When will the BBC be held accountable for their lack of patriotism

Roger McGough CBE. Quite well known actually. Hardly a "so called poet" and quite proud of his working class roots.

my word is the OP for real?
(probably should have read the entire thread but the OP makes me feel queasy, do you really believe the vast majority of people hold those views?

nothing wrong with having pride in the country and wishing it to do well

but love the monarchy? why?
revere the military? by all means train and pay them well respect them at the same time as you scrutinize, but revere? seriously?
far-left propaganda group? they could not be more establishment if they tried

spoil the bid? by exposing corruption? and why would it be a good thing to host it?

other than provide empty 'glory' while distracting from real problems?

Alan Moore is probably the UK's best known ceremonial magician and worshiper of Glycon.

I loved that poem when I was kid.

'who is Alan Moore?'

is he Roger Moore's brother?

who is Alan Moore?

Another objectionable poem from that poet. He is without feeling for people, he despises them and calls them "vandals" and "hooligans", just as he called the patriots "nuts".

Was this poem published in a Bolshevik journal, because it is again indicative of these butchers disdain for humanity?

In fact it is very similar to the lesson taught to the children in the 1010 global warming advert "No Pressure". There is a similar disdain for people, who get blown up if they don't agree wholeheartedly with reducing carbon emissions. I wonder if the global warming advert people are also left wing?

Your all a bunch of uneducated philistines who don't even know who Alan Moore is.

sigh

The Lesson by Roger McGough.

Chaos ruled OK in the classroom
as bravely the teacher walked in
the nooligans ignored him
hid voice was lost in the din

"The theme for today is violence
and homework will be set
I'm going to teach you a lesson
one that you'll never forget"

He picked on a boy who was shouting
and throttled him then and there
then garrotted the girl behind him
(the one with grotty hair)

Then sword in hand he hacked his way
between the chattering rows
"First come, first severed" he declared
"fingers, feet or toes"

He threw the sword at a latecomer
it struck with deadly aim
then pulling out a shotgun
he continued with his game

The first blast cleared the backrow
(where those who skive hang out)
they collapsed like rubber dinghies
when the plug's pulled out

"Please may I leave the room sir?"
a trembling vandal enquired
"Of course you may" said teacher
put the gun to his temple and fired

The Head popped a head round the doorway
to see why a din was being made
nodded understandingly
then tossed in a grenade

And when the ammo was well spent
with blood on every chair
Silence shuffled forward
with its hands up in the air

The teacher surveyed the carnage
the dying and the dead
He waggled a finger severely
"Now let that be a lesson" he said

Cross post, Claig. It reads differently with the extra lines and title.

supposed to read" sycophantic" ...

BBC is great
I see no reason for anyone to "love the monarchy", if they do, good for them and if they don't, why should they act like a bunch of syophantic clowns at a 17th century court? People love the monarchy and that's fine IMO. I don't - which I think in a modern democracy is also fine personally.

That the media should have to "love the monarchy" is frankly bizarre to my ears.

Don't know who the poet is, TCNY. Profoundly ignorant of any subtext or history behind it. On reading it without any knowledge it says, to me, life is good, dying in war is bad. That's not sneery to me.

thanks GothAneeGeddes. But do read the other great responses too.

LoremIpsum, the title of the poem is
'Why patriots are a bit nuts in the head", it is not mourning, it is not respectful of soldiers who died, it thinks they are nuts and stupid and wear rose-tinted spectacles, which the poet is too clever to wear. While these soldiers die on a foreign field for the sake of their country and people, the poet thinks of getting his end away. The poet doesn't even have respect for peasants (which doesn't surprise me of 'International Socialism'). The poet says

But you can't do this
if you have your belly shot away
and your seeds spread out over some corner
of a foreign field
to facilitate
in later years
the growing of oats
by some peasant yobbo

The use of the word 'yobbo' is significant. The poet is no peasant yobbo, he is probably am intellectual champagne socialist who has never got his hands dirty or sacrificed himself for a greater cause. He is just a selfish person who wants the pleasure of eating and drinking and getting his end away, while other young soldiers die for a cause greater than themselves and sacrifice themselves unselfishly whilst this sneering, selfish individual calls them nuts as he eats and drinks his heart out.

He doesn't honour their sacrifice or praise their courage. No, he thinks the sacrifice of these "nuts" only facilitates the growing of oats for a peasant yobbo. He doesn't mourn them, he won't say a prayer for them, because, to him, they are just "nuts".

I love the beeb, informative, unbiased and quality. Keep it state, ffs.

Really funny OP. Needed the laugh it gave me after reading Frank cunting Field's new rubbish. Cheers :)

We should not forget that this same so called poet has advocated the mass murder of school children.

That poem is not sneering IMO, Claig. It's mourning a life cut short. It's not very good, again IMO, but I don't read sneering into it.

Can we send our football yobs to Siberia?

Yes, that's why the world cup in 2018 will be in Russia.

Claig, I've not agreed with much you've written here, but that was a great response.

that nasty poem on a Marxist website, published in 'International Socialism' illustrates what I have said. The poem mocks patriotic soldiers who die fighting for their country and who sacrifice their lives for their people. The sneering, self-satisfied, supercilious tone is clear when the poet says

'Lives are good for you.
When you are alive
you can eat and drink a lot
and go out with girls
(sometimes
if you are lucky
you can even go to bed with them)
But you can't do this
if you have your belly shot away
and your seeds spread out over some corner
of a foreign field'

The poem doesn't understand patriotism, it mocks the sacrifice of soldiers who are patriotic, it thinks they are "nuts". Lucky for the poet that the majority are patriotic and will defend their country and sacrifice their lives for people who mock them. It is due to these patriots that the country remains free and that conscientious objectors don't have to sacrifice their lives.

I'm not surprised that 'International Socialism' thought it was a good poem to print. I bet some of the Marxists felt smug as they sneered at the patriots. They don't believe in patriotism or liberty because they are international socialists.

OK doing links on the iPad is not easy.

Rodger McGough

[http://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/isj/1967/no029/mcgough.htm why patriots are all nuts in the head]

Not all Animal Rights protestors are loons, but some of our finest loons are Animal Rights protestors.

The World Cup is in Russia because the russian football hooligans greatly admire this countries history of football violence and want to fight are hooligans.

(This is partly true. I know someone who lives in Russia who got talking to someone in the playground who had translated the autobiography of the leader of one of the british Firms into Russian. )

Can we send our football yobs to Siberia?

Yes, that's why the world cup in 2018 will be in Russia.