Elton John calls UK government 'absolute losers' over 'criminal' copyright plans
BRITISH POP LEGEND Elton John branded the UK government 'absolute losers' today over planned copyright law changes that would hand exemptions to tech firms.
In a blistering interview broadcast by the BBC, 'Rocket Man' star John said he felt 'incredibly betrayed' and accused the government of preparing to 'rob young people of their legacy and their income'.
The changes which he branded 'criminal' would allow tech firms to use creators' content freely unless the rights holders opt out.
But John, 78, who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in his decades-long career, said young artists did not have the resources 'to fight big tech'.
He said he was not against artificial intelligence (AI) but that when it came to music and creativity a line should be drawn.
The government's Data (Use and Access) Bill is currently going through parliament.
The parliament's upper house supported an amendment designed to ensure copyright holders would have to give permission over whether their work was used and, in turn, see what elements had been taken, by who and when.
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But on Wednesday MPs in the lower house, in which the Labour government has a huge majority, voted down the changes.
If the government's planned changes to copyright laws went ahead they would be 'committing theft, thievery on a high scale', John told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.
'The government are just being absolute losers and I'm very angry about it,' John said, blasting Technology Secretary Peter Kyle as a 'bit of a moron'.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously said the government needs to 'get the balance right' with copyright and AI while noting that the technology represented 'a huge opportunity'.
'They have no right to sell us down the river,' John added, urging Starmer to 'wise up' and 'see sense'.
More than 1,000 musicians including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Damon Albarn
released a silent album in February to protest at the proposed changes
, saying they would legalise music theft.
Earlier this month, writers and musicians including John and Bush also condemned the proposals as a 'wholesale giveaway' to Silicon Valley in a letter to The Times newspaper.
Other signatories included musicians Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and Sting, and writers Kazuo Ishiguro, Michael Morpurgo and Helen Fielding.
A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology spokesperson said the bill was focused on 'unlocking the secure and effective use of data for the public interest –- boosting the economy by an estimated £10 billion over the course of the next 10 years'.
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The Irish Sun
37 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
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Irish Independent
38 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
How slogans as Gaeilge have become part of Irish Gaza protests
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Slogans like Saoirse don Phalaistín ("Freedom to Palestine") show how Irish is being used not just to communicate, but to symbolically align the Palestinian cause with Ireland's own history of resistance and struggle for independence. Ní Saoirse go Saoirse na Palaistíne (There is no Freedom Until Palestinians are Free) is a play on the phrase Ní Saoirse go Saoirse na mBan ("There is no freedom until women are free") which has been a common rallying cry for feminist activists from the suffragette movement to the modern day. Parallels between the Irish and Palestinian struggles are frequently drawn. Both peoples have endured British colonialism and partition, resulting in ongoing sectarianism, cultural and religious suppression and militarised policing. Activists speak to a shared experience of resistance, resilience and solidarity. For many Irish Republicans, the Palestinian struggle is seen as a continuation of their own as history repeats itself in a foreign land. This feeling of kinship is entrenched in language, particularly the language of protest. The radical tradition of Irish-language activism has found a new foothold on the global stage, where it serves as a powerful symbol of anti-colonial resistance. The suppression of the Irish language was a key feature of British cultural colonialism. From the 17th century onward, English was imposed as the language of governance, law, education and commerce. The 1831 national school system enforced English-only instruction, and children were punished for speaking Irish, often with the notorious bata scóir, a tally stick used to record and penalise each use of the native tongue. From RTÉ Archives, Jim Sherwin presents an episode of Watch Your Language from 1970 looking at the conditions and events that have contributed to a decline in the numbers speaking Irish This suppression was not just linguistic but cultural. 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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, reporter Maura Fay on how Kneecap's influence is growing support for Irish language in Belfast Despite this threat, the Irish language is experiencing another grassroots revival. This revival is not just cultural but political, especially in Northern Ireland, where speaking Irish can be a statement of resistance and identity. The growing popularity of the Irish language rap group Kneecap reflects this. Language as a symbol of solidarity The use of Irish in pro-Palestinian protests is as much about symbolism as communication. Given that there are arguably no monolingual Irish speakers today, the choice to use Irish in protest slogans is a deliberate choice. It asserts a national identity rooted in resistance and aligns that identity with other oppressed peoples. In the case of Palestine, Irish solidarity is not just about empathy; it is about shared history, shared struggle and a shared vision of liberation. The use of the Irish language to lend support to Palestine achieves a secondary purpose of recognising the Irish struggle for independence and liberation from the imperialist yoke and now it is time to extend that same gift to others. Through language a new generation is reclaiming Irish identity not as a relic of the past, but as a living, radical force for justice.
