I often think it strange when even today you can read a review, or details on a venue announcement and NMA are referred to as the "political band". Maybe I missed the boat to some extent, but to me they were never overtly political even in the early days. I have never thought that the lyrics were trying to push a political viewpoint on to me when listening. If the lyrics have political overtones, then to me they do not seem to be party political such as you had with Billy Bragg in the 1980's. Certainly the lyrics can be judged to be left wing as they concentrate a lot on social issues of the 1980's such as "Young gifted and skint" which to me is about w young people wasted on the dole and not being able to take part in the consumer society they are living in. To me the lyrics of the first two albums are about things JS had on his mind, his own personal opinion on the World around him. Personally I struggle to see how "Vengeance" is a political song when it is about the desire to have Nazi war criminals brought to justice. If that is a political issue, then it is one that all but the most extreme ring wing parties would agree with, if do little about. Songs such as 225, White Coats, Snelsmore Wood to me are about environmental concerns. Has it ever been suggested JS is a Green Party spokesman ?