To my mind there is a fundamental difference between conscripting citizens of a country to attack another country or to defend their own land.

Most people would stand up to fight for friends, family, and freedom when it is directly threatened by violent forces against their own nation. As those in the Ukraine continue to do.

But there is no shame, in fact, I would suggest exactly the opposite, in refusing to fight when your own country is the pro-active aggressor in a land that has offered no direct threat to your own.

I was reminded of this when watching one of the brilliant works of art yesterday, both the song and the videoed choreography, that Kate Bush created and performed on TOTPs back when I were just a lad. Genius.

Gary Carey, who played a Homesong here in Campbeltown last weekend, has also written one of the best songs I’ve heard on the subject.

nb You will notice, particularly in Gary’s lyric, how nothing needs to be spelled out. The message, the fundamental futility of war, is all the more powerful, because it is unspoken.