Today is the day on which article 50 shall be triggered and Brexit can officially get under way so I have chosen this poem with that in mind.
The Brexit Alliance.
Are we travelling a road
Where minds cannot meet
Why do we speak in corners
Of bars so discreet?
Have the racists upheld
Our rights to free speech
Are they backed by our rulers
Who are out of all reach?
While the white racists march
Do the other whites hide
Like those from a Union
We will soon cast aside
Why must we have bigots
Who march proudly as whites
Who terrify their own neighbours
Trying to kill off their rights?
They gather mob handed
In Plazas and Squares
And tout all their hatred
Where nobody cares
They’re not proud to be white
At least not white alone
Or they’d count every white
As one of their own.
They go by, first, colour
Then the shade of your tongue
Then scream kill the Pakis
And get the rest hung
Welcome to Brexit’s
Alliance of hate
The fascists are back
To make this Britain Great.
Just how many neighbours
Helped win Britain’s wars
Now ask yourself this
What are you marching for?
No! They’re proud to be British
Whatever that means
But this kind of Britain
Is just ugly, obscene.
Paul Colvin.
28th October 2016.
©
Categories: Culture
I maintain that I’m not white – I’m pink, and sometimes very red.
Not making fun of your poem, Paul, but I genuinely don’t get this label of ‘White’ – If someone is white, I tend to think they must be un-well.
And, as with the male/female thing – it’s not just the ones with the paler skins who have this kind of attitude. Years ago, in Bradford, a good friend of mine ( could be said to be ‘white’ – usually brown as he was a builder – of Ukranian origin) was beaten up by some Asian youths for being ‘white’ and ‘English’. This was while the rest of the group held back his two friends, one who was Indian and the other who was Malayan.
Makes no sense. No sense at all.
Did Mick, Kundi or Jani then turn against Asians, or each other? No, of course not – they recognized the madness for what it was, and got on with their lives and their friendship.
It’s not white or non-white, it’s FEAR. That’s the problem we’re dealing with, and how much that fear is nourished by world leaders today.
In my opinion, that even includes a fear of Brexit.
Pay attention to what’s happening around you, take action when you can, but try not to let that demon – FEAR, get into your mind-set. That’s my tuppenceworth.
One thing that puzzles me, while we’re talking Brexit is……if we can have another referendum about Scottish independence – why couldn’t we have another referendum about leaving Europe? Maybe I’m being a bit dim here. I don’t quite see the difference.
Too late now.