Dave, at age 11, I was aware of politics
he Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban exiles, covertly financed and directed by the USA.
Furthermore my father was imprisoned to 30 days hard labour in 1936, for making a spEech criticising king Edward the 8th
Roderick, you may not have liked MacColl because he was a Marxist[ WHAT eXactly do you mean by "chunky politics"?
You need to understand that he was like he was, because of what happened to him his father was blacklisted, he suffered hardship. and wanted to right inequality, that was one reason why he was a good songwriter, he observed, he sympathised with his surroundings, he listened to ordinary people and used their phrases in the radio ballads., he understood ordinary poor people and their hardships . that is why Dirty old Town is a good song, he can describe it well because it was part of him, but he used his love of people in some of his other great songs too. What great songs did privileged upperclass conservatives like Harold Macmillan or Sir Alec Home, ever write