Public Purse Strings Attached
Came the day
when well-meaning magistrates
Gathered in
Speenhamland’s Pelican Inn,
To settle
supplements for wages too thin
To maintain
life. Doles from the parish rates
Would make
up for any deficiencies.
Although the
sentiment’s always well placed,
It stops the
cause of poverty being faced.
The real
source of wealth’s inequalities;
All
necessities for life are produced
For profit,
it’s what the market’s about.
Whosoever
can’t pay must do without,
Leaving
those at the margins traduced.
Back in
Speenhamland the parish rates soared,
While today
it’s what the state can’t afford.
D. A.
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