THE first thing to say today, since I’m here, is that I’m so happy to be finally back at the annual Tolpuddle Festival, held in honour of the Tolpuddle Martyrs: thank you so much to the organisers for inviting me.

I’m more or less certain I played the very first one, and I think it was in 1997: it was called the Tolpuddle Revel and as well as doing my own set I jammed on Jonathan Richman’s song Roadrunner with a band called The Martian Schoolgirls. I haven’t been back since, and I’m happy to say that I’m on today at 5pm at the Unite Marquee, so: Star readers! If you’re there come and give your bimonthly columnist for the last 13 years a listen!

Now to Clacton, where I’ve done four gigs since Farage was elected and have now written a poem for his opponent in the forthcoming byelection. It has already gone viral on social media and is released by Spotify on August 5.

It needs to be read reggae talkover style, folks.

Binface Dub

Check out Farage and the trouble he’s in 
Up against a man who dresses as a bin
It’ll be hilarious if he doesn’t win
The dustbin of history is what he’ll be in
Vote Binface — put Farage in his place 
Vote Binface in a two horse race
Vote Binface, end Clacton’s disgrace
Turn out for the Count and get rid of knob face!

The country is in a horrible state
Not enough laughter, too much hate
We need a result to make us feel great 
So come on Clacton step up to the plate 
Vote Binface, the bin from outer space
Vote Binface in a two horse race
Let’s make the world a slightly better place
Turn out for the Count and get rid of knob face!

Here’s hoping.

And now to my own personal World Cup post-mortem where, as is often the case, politics, football and the politics of football collide. I’m calling it the Burnham-Huerzeler conundrum.

It was a pity, but it’s done, and it was better than it usually is, but still not good enough. Shame, because the players were there: Wednesday night was a failure of selection not resources in my opinion (and I’m not going to go over this, plenty of others are).

I’m used to a “limits” framework on my football, so am a bit frustrated: only a bit, because frankly Brighton matters vastly more to me than England does anyway. I support a club with a brilliant recruitment strategy which stretches itself to the very limits of its potential, then consciously sells vital bits of that potential because “it’s the way of the world, you’re a small club, we’re a big club” and finds more to replace them.

So, here’s the conundrum.

Of course our board doesn’t HAVE to tell manager Hürzeler that we’re selling yet another player vital to future hopes, frustrating both him and us fans, any more than the government HAS to tell manager Burnham to be dictated to by “the markets”, frustrating all those who want to see real change.

I’d like to see what would happen if the next petulant, whingeing, irritating Cucurella or Trossard was told “you’re seeing out your contract” - and the gilt traders and short sellers were told “undermine the economic policy of the government and we’ll arrest you for treason”. Framing ridiculously overpaid prima donnas as “disloyal” and City parasites as “unpatriotic” would fit with the current zeitgeist for many, that’s for sure.

I know the “grown up, sensible” argument in both cases: we live in a world economy, the markets are global, there is no alternative but to (bluntly) bow before them.

That WAS valid before the age of monsters we live in now.

Quite simply, the money HAS to be found to lift millions out of the grinding poverty they are, quite unnecessarily, finding themselves in. If it is done, Labour will be rightly seen as fulfilling the mission it was set up for. Economics MUST BE paramount: providing the financial wherewithal for ALL our citizens to live dignified lives is what socialism is about. And where will that money come from if not from those who can afford it — many clamouring to be given the opportunity to do so?

We have a choice. Stand up to the money markets’ diktats, calmly and determinedly, with passion and conviction, not as placard-wavers but as elected representatives, while curbing the media power of the billionaire/funded far right through legislation — or watch their weasel words tear us further part.

As for the Albion, I’d be happy for us to try to break the mould as an experiment, by saying: “We want to win stuff now, not just be really fun to watch and do Chelsea’s recruitment job for them, so if you sign for us and do what we think you can, then… you’re seeing out your contract!”

It’s the logical next step.

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