Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[HisMajestyBOB]

Maybe they really like Kanye's stance on Hitler and Jews?

[The Brain]

That tends to be why people invite infamous Nazis to events.

[Valmy]

I don't really get this whole Wireless Festival drama with Kanye West. Well specifically what I don't get is why Wireless was so wedded to having Kanye as headliner. Nor do I get why, instead of finding an alternate, they decided to just cancel their festival when Home Office decided to deny Kanye entry to the UK.

Look if Kanye wants to launch a comeback and go around saying he was crazy and he is sorry of whatever...sure. But going to the UK and headlining an event seems like he is jumping a few steps ahead in that process...

[Sheilbh]

I don't really get this whole Wireless Festival drama with Kanye West. Well specifically what I don't get is why Wireless was so wedded to having Kanye as headliner. Nor do I get why, instead of finding an alternate, they decided to just cancel their festival when Home Office decided to deny Kanye entry to the UK.

I could be wrong but I'd guess the cancellation was possibly because of all the corporate sponsors who pulled out like Pepsi, Paypal etc? Without them and then without the headliner, lots of negative PR and Kanye blocked not in response to the sponsors but the Home Office would, I suspect, make it tough?

[garbon]

I don't really get this whole Wireless Festival drama with Kanye West. Well specifically what I don't get is why Wireless was so wedded to having Kanye as headliner. Nor do I get why, instead of finding an alternate, they decided to just cancel their festival when Home Office decided to deny Kanye entry to the UK.

I could be wrong but I'd guess the cancellation was possibly because of all the corporate sponsors who pulled out like Pepsi, Paypal etc? Without them and then without the headliner, lots of negative PR and Kanye blocked not in response to the sponsors but the Home Office would, I suspect, make it tough?

But sponsors were only pulling out because they insisted on keeping Kanye as a headliner. And they had called for people to forgive Kanye the day prior to the Home Office banning Kanye. So it comes across as a series of reinforced errors on the organisers of the Wireless Festival. Unclear why they chose this hill to die on.

[HisMajestyBOB]

I don't really get this whole Wireless Festival drama with Kanye West. Well specifically what I don't get is why Wireless was so wedded to having Kanye as headliner. Nor do I get why, instead of finding an alternate, they decided to just cancel their festival when Home Office decided to deny Kanye entry to the UK.

I could be wrong but I'd guess the cancellation was possibly because of all the corporate sponsors who pulled out like Pepsi, Paypal etc? Without them and then without the headliner, lots of negative PR and Kanye blocked not in response to the sponsors but the Home Office would, I suspect, make it tough?

But sponsors were only pulling out because they insisted on keeping Kanye as a headliner. And they had called for people to forgive Kanye the day prior to the Home Office banning Kanye. So it comes across as a series of reinforced errors on the organisers of the Wireless Festival. Unclear why they chose this hill to die on.

Maybe they really like Kanye's stance on Hitler and Jews?

That tends to be why people invite infamous Nazis to events.

[Sheilbh]

But sponsors were only pulling out because they insisted on keeping Kanye as a headliner. And they had called for people to forgive Kanye the day prior to the Home Office banning Kanye. So it comes across as a series of reinforced errors on the organisers of the Wireless Festival. Unclear why they chose this hill to die on.

Oh fair. I just meant that maybe either option worked - either sponsors or the number of tickets they thought they could sell with Kanye headlining (eg - https://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-comeback-sofi-bully-album-backlash-reactions-analysis-2026-4).

With neither sponsors nor Kanye though...

[garbon]

Maybe they really like Kanye's stance on Hitler and Jews?

That tends to be why people invite infamous Nazis to events.

While not Jewish the Wireless Festival boss had this to say:

https://www.recordoftheday.com/news-and-press/a-statement-from-melvin-benn-managing-director-at-festival-republic

I am a deeply committed anti-fascist and have been all my adult life. I lived on a kibbutz for many months in the 1970's that was attacked on October 7th, am pro Jew and the Jewish state, while being equally committed to a Palestinian state.

...

[garbon]

But sponsors were only pulling out because they insisted on keeping Kanye as a headliner. And they had called for people to forgive Kanye the day prior to the Home Office banning Kanye. So it comes across as a series of reinforced errors on the organisers of the Wireless Festival. Unclear why they chose this hill to die on.

Oh fair. I just meant that maybe either option worked - either sponsors or the number of tickets they thought they could sell with Kanye headlining (eg - https://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-comeback-sofi-bully-album-backlash-reactions-analysis-2026-4).

With neither sponsors nor Kanye though...

Well the Wireless Festival has taken place before without Kanye and it isn't inconceivable that sponsors could come back if they had acquiesced in giving up on him as headliner.

Their intransigence is perplexing. It seemed clear from when this story started to get legs, he was eventually going to be banned. After all if you get the Lib Dems, Conservatives, Reform and Labour to agree on something perhaps that thing might just be problematic.

[Sheilbh]

He's in Brixton so very unlikely to be a Reform gain. But


Reform also have a candidate for councillor in Isle of Wight called Muhammed Sharia which I suspect may cause some confusion for Reform voters.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

He's in Brixton so very unlikely to be a Reform gain. But

I'm imagining Henry VIII sending out his mighty host of horsebacked protestants out over the steppes....

[garbon]

Liz Truss's husband is standing (apparently once again) in the local elections.

[Sheilbh]

Christ

I looked and he has a different last name so might actually win (and has also apparently previously stood for the council elections like 4-5 times, never won).

[garbon]

Christ

I looked and he has a different last name so might actually win (and has also apparently previously stood for the council elections like 4-5 times, never won).

I think something really weird will have to happen for him to get a seat where he is standing.