Pink Floyd's "The Wall" is a progressive rock album with huge cultural acclaim. It’s not simply a well written rock opera. It’s a political manifesto; a documentary on rock at the time; a personal story of an injured person and the poetry of a troubled band. Moreover, it’s a hard-hitting statement about modern man in the twentieth century.

Roger Waters – a witty and cynical man - wrote it, almost alone. This epic work is a scathing indictment of the entire society. He wept for his lost childhood; his father killed in a futile war; his cold and estranged mother; his treacherous wife; the rotten education system; neo-fascism; the corrupt music industry and the alienated television industry. To many, this was seen as proof that he was just a bitter guy, no more.

Perhaps those critics should consider the following: The separation wall between Israel and the West Bank; the fence between Hungary and Serbia and the US-Mexico wall. These are just a few of the obstacles erected in recent years, in an attempt to prevent foreigners and terrorists from entering. Since the Romans built stone walls to protect the borders of their empire, governments have continued to build walls to keep away invaders, occupiers and foreigners, and to control their population.

During the Cold War, the Berlin Wall became the most notorious in history. However, the most well-known images of the Berlin Wall are actually from its fall in November 1989, when East Germans violated orders and ‘tore it down’.

Since its fall, over 40 countries around the world have erected similar physical barriers along their borders. This is a cynical and controversial practice.

It’s a crying shame that the lessons from Waters’ masterpiece haven’t been learnt!