All sorts of meanings here. "I was a miner/docker/railwayman", careers for life, now gone. Railing at government for allowing that change, but also at the unions for the same thing. Taken in the context of Thatcher's Britain, this is quite restrained - there are far more vitriolic pieces.
But I think there is one more message "We're arming for peace, me boys". We are always between the wars and each time we have one, the workers lose out more. We'll be arming again, soon, America wants to replace its arsenal. Bragg is saying even then, "we can't afford another big one".
All sorts of meanings here. "I was a miner/docker/railwayman", careers for life, now gone. Railing at government for allowing that change, but also at the unions for the same thing. Taken in the context of Thatcher's Britain, this is quite restrained - there are far more vitriolic pieces. But I think there is one more message "We're arming for peace, me boys". We are always between the wars and each time we have one, the workers lose out more. We'll be arming again, soon, America wants to replace its arsenal. Bragg is saying even then, "we can't afford another big one".