At this risk of being cheesy or over-earnest, from our slightly advantaged position in Scotland, this is for our friends (old/new/yet-to-be) in the rest of the UK that have five years of horror ahead of them. To some degree or other we stand to be subjected to its travails too, and it will be difficult, whether through direct experience or by merely bearing witness to its effects.
Whether Scotland chooses to remain a part of the UK or not in the future (near or far), we are with you – as we are with all those everywhere who, by virtue of birth or experience, stand to suffer or to be oppressed, silenced, ignored. Don’t let the politics of privilege and neoliberalism grind you down. Don’t let them tell you the Economy comes first, PEOPLE come first, always; the Government exists to serve the People, no-one else.
Whether you like Mr Bragg’s music or not (his version of this standard or not, anthems or not), there is a message at this song’s core that is worth remembering, as bleak as times ahead may seem. However downhearted you may feel right now, you have a voice and it deserves to be heard – use it.