I accept your liking of challenge leveller, and please don't take this too personal, but I do have issues with exclusivity, and yeah, for that matter, I too have worked in SA, not to mention other areas of the world where political and social levels are not particularly in line with my own expectation.

I just feel the inclusion of other countries to my standpoint is valid as many peoples of the earth would happily aspire to what many here moan about. Free speech and all that, but don't expect me to have empathy with some so called plights. I was on strike in '84 and did not recognise some of the hand wringing patronising bullshit the armchair socialists were coming out with, presumably in our cause. In fact, I can't complain as I left the industry there and then, wife and baby to feed etc etc, and to be fair, never looked back.

When class war is put to music, I may or may not like it. If I hear, say Dick Gaughan sing World Turned Upside Down, then I love the tune and the words are a reminder from history that Leon turned to prose very well. When I first heard McColl sing Daddy What Did You Do In The Strike, I just couldn't recognise myself or my community in that song. A pity because songs last much longer than newspaper headlines. Ironic that many of his other songs were moaning about use of propaganda!

The thread asks if the new age of folk is upon us? T'was ever thus. In fact, I used to do my bit to ensure we don't forget the injustice by singing The Biko Drum.