'The only thing that gave them an edge were Tom's politics and out-and-proud sexuality.'

At least he had an edge, at a time when the folkscene was still ballsing on about the first world war. Still I suppose its human frailty that lets us wallow in grief for names on a stone monument - rather than do something practical for people who are going through a shit time in the here and now. And we're all only human.

In fact an edge would be nice to see nowadays. I suppose Steve Knightley's songs about the squalid economy of the south west area, and maybe McTell's Peppers and Tomatoes song, an perhaps John Blanks song about the Polish immigrants/Polish airmen in the WW2 show some sort of attempt to engage with reality - but theres little of that 'bite you on the arse' aggression that TRB found in their songs, and which I think really helped change the climate of opinion in England towards gay people.