have been creating a stir. But what is this from Stephen Walt?
The UK has produced any number of world-class rock bands and artists: the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Who, U-2, Sex Pistols, Van Morrison, Cream, Elvis Costello, Eurythmics, David Bowie, etc., so my generalization obviously doesn’t apply there.
I’m not sure Irish readers would be entirely happy with that. In fact many would be livid. Van the Man and Bono would not be happy.
Update: Josh Keating also spots it.
I lived in Canada for a fair number of years when I was growing up – every second article referring to U2 or the Boomtown Rats referred to them as English.
Ouch!
Look at what I had to look at on every magazine shelf in the UK for the last few months. And they wonder why we have a chip on our shoulder. Check out the cover, they seem to have retaken the 26 counties.
http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/about/CI/CP/britaintoday/index.aspx
We can claim U2, but Van is from Belfast, and last time I checked that was part of the UK.
I agree Gerard, although Van himself would identify himself as Irish, at least from what I’ve read in the past. The same was true over the Eddie Irvine thing, who always identified himself as Irish.
I think we can agree joint sovereignty on Van. Then again, we could argue that Elvis Costello / Declan McManus is One Of Us, while Adam Clayton is English born.
I think we can. People from NI might have a unique ability to claim to be either from the UK, Ireland, or indeed both.
Adam Clayton is a band member and English born, but U2 is an Irish band, i would say without qualification.
I seem to recall that Maggie Thatcher said of that nice Blackrock boy Mr Geldorf that he was “The best of British”.