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I could write songs about politics, but I'm conscious of not writing songs that sound the same as the ones I wrote 30 years ago.

I've never written a political song. Songs can't save the world. I've gone through all that.

I'd love to say that I could write political songs, but I don't feel clued-up enough.

I don't set out to write a political song. I am not one of those that feels compelled to write about what's going on.

I do write songs with a political dimension to them sometimes, but I'm always slightly appalled by it when I do.

To me, a political song is also a personal song. Most political activism has been driven by empathy for other people and the desire for a world that's less divisive. Even if songs aren't overtly political, they can make a listener more empathetic.

I've never done anything so political before. I've spent years shouting my mouth off about serious issues over dinner tables but never really had the confidence to express my views in a song.

I didn't have a lot of overtly political songs. I think it was more the actions of the group that were threatening to the authorities, and also our political philosophies apart from the music.

So, in some ways, the political songs tend to be a bit more like reportage, whereas the love songs tend to be like novels, you can pick them up off the shelf and go into them any time.

As society changes, as politics change, as people change, certain songs still seem to resonate.