Has Morrissey ruined The Smiths?

The singer is martyring himself on a cross of his own making, but what does that mean for the legacy of the band that started Morrissey off, asks Sean Smith

The songwriting of Marr and Morrissey catapulted The Smiths to fame (Getty/The Independent)

Forty years on from their formation, The Smiths are still revered despite their lead singer’s apparent determination to tarnish their legacy.

Since his endorsement of the far right, few idols have fallen so far and so fast as Morrissey – from de facto leader of a generation to a quisling on the dark side of a culture war. Billy Bragg, a former admirer and colleague from the days of Red Wedge – a 1980s collective for musical artists fighting Thatcherism – even went so far as to dub him “The Oswald Mosley of Pop”.

Now that Morrissey's messiah complex has gone so horribly wrong there is surely no way back for the frontman. But where does that leave The Smiths and their legacy?