no longer clap

they no longer clap the nurses
too sick to applauded
as death and covid 19
stalk the crowded ward
outside the stupid gather
they say they are bored

a new vaccine is approved
to give a helping hand
but it is a long way off
the stupid don't understand
as mass graves are being dug
beneath the clay and sand

2020 soon to pass

Covid the China flu that would not last

infected all countries moving fast

some fought back some stood aghast

like 2020 hopes it will soon be past




some chose to save life some chose liberty

and some fools chose the economy

rewarding chums of the big companies

with hedge fund led government policy



there were heroes with modest demeanour

care worker sanitizer and the cleaner

that battled on with wages meaner

for the sunny uplands bright and greener




for the NHS we clapped

over worked and cash strapped

gave free parking that was so soon scrapped

and then the wage bill so crudely capped




now for bankers we should clap today

so helpfully they made themselves more pay

into the offshore account to squirrel away

and squeeze every drop from heroes they betray

favourite things

 Erasmus students

with cultural exchanges

Continent wide travelling

with no interchanges

fresh drinking water

from clean underground springs

these are a few of my favourite things

when the deal breaks

and the heartaches

and I'm feeling low

I simply remember my favourite things

and know all of them will go

workers rights and 

employment protection
instructions on goods
with clear directions
safety of toys that Santa brings
these are a few of my favourite things




when the deal breaks
and the heartaches
and I'm feeling low
I simply remember my favourite things
and know all of them will go

great deal

the deal is good for Britain
good for British trade
said the man that never sold
anything that we made

never manufactured

nor held a franchise

just made up stories

using spin and lies

never worked in the field
never pulled a plough
never grew a useful crop
he's in charge of farming now

he doesn't do detail

thinks large on a grand scale

but it is the hidden detail

that sets you up to fail

blockade

There will be riots on the streets
when foie gras is delayed
Cowdray Park will revolt
if Polo isn't played
not quite that so world beating
with no jam or marmalade
but we can blame the French
for the channel ports blockade

clear advice

there will be easing's at Christmas
so you can go out
but you should avoid travel
if there's any doubt


you can't go to a nightclub
all mingling must stop
but you can mingle in a supermarket
if you want to shop


schools will close or open
depends who told you so
will you need child care?
the answer is yes and no


you can't go out for a meal
like you did before
but you can have a takeaway
with an infected person at your door

a book

tried to send a parcel
they asked ne what's it worth
I said it was a book
the most priceless thing on earth

books you can read slowly
or scan it in a wink
a transfer of ideas
to make the reader think

History

obsession with money comes from teaching how to get rich without history

Arrogance comes from becoming rich and forgetting you are rich because you exploit the poor

civil unrest comes from the rich controlling the levers of power

riots come when the poor have nothing else to lose

revolution comes from the poor suppression of riots that affect the middle classes

execution of the rich comes from the middle classes loosing control of the revolution

chaos comes from forgetting history and repeating the same mistakes

2020 office party

There's no office party

nowt to dress up for

no avoiding the groper

or the office bore

no refusing of drinks

no groveling round the boss

no showing you are really keen

when you don't give a toss

just look smart with shirt and tie

to the camera on the screen

in slippers and jogger bottoms

which you know can't be seen

selling short

good old Boris
hasn't he done well
with bets against the pound
his buddies can short sell

all the hedge fund backers
short selling on no deal
they are going to squeeze the market
till the piggies squeal

in the coming new year
when the heat abates
they'll do a deal with the EU
making more money for his mates

a crofter view: the Christmas pine

a crofter view: the Christmas pine: They felled all the pines and took the trees away to decorate fill with light publicly go on display lying on the churned up ground was a de...

happy social distance

Happy social distance

and may you stay at home

far away from infected folks

with no symptoms shown




may your homework be productive

and the internet not go down

may you get all your deliveries

and no need to go to town




may you stick to safe limits

with spirit beer and wine

may all your internet shopping

be delivered in time




may your library of entertainment

keep you happy and in good cheer

and avoid repeated programmes

on the TV every year




may you get the vaccine

and it doesn't cause you pain

and the daft restrictions

may we never see again

banks seasonal greetings

 

To all those loyal customers

That stayed with the banks

The managers with no bonuses

Are offering their thanks 

They wish you seasonal greetings

And a prosperous year ahead

And will visit you in the new year

To check under your bed 

They might find sum investment

Some place to stash your cash

And stop your fruitless hoarding

Or actions just as rash 

And just to show some goodwill

In times that seem so hard

They’ll give loads of credit

On their new credit card 

Those nasty letters sent you

Were merely harmless pranks

So give us all your money

You can trust the banks

Santa in the grotto

In old Santa’s grotto at the local store
Asking all the children what they hoped for
All the happy children sitting on his knee
Asking for presents to find under the tree

.

One boy seemed he wanted more, the greedy little brat
Santa became very stern not taking stuff like that
You should be more considerate ask for what you need
All these selfish demands looks a lot like greed

.

Then came a girl with blonde hair in an old dress
I’ll be happy to get anything, trying to impress
I want mum to be happy and dad to keep well
And to get through Christmas without some thing to sell

.

I want all children to be fed, always wear a smile
May peace breakout in the countries, that we call hostile
May all the hospitals be full of people getting better
May all the lonely people get phone calls or a letter

.

As she drew her breath, Santa began to sigh
What a thoughtful little girl, trying not to cry
I’m sure all these presents you will surely get
Well hang on Santa I ‘aint finished yet

went to church

we went to church on Sundays
to sing an praise the lord
played outside in summer
tired but never bored
our MP's were rich
and never attempted fraud
we all went to Blackpool
never went abroad
an apple in our stocking
was all we could afford
granny was old and wise
someone we adored

the Christmas pine

They felled all the pines

and took the trees away

to decorate fill with light

publicly go on display


lying on the churned up ground

was a deformed tree

the top was bent and twisted

and gaps where pines should be




it was grabbed readily

because it was free

dragged into a one room flat

as a Christmas novelty




soaked toilet paper looked like snow

loo rolls painted red

bits of cut out cardboard

painted and hung with thread




the Christmas tree of wishes

they wrote them with glee

all the gifts Santa would bring

were hung up on the tree.




At the formal inquest

the coroner had to read

the wishes of the destitute

in hunger and in need




a warm bed with blankets

a larder with some food

most of it misspelt

writing simple and crude




public subscripts found a spot

for the family to find peace

after years of poverty

death was a release




the landlord saving money

on his vast estates

got off with a caution

for the gas escapes

in the local grave yard

there boldly stands a tree

the top was bent and twisted

and gaps where pines should be

a deal

if you want to sell me something
something that I need
there must be an instruction book
in a language I can read


It must be fully working
safe for me to use
and complaint procedure
to protect me from abuse


all parts must be ethically sourced
with no sweatshop manufacture
and it should last more than a day
without failure or fracture


I am not dictating to you
I am not subverting nation law
it's your choice to trade or not
as you did before