First They Came...

Indeed they did, as so eloquently put by Martin Niemoller, in his essentially self-critical poem. Martin was expressing his regret at not having done more to oppose the Nazi rise to threatened global dominion.

We might, from our positions of learned hindsight, nod sagely at his belated enlightenment. Or we might accept the fact that the vast majority of those who were brave enough to speak out, against the likes of Hitler, generally didn't get to say a great deal beyond that point.

Special thanks to Eddie

Although not (yet) quite on the same levels of oppression, I feel it is interesting/alarming to chart the degree by which national decisions in the UK have incrementally bulldozed to the right; that is to write that what was considered sacrosanct perhaps five years ago is now fair game for assimilation, or has already been laid to waste. Consider also that this sliding value system has been in operation since 4th May 1979, without ever having been effectively halted.

So I offer, in the light of recent moves by the Home Secretary, one Theresa May...

First they came for the Print Workers
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Print worker.
Then they came for the Miners and the Unions
And I did not speak out because I was not a Miner or a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Students, the Public Sector and the Demonstrators
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Student, a Public Sector Worker* or a Demonstrator.
Then they came for the Unemployed, the Disabled and the Whistle Blowers
And I did not speak out
Because I was not Unemployed, Disabled or a Whistle Blower.
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.

Many thanks to Gavin Reynolds

No Officer, but you quite possibly earned one heck of a lot of overtime, crushing the aforementioned. Not entirely unlike voting in a General Election, one is given to consider the dispute entirely from the perspective of 'who to despise most, Theresa or her out-of-favour Mercenaries

* Far more mercenaries for hire than public sector, really, but cheap! Available for public pageant, VIP protection and democratic suppression, charged entirely to the tax payer.