Friday 4 July 2008

A Very Strange Man Writes

Politics can be a funny old game. And here's one of the reasons why. Jane Mellalieu, our Socialist Party candidate in Burslem South for the local elections received this letter through the post. When it was read out at branch last night, comrades were stumped. Is it poetry? Is it an example of what the kids these days like to call 'epic fail'? You decide. (Spelling as is).

Dear Ms Mellalieu,

Illegal substances.
As to illegal substances, we are hearing various arguments.
One is that it is a question of liberty. Liberty of the individual person. Each person to decide. And so on.
About that, you could say that that's it. Nothing more to say. The view of.
Yet, do we not have this? What is Socialism?
Where do we hear that expressed, are we to gather that we may look forward to a socialist state or a socialist society in which, as to drugs, it's a matter of 'as and when'?
Another has to do with, you could say, assessment. Somehow or other, the law against is unenforceable. We may oppose. But, to no avail. Use is widespread enough, difficult to detect, it's a matter of 'logic'.
'Given that we couldn't possibly agree to the re-introductions of corporal punishment'.
Let's be candid. Somehow. That gets omitted.
Another.
It's not an issue. Not to be bothered about.
To get involved, would be to be side - tracked. Hope. Perhaps, something like that. Other things, a lot of other things, need changing.
As we make headway, ..........................
That, at least, is debateable.
Is it mere co-incidence?
A politics that goes on and on about 'law and order'. An intelligentsia that edges toward 'decriminalisation'.

Yours sincerely,


XXXXXXXXXXXXX

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keats walks among us still.

Anonymous said...

i can dig it

Seán said...

Is this the missing stanza from Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’ perchance?

Anonymous said...

Ron Manager

Phil said...

The letter did have a return address ... for Gravesend in Kent. It was also typed up except for the name it was addressed to and the signature of the chap concerned.

So when I got in last night I did a bit of digging with our friend google. All I could turn up was a letter in the Indy from 1996(!). In it, our hero was arguing Labour was set up as a socialist organisation and Blair changing Clause IV would "fool nobody". I almost feel like sending a package of humble pie through the post. But I don't want to encourage him.

Anonymous said...

either that or he is still coming down from a very big high, or perhaps on the way up.

Nick said...

Having stood for the Socialist Party in Lincoln, I too received that letter. After a faint giggle, I popped it into a file marked "nutters". Interestingly enough, a few weeks after the elections I also received a letter with one of our leaflets enclosed helpfully informing me of the anti-semitic nature of the content. This was because of we used a cartoon with the multi-nationals carving up the world. Despite my support for a 35-hour working week, I do think that some people have too much free time on their hands.

Anonymous said...

Oh I get these letters and so does everyone who stands in elections - the "poet" also writes as the Society for bring back hitting children or something. He sends them for years and years! I've been getting one evey six months for about 10 years, I would feel forgotten without one.

Cat x