Canoer: You really need to talk to Mr Bragg on this one!! But I guess he'd say that what he sings supplements rather than surplants the original, and I'm sure he has the same respect as you do for the history of the original.

As for "are there no factories, mills and offices where . . people go on strike" well, in terms of being effective vehicles for change, that's about it. The Thatcher governments effectively emasculated the unions, and "new labour" shows little sign of restoring any significant power to them, or doing anything else to achieve greater justice between employer and employee. Most strikes here are either small-scale and localised or end up in the workers being replaced with non-union labour, and there's damn all the unions can do about it.

And at the same time our "strong" economy, much lauded by the government, is further damaging our "factories, mills and offices" infrastructure by making our exports over-priced and creating a domestic economy where "lowest price" is the bottom line for everything . . whatever is driving our economy (so called "invisibles", largely) it ain't doing a lot of the UK much good. So perhaps Bragg is right in looking for a new venue for the "final drama". Certainly his song reflects where political (though not party political) activism IS currently taking place in the UK.

'scuse the rant.

And a ps to Clinton Hammond - your attempts at self justification "suck" even more than your original remarks; since you refuse to accept reasoned and reasonable, though mild, criticism of your offensiveness I guess we all now know to treat you with the contempt you seem to want.

G.