Writing on the morning of 10 November I am aware of all the Remembrance Sunday ceremonies taking place to commemorate the tragic loss of life associated with wars. A series of ceremonies reach even children's football matches played on village greens, schools, universities and hospitals. Psychiatric research investigates the impact of war and conflict on civilians and on soldiers, but rarely what causes war and conflict and how to prevent these. Such an aspiration might be considered too political and outside the scope of medicine, until we have to deal with the consequences of war. Fears about politicisation of medicine abound because of the historical abuses by nations at war. There is less understanding of what local politics and psychiatry share as common endeavours in today's world of population health and publically funded services. Local politics, local governments and public preferences are important components of preventive psychiatry. Earlier this week, a senior highly renowned and brilliant medical (non-psychiatric) colleague of mine queried that much psychiatric research seemed political, and dismissed it as being outside the realms of medicine and medical sciences – not least my own areas of research on health inequalities. I deliberated with some alacrity why political engagement was something to be celebrated not stigmatised, as psychiatric research informs decisions of importance to local people and is of great societal and health benefit. And there are devastating effects on health if public policy or laws are not evidence-based.