McColl was a dreamer and a opportunist. A very clever one and when he put his mind to what he made money out of, entertaining for profit, he could write some wonderful words. My sets normally contain at least one of the radio ballad songs.

I am saddened when something happens that undermines confidence in the police. They provide a massive public service for which the vast majority of people are grateful. When they get it wrong, the effects can be disastrous and when they behave like those they are paid to deal with, it undermines their authority in a way that needs draconian repair in order to support the 99% of police officers we rely on for society to function.

I could never be silly enough to compare the clever emotive words with reality, despite being an ex miner who was in the thick of it in '84. Bent coppers, bent political agitators and bent miners. Believe it or not, you can't relate being law abiding to any section of society. We saw it all. I suppose strictly speaking, the police who looked the other way whilst a few of us at Orgreave kicked the shit out of some Socialist Workers' Party morons who were stood at the back shouting "Charge!" weren't doing their duty by ignoring us. Still, better than taking sides and joining in I suppose.

No. McColl did what he did. He was an entertainer, as a songwriter, playwright etc and like all those in the entertainment business made money by exploring our emotions. At the time I was first listening to his words, I was also listening to the words of Noddy Holder. Same industry, same effect. Even Martin Carthy seems to have found out what I found forty years ago...

Not nice for the many police officers who enjoy folk and acoustic roots to have to hear such tripe all the same.