The poet John Skelton lived in the reign of Henry 8th. He apparently wrote his satirical poem “Speak, Parrot” in the precincts of Westminster, from the sanctuary still precariously available in the minster there. In the poem, Galathea is a lady in waiting who plies the parrot with almonds and dates, as she tries to persuade him to speak from… continue reading
Tag politics
The Bird of Paradise Danced Last Night
The Parrot, the Cage and the Pulpit
The tower pictured above is of the Tyndale Monument. This is situated north of Bristol, on the Cotswolds escarpment, above the village of North Nibley. The tower was built in Victorian times, for it was only then that people realised the extent of Tyndale’s influence over, and contribution to, the English of the King James’s Bible. At that time, North… continue reading
… Parrot on the People’s March
The people marching in London today were without a prime minister, or a leader of the opposition, or for that matter an effective political party to represent their interests. With jumped up fantasists from the bottom league running this nation, the people out on the streets today were giants and restored the nation’s honour, reminding the world and ourselves of… continue reading
Parrot Counts the Cost of Youth
It struck me hard yesterday, that issues that are dominating our lives (or at least mine – unhealthily so) – such as Trumplestiltskin in America, Brexitosis in the UK – appalling both – are actually just inexcusable distractions from issues and crisis far larger and more important – for instance global warming and mass extinctions of species, and so on.… continue reading
Parrot Finds Honour Lying Forgotten Among Our Ruins…
… and knows that honour must be the foundation of any future we might have.
The Background :
This latest little poem records actual events and an eloquent speech in the UK’s House of Commons in the Spring of 2015.
For a video of an excerpt of the speech, see : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32073791
For an article published soon afterwards see :… continue reading
Parrot speaks to the 2-Bit mobsters
This latest parrot stanza refers to Theresa May’s encounter with the EU leaders in Salzburg yesterday and “The Sun’s” headline which appeared yesterday evening.
It said : “EU DIRTY RATS – The SUN SAYS we can’t wait to free ourselves of the two-bit mobsters who run the European Union.”
“The Sun” is owned by the far right billionaire Rupert Murdoch,… continue reading
… The Parrot Seeks a Cage
Here is that parrot again, bird of paradise, thundering from his cage in rhyme royal, claiming his liberty to speak his truth. He fears for his young and sees no true or worthy leaders anywhere, merely creatures of self-interest seeking their own gain from our flounderings in the valley of the shadow…
Or put it another way : where’s the… continue reading
Lying to a Sovereign People is a crime of High Treason.
A few days ago, my partner pointed her rather basic smart phone in the direction of my aging mug and held the phone there, with amazing steadiness, while I talked at it for the next three minutes. I argued that, if a holder of public office, or applicant for public office, or candidate for election to public office, is… continue reading