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Ode to the Strikers

John Paul Murphy

Ode to the Strikers

Don’t let what the papers or politicians say
Influence your opinion and make it sway
Don’t let the lies of the government
Make you believe the workers are greedy and full of want

The inalienable right to withdraw your labour
Is sacrosanct, and might prove the saviour
Of a class long made subservient to the elite
A right to protest and take their message to the street

Our nurses were lauded as heroes during a pandemic
We deny them a living wage, unjustly systemic
Our postal workers wage can barely sustain
Yet here they are treating them with disdain

Our railway drivers described as greedy
In reality their salaries make them needy
Our teachers work hard to educate our kids
Yet their pay ensures they stay on the skids

Now they’re trying to take away their basic human rights
To stop them being able to lawfully strike
To consign them to a status of modern slaves
Hoping they’ll be able to do it without them making waves

Back to the days of Thatcherism, a black stain on our history
They’re blatant in their intentions, its certainly not a mystery
Divide and conquer have always proven to be efficacious tactics
Turning the working class against each other with their subterfuge and semantics

Their proclamations are false, there is no need to be austere
They can afford to meet their rightful demands, and make the masses cheer
But they’d rather spend the money on weapons even though were not at war
Funding tyrants, war criminals and dictators abroad, of that you can be sure

To every striker taking a stand for what is just and what is right
We salute you, and support you as you continue with your fight
Keep faith in your unions and the power of collective bargaining
Victory will be yours, the day of reckoning is coming

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