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A BELFAST COUNCILLOR has said the local authority should revoke Van Morrison’s freedom of the city over his coronavirus intervention.
The musician was given the honour in 2013 in recognition of his storied career.
He has called for an end to measures which “enslave” people in a new song calling for pandemic restrictions to be lifted.
City councillor Emmet McDonough-Brown said: “Van Morrison was given the freedom of Belfast, the highest honour the city can bestow.
“His most recent lyrics undermine the guidance in place to protect lives and are ignorant of established science as we grapple with Covid-19.
“So I’ve asked Belfast City Council to consider revoking it.”
He added: “I think we should withdraw the endorsement.
“He remains free to say whatever he wants.”
Van was brought up in east Belfast and the inspiration for several songs came from local streets like Cyprus Avenue and Hyndford Street.
The songwriter, 75, is releasing a trio of protest songs calling for an end to rules aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus.
His song No More Lockdown labels those who are “disturbing our peace” as “fascist bullies”.
Belfast faces renewed restrictions preventing residents from entering other people’s houses as the rate of infection increases.
Northern Ireland’s health minister has said Van’s lockdown protest songs are dangerous.
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Robin Swann told the BBC: “I don’t know where he gets his facts.
“I know where the emotions are on this, but I will say that sort of messaging is dangerous.
“Our messaging is about saving lives.
“If Van wanted to sing a song about saving lives, then that would be more in keeping with where we are at the minute.”
The lyrics also include reference to an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that scientists are “making up crooked facts”.
He criticised celebrities “telling us what we are supposed to feel” as he called for an end to the “status quo”.
In a statement, Van said: “I’m not telling people what to do or think, the Government is doing a great job of that already.
“It’s about freedom of choice, I believe people should have the right to think for themselves.”
Alderman Jim Rodgers, a long-serving Ulster Unionist Belfast City councillor, was brought up about half a mile from Van’s East Belfast home.
He said he would be opposed to revoking the honour.
“It is a cheap political stunt from councillor McDonough-Brown.”
He said he understood that people were depressed and fed up by the restrictions.
“I did not agree with what he (Morrison) said but nevertheless I would not be prepared to go down that road to support removing that freedom of the city.
“We all say and do things that in hindsight we regret.”
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@The Firestarter: and Noel Gallagher, and Ian Brown and Dr Feeley – Clinical Director of the Midlands Hospital Group and Professor Carl Heneghan and Professor Karol Sikora and and and …
@Mark: well Dr Feeley has plenty of time on his hands now he has been forced to resign for speaking out ;) you won’t hear too many more from the HSE criticise NPHET
Disappointed that Van is doing this…. I was always a staunch fan but it’s not good to see him jumping on this populist bandwagon.
As my Mam might have said….. “more in his line to be saying his prayers” :)
He’s ‘Real Real Gone’! Van has form as in the 80′s he studied Scientology and gave special thanks to L. Ron Hubbard on ‘Beautiful Vision’ album credits. I will not be taking his advice on how to treat Covid no matter how good a singer / songwriter he is.
“Hey, where did masks go?
Days when the plagues came
No social distancing
Playin’ a daft game
Coughin and a wheezin hey, hey
Spreading and infecting
On a hospital ventilator with
Our hearts a stoppin’ and you, my… 5G girl”
Just reading these comments, I’m seriously thinking of emigrating to a proper country. Anyone who wants to be allowed go to a restaurant must be a Gemma clone. You people are embarrassing and Van is alright. Rage on Van Morriston.
The US? Always wanted an orange narcissist for a president. The UK? Boris Johnson, enough said. Saudi Arabia? Hope you don’t plan taking any female relatives with you. Australia? Whole place is boiling hot, on fire and full of giant spiders and poisonous wildlife (though ok otherwise).
Ah for the love of Jasus….. Are we not suffering enough without having to endure this s#ite? A majority of the population will suffer bleeding from the ears and manic depression….
@Anna Anna: twice our population more than three times the deaths and the economy is not doing well. Sweden have done much the same as us but without the temporary lockdown. They gave all the same advice on travel, working from home etc.
@Dave O’Keeffe: gave advice. Businesses were not forced to shut. Healthcare system kept open for everyone. More deaths because they didn’t protect the care homes (like us) and they have 3 times the number of over 65s so naturally had 3 times the deaths
@Anna Anna: I can honestly say that the idea that a life matters less because of the number of years in it is disgusting in my opinion. Also, as I’m sure you’re aware you’ve forgotten to adjust your over 65s number to a per capita format that would actually make it relevant but would also have a negative effect on your “logic”. Roughly twice the population, means they would have had 1.5 times the deaths per capita (based on the pop. over 65) in comparison, but it’s actually double that.
I don’t agree with him at all but really is nobody allowed to have an opinion anymore, even mad ones like this one….does everyone have to agree with the narrative now?
