Resolutionary Socialism

Oops - been a bit slack lately on the old blogging front.

Apart from turning up occasionally in other people's Comments boxes - Hello Lenny! - I've been elsewhere in cyberspace in recent weeks, but I guess I'll try and post a bit more on the blog in the near future. The blogging world can never have enough bad jokes and decent taste in music.

Just to ease me back into posting, I thought I would cut and paste below the following poem, 'Ode To A Committee', that someone posted on the Socialist Unity Network website. From what I can gather, the Socialist Unity Network is the latest example of a support network made up of fragments from the various 'Generals Without Armies' who have now rediscovered such long forgotten concepts as democracy, openess and a sense of humour within the workers movement - aah bless.

The words of the poem I have lived through many, many times; sitting through boring meetings, staring into space, with my legs going to sleep, the rest of my body wishing it could follow suit, but too scared to shut my eyes because I know the words below are tattoed on the inside of my eyelids.If you have no idea what this poem is about, don't gloat - it could happen to anyone.

You have been warned ;-)

An Ode to a Committee

Oh give me your pity, I'm on a committee

which means that from morning to night,

we attend and amend, and contend and defend

without a conclusion in sight. We confer and concur, we defer and demur,

and reiterate all of our thoughts,

we revise the agenda with frequent addenda,

and consider a load of reports. We compose and propose, we support and oppose,

and points of procedure are fun

but though various notions are brought up as motions,

there's still very little gets done. We resolve and absolve, but never dissolve,

since that's out of the question for us!

What a shattering pity to end our committee

for where else could we make such a fuss?

Anonymous