Literary Unlocking

Not Moving On

Peeking out the window
Counting those attending
Phone clutched tightly in your hand
‘Case behaviour needs amending

It’s for the public good you see
The interests of the nation
We’re all in this together
Whatever the duration

But when our dear old government
Had the chance to show they meant it
They changed the rules so Cummings
Got let off, and I resent it

Much as you would like us all
To move on and let that go
I can’t. I won’t.
And I’m not alone.

033 – It’s All About Prioritisation

26 November 202115 September 2020

It’s All About Prioritisation

At number one in the beeb’s
6 o clock news headlines
Difficulty getting tests
For those with worrying signs

At two, it’s that mingling
With friends could break the law
At three the unemployment rise
A real concern for sure

At four the shocking news that
Zoe Ball is earning more
While Lineker is earning less
That cannot be ignored

That’s all pretty serious stuff
It’s obvious why they’d choose
To prioritise those crucial things
Above less important news

Humanity at a crossroads
Our species might not survive
Says major report on bio diversity
Which scrapes in at number five

Parliamentary Palaver

All this palaver would make much more sense
For a new government, there’d be some defence
But this isn’t that.

This is a government who promoted this bill
Who broke UK law to avoid scrutiny of this bill
This is the outcome of that.

They won an election championing legislation
That now they pretend was not of their creation
There’s no excusing that.

This is an idiot. Arguing against himself.
That’s it. No rhymes, no jokes, no punchlines.
Stop him. He’s a twat.

Six Appeal

Six people. That sounds nice and easy.
The rules are now clear once again!
That doesn’t apply when at work though
Or at school, in a church, or a plane.

I don’t understand why family and friends
Are the clear and predominant dangers
And are apparently more of a threat to me
Than my colleagues and massed unknown strangers.

If a choice must be made between family and work
Then I’ve got the answer – a winner
I’ll just work from home, say bollocks to Pret
And have a big family Christmas dinner.

Specifically Limited

At least it’s becoming more open
They no longer feel they should hide
They’re planning unlawful decisions
By which we will have to abide

But maybe it has some advantage
This lack of respect for the law
Let’s make this the back of the camel
And this woeful approach, the last straw

I’ll do some shoplifting this weekend
And decide just what taxes I’ll pay
As breaking the law’s ok if it’s in
A specific and limited way.

Waiving Britannia

Massive increase in Covid infections
So starts the familiar loop
Later that evening, a Sunday again,
A newspaper picks up a scoop

We’re ripping up Brexit agreements we’ve made
I’ve no clue if that’s at all true
But the one thing I do know that’s not a surprise
The infections are knocked down the news

If it’s true, then it’s reckless and shows that once more
We’re treating the EU as fools
And I’m kind of ashamed to see once again
Britannia is waiving the rules.

028 – Ermine or Vermin?

26 November 20216 September 2020

I saw a dying rat this week.
I first presumed it dead.
I poked it gently with a broom
It squealed, then slowly fled.

I felt a wave of pity
As this rodent met its mort
How could loathsome vermin
Make me want to give support

And that seemed so analagous
It’s the moral of this story
As it might provide a reason why
Some people still vote Tory .

027 – Sunblocked

26 November 20215 September 2020

young woman protecting skin from heat while sunbathing

Extinction rebellion are back in the news
And today more than ever, they’ve got me amused
They’re forcing the climate debate to the fore
And they’re right in your face, where they can’t be ignored

They’re quite unconventional, hence they have haters
Yet the numbers supporting them grows ever greater
But perhaps the most beautiful thing that they’ve done
Is to fight climate change by blocking The Sun

026 – Unplanned Complexity

26 November 20214 September 2020

photo of woman standing in front of blackboard

Unplanned Complexity

We’ve all met their type, although usually at work
They make huge decisions that drive you berserk
And their lack of respect for your expertise pains
As you know that they’ll do it again and again.

But now we can see deadlines not being met
Our entire economic success under threat
The labelling debacle looks like just one instance
As their arrogance tears up the rules in an instant

We seem to have lost the most basic foundations
We’ve handed the reins of our struggling nation
To people who honestly don’t understand
That some stuff’s too complex to be left unplanned

025 – Rogue Trader

26 November 20213 September 2020

monochrome photo of person holding bundles of cash money

Rogue Trader

He’s anti-same sex marriage
But I don’t want you to be alarmed
He’s actually fond of climate change
Thinks it’s doing us more good than harm

So ignore that he’s inappropriate
His misogyny clearly displayed
Forget he’s a raving homophobe
Cos he’s also an expert in trade.

034 – Not Moving On