@Joan Featherstone: he has the right to his opinion, and we have the right to call him a tool. Just like people who think aliens built the pyramids, they have the right to their own narrative but they’re definitely worth laughing at
Really ….. As I walked out . A reminder of the night he disappeared off stage without even an encore and left his fans bewildered Im Not a fan than god.
My guess is all of Vans travels and future plans are put on hold like the rest of us mere mortals, and he is cracking up being stuck at home. Great leveller this virus. Reminds those at the top that we are the same species! Big fan of his music saying wall that.
I am going to predict the formation of a new anti-mask conspiracy theory musical Supergroup.
Morrissey, Jim Corr and Van Morrison – “Unravelling -Will Burys”
Oh dear, how the mighty have fallen. When you begin to believe in your own publicity, it’s time to quit while you’re ahead.
Van, old boy, you are abusing your privileged position and that is really disappointing – I thought there was more to you than that.
@Peter Burke: To be honest he doesnt give a fiddlers what you or I think.
It wouldn’t be the first time he courted controversy.
Id be a fan of his music but not some of his sentiments or rudeness.
But eccentric talents are sometimes like that.
You could have left the OLD BOY bit out of your statement it smacks of condescending ageism.
Id say you are someone that might be pretty peeved if you were called an OLD BOY.
Would I be right on that assumption ?
Anyway Im 72 and I must be off on my bike-literally- and get away from being dragged into this type of indulgent crap.
Fanacht Sabhálta
What is surreal is the majority of comments here given today’s ‘public health advice’ that borders on pseudoscience at this stage (statistical framing/exaggeration & data obfuscation). I hope most of comments are bots.
The sad reality is there are people who will be guided by van Morrisson’s views rather than those of the vast majority of public health doctors across the globe… and these same folk will accuse of those who prefer to be guided who know what they are talking about of being sheep….
Looking only at the lyrics transcribed in this article I can’t see where he’s wrong, hence i’m amused by the virtuous comments on thread condemning him.
As a Belfast person, I can say that we have experienced much worse than this. Most people may not agree with him, but he’s not inciting hatred. I would prefer if they exiled Sammy Wilson
Belated Happy Birthday Van. It’s a massive inconvenience for most people who lose their jobs ,have to close their business or most of all lose their lives.I’m sure your wealth hasn’t taken much of a hit.
If you have any inside information it would be great if you could share it with government and health officials and save a lot of lives.
Definitely singing about slagging off people who are working 24/7 to do their best to fight something they can’t see isn’t the smartest option.
go back to singing about places of your youth like visits to the Cregagh Estate and The Cregagh Glen and Rocky Rd.
Making money singing doesn’t make you a health expert,
Always enjoyed your singing .
And rightly so, being lectured by a man living in an Ivory Tower in Killiney. Van I remember a gig when you walked off stage after half an hour because you couldn’t be ars*d. Let me know when you’ve reached the high moral ground in Killiney.
You can take the man out ot BOG but you CAN’T TAKE BOG OUT OF THE MAN. It’s disgraceful to think that Irish nurses, doctors & all front line staff, not to mention all the relatives of those whom have died, our national RADIO Stations should not play any more Val Morrison’s music.
@John Rogers: all of what ppl… There isn’t a lot of ppl to who justify lock down on people why don’t you go and look at the statistics it’s very low the depths of covid-19 and there mostly from old people who were going to die this year any high from cold flu and pneumonia
Van is right. They are making it up as they go along, based on their own vested interests. While the rest of Europe is playing whack-a-mole, tackling fresh outbreak with the mallet of local lockdowns, Sweden is easing restrictions, their cases have plunged and also their death rate. Stockholm has reached herd immunity.
@Caro Fionnagán: this goes far beyond ” not liking what he said” people like him, have power in the minds of simpleminded gullible people who can’t think for themselves, and spouting this nonsense can add fuel to the fire of this already ridiculous anti mask campaign,.. clearly the reason why people like morrison pose a danger has go completely over your head. You should read more, and think more. Before you comment.
Here we go again, some famous person who can sing good sits in his big home trying to tell us about our freedoms being stolen lol. Strip him, he’s miserable, and doesn’t have a clue what he is talking about. Same goes from him Corr and that irrelevant singer from Oasis. They’re all absolute embarrassments, and they don’t have a clue, I mean how would they, they sit in their big lovely homes, where staff polish their awards, and they have zero intelligence beyond playing music.
@Jaymes Moynihan: you jealous of their ‘lovely big homes’ don’t worry, you’ll get on the housing ladder when the bubble bursts next time…..or the time after that.
I’m not one of his fans, I haven’t heard the songs, would almost certainly disagree with the views expressed if I had, and think anyone with a knighthood is a bit of a plonker (though I exclude Mr Attenborough from that) but, if the “freedom” of anything means restrictions on one’s freedom of expression – even if he is a bit of a whiner – then maybe he’s better advised to give the thing up himself.
As much as I love his music and have learned, over the years, to play it on piano, my efforts are tainted by the fact that he is an obn0xious individual. Pity, that.
What are the chances of Kneecap and other Irish hopefuls winning a Bafta tomorrow night?
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