The last couple weeks have been musically engaged. I joined the Protest in Harmony choir and sang a couple solo numbers at an Edinburgh vigil on 14th March as MPs were voting to renew the UK's weapons of mass destruction. It was a rather shameful day for British democracy considering how unpopular Trident is with the public. Last Wednesday I did a set of songs for the Workers' Eductional Association's lunchtime gathering. John Powles from the Centre For Political Song (www.caledonian.ac.uk/politicalsong) gave a short overview of the centre and Scottish political song, followed by my contribution. Last night Roy Bailey, Karine Polwart and I sang at an event to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. We were reminded of how many millions of people still live as virtual slaves both in the developing world and on our own doorstep (ie trafficked women from Eastern Europe working in Scottish brothels).