Sweet England?

As I was walking one morning in may,
I notice my country with growing dismay.
I met a sweet lady with her head in her hand,
saying 'alas there's no democracy in my own land.'

She said 'I come from sweet England, and all is not well.'
'Our sacred democracy is in its death knell.'
'The British government has taken it away.'
'But I for one refuse to obey.'

'The Scots have their parliament the Welsh have one too.
An English parliament is long overdue.
But the Scottish Raj rules those they don't represent.
Then demand our money, without our consent.'

'We're treated with disgust when we inevitably complain.
Branded "little Englanders", considered with distain,
But all we want is our own democracy,
Not lies, spin and unaccountable bureaucracy'

'Now we learn our counties are to be taken away.
Instead we should be loyal to the "12 parts of the UK"
Democracy abolished, England Dismissed
Enough is enough. Time to resist.'

I cried 'wake up sweet England before it's too late.'
'Wake up and demand our own English state'.
For liberty, democracy and an end to our pain.
One day sweet England will have its parliament again.


You may not agree with this, think it any good, and I apologise sincerely if it offends anyone, but as people involved in folk music and with St George's day approaching, you may be interested in this interpretation of a traditional folk song. The intention of this was to highlight what I (and may others) see as a government that is riding roughshod over the democratic practices and rights of the English. I have been so incensed that I felt a burning need to articulate my sense of unfairness. So I choose a song (Sweet England) from the English folk tradition to do this. It's appeared on Campaign for an English parliament's website (http://www.thecep.org.uk). Now I may be wrong in my opinion, (and looking back on the song it may be over the top) but there you have an example of old Folk song reinterpreted as a protest song for a current event.

Brian S