Follow My Leader

When someone in authority begins a sentence with the words, "In a
civilised society...", you can be fairly sure that his or her
pronouncements will have more to do with personal ambition than with
social morality! By the same token, "With the greatest respect...",
usually means the exact opposite! Powerful human groups are
self-propelled by their own perceived importance - and we would do well
to remember that when they claim to speak on our behalf in the name of
democracy!

FOLLOW MY LEADER

The Synod is meeting, the good and the great,
Play their game to the rules of the learn?d debate,
Should women be priests? - That's the nettle to grasp,
And paying for preaching - that causes a gasp!
Inspired agenda,
This one Jesus had,
For children a-bleeding in Chile and Chad.

And Parliament meets, the great and the good,
In a joust of pretending for what they have stood,
With the people despised and applauded in turn,
Pawns in a game politicians must learn,
Where sincerity speaks,
But integrity's banned,
By the line that the Party has drawn in the sand.

So little has changed since the lions once roared,
At the Emperor's bidding as Christians were gored,
And the crowd played the game with their thumbs up or down,
Watching men in the blood of democracy drown.
How lucky are we,
To have leaders so wise,
Who can manage the world,
With THEIR stars in OUR eyes

Paul Styles