Northern Industrial Town - Billy Bragg

Trobo que la noticia de la setmana passada va ser la declaració de ETA, en la qual sembla que han deixat de lluitar amb armes, de moment. No vull opinar gaire perquè és un tema massa serio, però jo almenys he tingut una petita (amb reserves) alegria i espero que aquest cop l’estat sap manejar la qüestió adequadament per arribar a una situació de normalitat, amb el fi del terrorisme, sense més violència, on els bascos poden triar politicament quin ha de ser el seu futur.
Crec que en casos així, el millor és que no es parli gaire del tema mentre van treballant.

Tornarem a escoltar Billy Bragg qui a l’any 1996 escrivia aquesta oda a la pau a Irlanda del Nort, descrivint a Belfast tal com la gent ho volia veure i viure, una ciutat normal on només passen coses normals – Northern Industrial Town, del LP William Bloke.

......

For me, the most important news story of last week was ETA’s declaration of a (sort of) cease-fire (once more). Taking it with a pinch of salt, let’s hope this time it’s for real. As much as I may sympathise with the Basques’ cause, I believe there is no place for violence and death in their fight. The time has come – actually, a long time ago – to lay down their arms and fight as a democratic alternative.
Thankfully, the news story has died down which I believe is a good thing – hopefully, the government are taking whatever steps are needed to make sure that peace will finally arrive to the Basque country.

Here’s Billy Bragg again with his 1996 song, Northern Industrial Town. Here he expresses his, and everyone’s desire, back then for Belfast to become a normal town where only normal things happen.

It's just a northern industrial town

The front doors of the houses open into the street

There's no room for front gardens, just two-up two-down

In a northern industrial town

And you can see the green hills 'cross the rooftops

And a fresher wind blows past the end of our block

In the evenings the mist come rolling on down

Into a northern industrial town

And there's only two teams in this town

And you must follow one or the other

Let us win, let them lose, not the other way round

In a northern industrial town

And the street lights look pretty and bright

From the tops of the hills they rise dark in the night

If it weren't for the rain you might never come down

To your northern industrial town

And on payday they tear the place down

With a pint in your hand and a bash'em out band

Sure they'd dance to the rhythm of the rain falling down

In a northern industrial town

And there's plenty of artists around

Painters steal cars, poets nick guitars

Cos we're out of the black and into the red

So give us this day our daily bread

In a northern industrial town

But it's not Leeds or ManchesterLiverpool, Sheffield, nor Glasgow

It's not Newcastle-on-Tyne. It's Belfast

It's just a northern industrial town

Merry Christmas, war is over

In a northern industrial town