There's something a bit tricky about political songs. It's easy for them to come across as finger-wagging and moralising, in a way that can easily put people's backs up.

A song about a single issue or event may outlive its purpose. And yet, if it's a good song, it ought to have a life beyond the particular event. The US examples are good ones, and it's true that there are few UK songs that have spread as widely and lasted as well.

As to whether singing is still part of political protest: I know that the women who protested at Greenham Common used to sing, but a whole generation has passed since that was at its peak. The fact that it was an all-female protest is significant - I suspect that a similar group of men at that time (1981-2000) would not have used song so much.

I doubt whether there are many recent political or protest songs that are ever heard outside folk clubs/festivals in the UK. Perhaps the fact that the public don't use singing as part of their protest has weakened political song; an alternative explanation is that the songs available are too feeble or just not suitable for mass singing.

I realise that this posting is full of guesses and assumptions, but it's an interesting thread, and I'd be interested to read further responses.

Marje