We can see that the subject of this thread was never far from his mind when he was writing his songs. For instance, Schooldays End starts with the words:-

Schooldays over, come on then John,
Time you were getting your pitboots on
On with your sark and moleskin trousers
Time you were on your way
Time you were learning the pitman's job
And earning a pitman's pay

Then there's the 1962 album by Ewan MacColl & A.L. Lloyd - A Sailor's Garland - Prestige INT 13043 On the album Bert Lloyd sings Short Jacket and White Trousers but the important question, surely, is 'Did Bert chose that song himself or did he only sing it at Ewan's instigation!'
This is a question that all the MacColl apologists have never answered - and we need to be told!