England has a governing class
It’s always been that way
With the occasional aberration
When Labour had its day
The people knew who Churchill was
They told him ‘toodle-oo’
But good old Clem had the hardest job
And he got kicked out too
And back they came the Tory boys
Back to rule the roost
Churchill Eden and ‘Suez’
And then McMillan’s boast
And Douglas Home that landed gent
Then the change of guard
Harold and his pipe was in
Then Heath asked ‘who’s in charge?’
Then Wilson again and Callaghan
And then the wind of change
We got the blessed Margaret
The world she’d rearrange
And Major John the even one
Cricket and warm beer
He seemed a rather pleasant lad
But he shared a bath oh dear
And then the mighty Tony came
The modern man was here
Trying to shift old labour
Too eloquent I fear
Believing his own publicity
Sincere so I must be right
Couldn’t see the wood I fear
Only America’s might
A good lad in so many ways
I hate to knock him down
But 9/11 blinded him
Robin Cook was sound
Brown the Scot son of the manse
Powerhouse mind and heavy
Talent for so many things
But leadership wasn’t savvy
Meanwhile the Tories learned their game
We need a man like Tony
Our own wee Blair in Cameron
Presentable talk (and phoney?)
What does he do the crazy man
He lets those silly Tories
Call a vote and rig the vote
And say goodbye to Europe
Then Teresa comes the vicar’s child
And talks of equal Britain
But ‘doesn’t quite manage’ to do the trick
Backbenchers now can hit on
Up comes Boris bumbling
Shaggy hair and stutter
Get it done oh get it done
I’ll huff and puff and mutter
I think we are living in no man’s land
We don’t know who we are
The media shouting this and that
Covid and social care
The governing class are governing
That is what they do
But don’t expect the world to change
That’s down to me and you
Brian Fahy
11 September 2021
Erris Poetry 