Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
If
by Richard Whiting

 

you are working-class,
take income from the state,
have a despicable criminal
in your fold,
the tabloids will spit their bile,
documentaries will be made
where your class are cornered,
corralled and branded
by the logo of Channel Five.

If you take income from the state,
have a despicable criminal
in your fold (but are royal),
the tabloids will string love letters
across their banners,
beacons will be lit across the country,
food banks will shut for the holiday
and McCartney will sing
Let it be.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
21st Century Poetry / 29 July 2026
29 July 2026

by Mary Gilonne

21st Century Poetry / 24 July 2026
24 July 2026

by Alistair Findlay

21st Century Poetry / 8 July 2026
8 July 2026

by Rosie Jackson

21st Century Poetry / 26 November 2025
26 November 2025

by Christopher Norris