Manifesto

Promises, there were so many
most unnecessary, the voters were angry and tired
and tired of being angry –
old and new
the old had ruled for a decade: Conservative,
thumbs in the dike
government knew best, better than the voters
and literally raised finger
some caricatured it as a raised salute.
Out with the old and in with the new
Michael Mouse would have won a landslide.

Landslide, it was –
perhaps a new prime minister thought
thoughts of the then new President
about a passed torch and quoting an old poet
about promises to keep
and miles to go before sleep.

Promises,
the interest groups waited
but one didn’t, or couldn’t
the campaign promised 25 pupils per classroom no more,
absolute.
A 6-year-old boy wrote to the Prime Minister
his class was 32 in size –
here was a list of seven names
could Mr Lange please get rid of them.