Elton John has had it with Brexit, and he’s not hiding his true thoughts from his fans, lashing out, and promising them that he is not one of those “stupid English idiots.”
Express says that while on tour in Italy, he took a beat at his concert in Verona to say how “ashamed” he was with his home country in reference to their exit from the European Union and the way the whole matter is being handled by politicians.
“I’m ashamed of my country for what it has done. It’s torn people apart. I am sick to death of politicians, especially British politicians.”
He finished by saying that he is a European, and not a “stupid, colonial, imperialist English idiot.” The singer, 72, has spoken out about Brexit before, saying that he believed that citizens of the United Kingdom had been lied to about the intent to leave the E.U. without knowing the full story. He says that they were all promised something that was not economically practical.
Elton John said that there was so much information thrust at voters, and wading through it all was impossible. He likened it to “walking through Hampton Court maze blindfolded, being turned around 16 times and trying to find your way out.”
He’s not a thick gullible ignorant bigot leaver. #StopBrexit
“I Am Not a Stupid, Colonial, Imperialist English Idiot”: Elton John Loses It over Brexit https://t.co/Ws73M5oGz4
— HRH Lord Baldwin Belvoir III Esq. O.B.E. (@BaldwinBelvoir) May 31, 2019
Elton John is not the only English singer to speak out publicly against Brexit. Sting is also disappointed, but hopeful that something could change at the last moment so that the U.K. can find a way to stay in the E.U., calling the whole thing “a disaster.”
“It has been nearly three years since the U.K. voted to leave the EU, and I am yet to hear a good reason to leave. Not one. It’s all lies, hot air.”
Sting says if Brexit goes through, he’s unclear who the U.K. will continue to trade with. “Who else will we trade with? U.S. President Donald Trump? How can we trust him?”
USA Today says that 51% of British voters cast a ballot to leave the European Union in 2016, and the divorce was supposed to happen by this March, but the efforts have stalled, giving some hope that calmer heads will prevail. Elton John’s speech to his fans at the Verona concert reminded some of the ways that Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines had spoken out against fellow Texan, President George W. Bush. At a 2003 concert in London, Maines made her disapproval of the war in Iraq known.
While many fans said afterward that they agree with Elton John, many shared on social media that they don’t have the same options as the singer, as he is no longer a full-time U.K. citizen anyway.
“I agree #EltonJohn but we can’t all afford to escape to another country to get away from it.”