focus on that and get involved . And it won ’ t be everyone – it wasn ’ t everyone back in the day . But it will be a significant marker of youth culture that you have a view on the world . That old attitude of ‘ Whatever ’ seems to have been somewhat dented and deflated by the arrival of Trump and Brexit .

IE : The subject of “ Why We Build the Wall ” is obvious . But what are your other new songs about ?

Billy Bragg

night , and allow them to believe that by singing . And when we all sing together “ There Is Power in a Union ,” everyone punches the air , and you go away thinking , “ Okay – I ’ m not the only person in the bar who gives a shit about this stuff .” Because that ’ s what music did to me when Iwas first going to political gigs . But we can ’ t change the world – only the audience can do that . But we do have a role to lay in bringing people together and giving them that sense that they ’ re not alone . And I think that ’ s a really important thing to hold onto , because you ’ ve got to kick your cynicism to the curb . We all feel it , but we just can ’ t give in to it . But something ’ s happening . It ’ s not how it used to be – the white boy with an acoustic guitar kind of thing . Something ’ s happening , and I find it very , very encouraging . Groups are coming together to recognize that politics matter , and that they should

BB : Well , “ Saffiyah Smiles ” takes its cues from both what happened in Charlottesville and another incident that occurred at a fascist march in Birmingham , England earlier this year . A young British Asian woman went face to face , toe to toe , with a leader of the English Defense League , this fascist . And while he was ranting in her face , she just smiled at him . And there ’ s a photograph of her smiling , while a cop is trying to keep them apart while all these other guys are yelling at her , too . Her name was Saffiyah Khan , and with this smile she showed the way that we need to deal with all these provocations , and how we need to come together around that sentiment . Because what she did was , there was a woman in a hijab that they were abusing , and she just stepped in , in between , and she kept smiling at this guy until he finally shut the fuck up . And it ’ s such a powerful

implication of a female spirit and antifascist activism , and done in such a wonderful zen way . And “ Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted ” is about how facts have now become subject to the same free-market values as everything

else since Reagan and Thatcher , until whatever is the most popular opinion now becomes fact . We ’ ve let the market decide everything in the end , and now it ’ s

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