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What Democracy?
By roy
28 May 2007
A good old political moan


What Democracy?

Democracy, Democracy that enigmatic lie, from the dictionary it ought to be deleted

Whilst democracy’s the slogan that politicians cry, the majority of us feel that we’ve been cheated

With political correctness forced upon us every day just in case the casual word may cause offence

If you have a strong opinion be careful what you say even though you may be talking perfect sense


When we are due a big election, parties vie for our affection promising their policies are greater

Do you really think they care, the likes of Brown and Blair or Prescott the ex Merchant Navy waiter?

The electorate had no say when Blair just gave away seven billion pounds to save his face

French farms still get subsidise in spite of all the lies, the E.U. budgets nought but a disgrace


Once we joined the E.E.U. I’m sure we took the view, it would give a larger market for our trade

Yet now our mighty nation has a legal obligation to abide by regulations Brussels made

MP’s pull out all the stops to try to fill our shops with G.M. foods that we don’t want to eat

Whilst cameras check our speed on roads where there’s no need, we’d be better off with coppers on the beat


If when confronted by a crook you land a good right hook you may think that he deserved it, it’s his fault

When he is on probation you’ll be locked up down the station to appear before a jury for assault

When travellers leave a mess, you’d be spot on if you guess that authorities will turn an eye that’s blind

Yet drop a fag end in the street and before it hits your feet you will get an instant ticket and be fined


If asylums what you seek and our language you can’t speak benefits are paid for your welfare

But if your British and your old, your property is sold to pay for any time you are in care

When a journalist reveals what we pay for school kids meals it was to our MP’s humiliation

You get better fed in jail, but that’s only half the tale, what is spent on those awaiting deportation?


If you chastise your child, because he has run wild the law will on your collar give a tug

For no matter what you say, do-gooders rule the day even though the child may grow into a thug

There’s no WMD that was plane for all to see, never mind it’s off to war we go

Ignoring national laws we engage in futile wars to massage a political ego


When you reach that certain age it puts you in a rage when you hear a politician mention

That they "help the old", whilst you’re out in the cold with a poll tax greater than the basic pension"

They will close the old folks home and squander money on a Dome or Stadiums in which to play a game

Whether Labour, Lib or Tory it’s still the same old story the workingman gets ripped off just the same



With pensioners in jail even though they’re old and frail, for standing up in court to have their say

Sometimes reduced to tears, they say "we’ve paid tax for years, what poll tax do asylum seekers pay"?

It is hard to understand who governs our fair land or who it is that makes up all our rules

Our politicians bore us, or totally ignore us "Democracy in Britain!" It’s for fools!








Reviews
The assylum seekers
Written by Josie (2847 comments posted) 28th May 2007
The "assylum seekers" of my age group, seem to have gone to Australia, Canada, America, France, Southern Spain, Tuscany in Italy and so on and so forth to make way for those less fortunate than themselves who want to work and have the same chance as they did. Most of our oldies abroad are living well at half the price - and you'll be feeling better now that you've got all this off your chest too, so everyone is happy.

Written by stevetroster (1601 comments posted) 29th May 2007
Forget the poetry, forget the scan, you can't beat a good rant! 
Should you have to retire abroad in order to be happy in your old age? Some old folk don't want to leave their family behind and move abroad, just to "make way for those less fortunate than themselves who want to work and have the same chance as they did!" 
THIS is OUR country, we should be able to feel safe and secure in our own homes, and not have to move abroad in order to avoid poleaxe tax, or to make way for those fortunate enough themselves who don't want to work and realise that this country is a soft touch. 
I wonder how many "assylum seekers" live in Ilkley? 
Out of sight, out of mind? 
 
Thus ends my rant for the day, best wishes to you both 
Steve.
What Democracy?
Written by CliffBowes (176 comments posted) 29th May 2007
This place is for discussing the merits of a poem. I think we sometimes get carried away by the contents and not the structure. 
Roy's work is well constructed and puts me in mind of a WS Gilbert type lyric, perhaps it should be set to music and called The Pirates of Westminster. Alternatively I can hear Gillie Potter, Stanley Holloway or Cyril Fletcher reciting it as an 'Odd Ode' (You youngsters won't remember these three, but believe me, they were good) 
On the political note: I think we should make a bigger difference between GENUINE asylum seekers and ILLEGAL immigrants. 
One thing Roy, in the 6th stanza 4th line, plane = plain 
Cliff 

Written by Phil (6998 comments posted) 29th May 2007
A clearly well felt rant. It would benefit from a good edit - many typos. 
 
It scanned pretty well - and as Cliff says - putting it to music might help. 
 
Cliff also mentioned the content - and how we should ignore it. Sorry, I can't. While you bring up many salient points, your words would appeal to the average rabid Daily Mail reader who would like to transport themselves back to the early fifties when they could still call anyone who wasn't white 'nig nogs.' All very well to pass the blame to every group you can think of except your own. What about personal responsibility? This country isn't perfect, far from it - but moaning and bleating and passing the blame solves nothing. To pick on Prescott because he used to be a waiter (and not for the multitude of his real failings) demonstrates an underlying class bias. Would it be better if all our politicians were inbred, Eton educated aristos? (And that shows my class bias.) I could go on, (and on and on) but rant over. Sorry. 
 
Phil.

Written by Fledermaus (3506 comments posted) 30th May 2007
Don't fully agree with the asylum-seekers part, but maybe that's also because the situation over here is different: There are enough asylum- seekers willing to work and pay taxes, but they are not allowed to by the bunch of idiots who rule 'my' country. 
Seems Britain isn't much unlike the Netherlands where the rest of your rant is concerned though ;) Except that our government didn't even need 'evidence' to attack Iraq: Big brother Bush's word was good enough appearently. 
 
Yesterday some (pro-EU) politicians said that if we would again vote against the EU constitution, the EU should throw us out. Well, he convinced me to vote against it the next time, if that means we'll be like Norway or Switzerland ;) 
 
Good rant and it rhymes.

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