Although Billy Bragg may have included his rendition on "Internationale", the song itself was already about a hundred years old. It was written by Irish labour activist Jim Connell in 1889 and quickly became an anthem of the labour movement worldwide. I believe it is still the anthem of the British Labour Party, despite Tony Blair's efforts to shed all "Old Labour" baggage. You can find out more about the song and the man who wrote it at http://www.dcu.ie/~comms/hsheehan/connell.htm