PopEx ≫ 2002 ≫ Take Down The Union Jack on May 20

Buy this single.

Three versions of the Billy Bragg and The Blokes UK single Take Down The Union Jack from the new album England, Half English, will be released on Cooking Vinyl on May 20. The price: 1.99 each.

Our aim? To launch the song to the top of the UK charts in time for the Queens Golden Jubilee at the start of June. All profits go to the not-for-profit organisation the Living Wage campaign in London. The Living Wage campaign took some of its inspiration from a similar group in Los Angeles, USA, LAANE.

Why should you get involved? If you are dismayed at all the fawning and grovelling surrounding the Jubilee celebrations and wonder why almost no dissenting view is heard, this campaign is for you.

If you are sick of pop impresarios using dubious techniques to dominate the singles charts, and just as importantly the radio waves, to the exclusion of anything else, then this campaign is for you (eh? is this irony?)

If you think the minimum wage is not enough and want to help the Living Wage campaign force big employers to pay proper rates of pay for low- or semi-skilled jobs, especially in expensive areas such as cities, then this campaign is for you.

Visit Billy Braggs web site1 to read the official press release issued on St Georges Day (April 23).

What are we asking you to do? Buy the CD as soon as possible after launch day on May 20 in order to try and force the single into the UK pop charts. If possible, go into your local independent record store and try to pre-order it NOW. Encourage as many people as possible to buy the CD: tell them via email, a personal web site, in conversation - however you can. A Take Down The Union Jack microsite will be launched soon to help concentrate everyones efforts. If you want to use any of the images of the single from the web site, or the press release wording, you dont need permission from us, just copy it and circulate.

OUTSIDE THE UK?

If you are outside the UK and you want to get involved, please ask a friend or relative to buy the single for you in the UK. Buying it over the internet will NOT count towards UK chart figures. Already regular visitors to our web site Guestbook and Forum are working out ways to buy the CD for people outside the country. Spread the word, like a virus.

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This content originally from my very popular (in the late '90s) site popex.com. Parts were contributed by valued punters, so mostly editorial originally created by me. I moved the content here here when the website eventually closed down in the early 2000s. Hope this ignites memories (if you find it).