biritish play-, tv- and filmwriter. he is well-known for his docu-dramas, like cracker. the characters in his plays deal with moral dilemmas and psychological problems. most if his plays are also about politics.

mcgovern is mentioned in the lyrics of this song beause he produced a docu-drama called hillsborough (1996) about the south yorkshire disaster, when 96 people died during a football match when some turnstiles collapsed. the lyrics of s.y.m.m. deal with this disaster. The line 'It's still unfashionable to believe in principles' is a reference to McGovern's ability to be principled as well as dramatically intense.the title of the song dead trees and traffic islands is also the title of a screenplay written by nicky wire, about a murderer who dumped bodies on roundabouts, for mcgovern's tv series cracker. he never actually gave it to mcgovern.