Original sentence: In a February 18, 2004 article in The Guardian  by Jonathan Freedland he was quoted as saying:
Edited sentence: After a February 18, 2004 article in The Guardian  by Jonathan Freedland, some claimed that Bragg advocates the use of violence to intimidate political opponents, this however has largely been thought to be an attempt at humour.The song "The Great American Going Out Of Business Sale" by Dillinger Four from their 1998 album Midwestern Songs of the Americas contains the lyrics "Mixing pop and politics, He asks me what the use is/I'm not into making excuses/And I'll die the day I find I'm fucking useless" which is a reference to the Billy Bragg song "Waiting for The Great Leap Forwards"