The Howard Anthem*

POEM BY JOHN TOMLINSON

Battlers all, come rally round
keep your noses to the ground.
Doff your caps to interest rate
feed off loathing, fear and hate.
Praise the Leader one and all
at 5 foot 2 he's standing tall.
He's deaf and mean, he is obscene.
Small government - small mind, I glean.

Attack the unemployed and poor
kick single mothers out the door,
disabled people must work more
and send the refugees off-shore.
Don't worry about the young and old
they should just do what they're told.
Eulogise the go-getting rich
stay in tune with your betters' pitch.
Sing in praise of every boss
ignore awards and workers' loss.

Smash the arbitration law
it helped the victims even the score.
No place for unions in our regime
we've defused their head of steam.
Might is right - we're never wrong
come Battlers, sing the Liberal's song.

* Any similarity between this anthem and The Red Flag is purely coincidental.

From Green Left Weekly, May 31, 2006.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 669