My theory is this; I'm not a political songwriter. I'm an honest songwriter.

I enjoyed so much working with the guys from Wilco, and riffing off of them, and having someone come up to me with ideas, because normally in the studio it's me who has to come up with all the ideas.

Peace, bread, work, and freedom is the best we can achieve.

It would shine a torch into the dirty little corner where the BNP defecate on our democracy, and that would be much more powerful than duffing them up in the street - which Im also in favour of.

I think if you're going to make political art, you have to engage at some level. You can't just write about politics, you have to try and be politics as well.

Britain is a great country. We can more or less say what we like, and we can walk down the street without anyone trying to kill us. I know it's tough for some people, but generally we live in a caring society. We live in a great country, but we're no longer a great power. Part of the problem with some elements of the European debate is that they hanker for the days when we were a great power. Those days are gone, and they went a long time ago.

I was in a little punk band and we put out a few punk records that weren't very political, at all.