What would would the great man have thought?
Source of picture: Newham Council, the UK
Four of the things my dear late father taught me were:
*Never vote for the British Conservative Party
*Never cross a picket line
*Always pursue your dreams
*Keep believing in the common good of humanity in the face of all the evidence to the contrary
I plan to teach my son the same.
These words came back to me when a friend described the excitement of his colleagues when their company was unionised.
“It’s great, isn’t it? Think of the shopping benefits.”
Take it way, Billy.
“I was a miner
I was a docker
I was a railway man
Between the wars
I raised a family
In times of austerity
With sweat at the foundry
Between the wars
I paid the union and as times got harder
I looked to the government to help the working man
And they brought prosperity down at the armoury
“We’re arming for peace me boys”
Between the wars
I kept the faith and I kept voting
Not for the iron fist but for the helping hand
For theirs is a land with a wall around it
And mine is a faith in my fellow man
Theirs is a land of hope and glory
Mine is the green field and the factory floor
Theirs are the skies all dark with bombers
And mine is the peace we knew
Between the wars
Call up the craftsmen
Bring me the draughtsmen
Build me a path from cradle to grave
And I’ll give my consent
To any government
That dares not deny a man a living wage
Go find the young men never to fight again
Bring up the banners from the days gone by
Sweet moderation
Heart of this nation
Desert us not, we are
Between the wars.”