Political column – October 21

Amid all the strife, however, there is always the balm of music, so I've chosen a top 10 for these troubled times. Not being up on the current popular music scene, I've dipped into some of the classics of the past.

1. Give Peace A Chance by John Lennon. Good on slogans, Lennon. He teased and delighted the press with a bed-in peace stunt with Yoko at the Amsterdam Hilton before moving to Montreal where this was recorded live in a hotel room filled with a ragbag of people. If you talk about peace songs, this is the one a lot of people will come up with.

Because of the conditions the number drifted out of time. You'll notice that at the start it has a single beat, which becomes a double beat – a mid-course correction added in the post-recording process – about half way through. It should be served with a side order of peace records by other former Beatles, i.e. Give Me Love by George Harrison, Pipes of Peace by Paul McCartney. And something by Ringo.

2. 99 Red Balloons. It had already been a hit in Europe before the English language version became a monster here for Nena. The premise is that harmless childhood playthings adrift in the sky are mistaken for a deadly attack and trigger war which leaves the world in ruins. Today there is a flaw in that because balloons are not innocuous, having been used for military surveillance. They were also used as weapons during the Second World War when the Japanese attached bombs on them and let them loose in the general direction of America.

3. Eve of Destruction. Nobody could accuse Barry McGuire of being an optimist. Good song though.

4. There's got to be something in this list by Elvis. His career revival in the late 1960s was also the time of the Vietnam War, the assassination of Martin Luther King, and civil unrest. When asked his views on the big questions, Elvis didn't take the bait. "I'm just an entertainer," he said. His music did the talking. If I Can Dream is a heartfelt performance.

5. Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones. Keith Richards drew on the chords of Under My Thumb – like Brown Sugar, you'll be lucky to hear that played nowadays – and came up with a haunting and often-played intro for this timeless Stones number with an edge-of-the-apocalypse feel.

6. I'm Walking Backwards For Christmas by The Goons. When it's a mad, mad, world, you may as well try to smile, as otherwise you'd probably go mad yourself. Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe first met while serving in the Army. Milligan's nerves were shattered when he was caught in a mortar barrage. The Goons knew all about what war meant, so they had earned the right to poke fun.

7. What The World Needs Now. The answer, of course, is love, sweet love. Lyrics Hal David, music Burt Bacharach.

8. War by Edwin Starr. His real name was Charles Edwin Hatcher. "War, huh, whatizzit good for, absolutely nothing," he sang. Fine sentiments. But what choice have you got when your country is attacked? Born in Nashville, he settled near Nottingham in later life.

9. What's Going On (Marvin Gaye), Blowin' In The Wind (Bob Dylan), Peace Train (Cat Stevens)... Yep, I'm cheating with my top 10.

10. Your choice. This spot is left open for whatever you like, perhaps something more contemporary (as I appreciate I'm an old fogey).

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Today, as every true Englishman, and Englishwoman, knows, is Trafalgar Day.

So take a bath, line up your rubber ducks, and stage a re-enactment. Label some as Spanish and French, and sink them. In the interests of historical accuracy, you should do this even if you are a Remainer.

Then, if age appropriate and it's safe and legal to do so, take a nip of "Nelson's blood." That is, rum. Water it down and it becomes grog, the traditional sailors' drink. Personally I think I'll have a Bacardi and Coke.