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London Calling


A few days ago Crookedshore posted a typically perceptive post on the situation being faced by yet another generation of young Irish people, heading to London, New York, Chicago, Boston and other big centres of ex-pat Irish in search of work. There are those who suggest that this time it may well be disproportionatly those with higher qualifications who leave the sinking ship of the Irish economy, an experience which the majority community in the occupied 6 counties have had for years with young Protestants tending to go to universities across in GB, rather than staying in Ireland, and never coming back. I did read (and post on facebook) an interesting article by Matthew Lynn suggesting that this likely outcome is one of the reasons why it may be better for Ireland to go bust rather than accept the EU/IMF bail-out. I'm not economically competent enough to comment on that in detail, but he raises some interesting issues...

But meanwhile, back at the Crookedshore, he cites one of my favourite artists and posts one of his best tracks "Nothing but the Same old Story"... But he also mentions the Clash and their seminal album "London Calling," which picked up, as no other album this side of the Atlantic did, the political temperature of the time, and the seething cauldron that was London.

As a lover of Springsteen, however I half expected Crookedshore to post the video below which involves his hero, and others, including London boy Declan McManus (aka Elvis Costello), himself descended from ex-pats. It was done as a tribute to Joe Strummer at the 2003 Grammys, following Joe's death in the December of the previous year. It's not as good as the original, its worth a look... (As is this version by Strummer and the Pogues from a St. Patrick's Day gig back in 1988)...





Enjoy... Meanwhile, I'm off to London for a few days with Sal...


In my case it's the "Book of the Dead" calling...


Cheers
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