From The Mind of Merc - A Change For The Better?

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about the effect of the recent US election on UK politics.

Has anyone else noticed the change in Boris Johnson’s approach to (in effect) his job since his best buddy Donald Trump was ousted from the Presidency following November's vote?

Prior to this he seemed to be following the example of the sexist, racist bigot the US were unfortunate enough to have to call their Commander-in-chief; evidently believing that if the POTUS could get away with God knows what and still stay in power then so could he. Then along comes the US election which Trump undeniably (despite what he’d like to think) and humiliatingly loses and suddenly the truth hits home and Johnson is left buddy-less, example-less and the only and worst remaining demonstrable failure on the political stage – especially when it comes to COVID. Surely now is the time he needs to pull his finger out and I think there are clear signs that there has been a definite change in his approach.

For example, let’s start with COVID:

Johnson has gone from ‘Herd Immunity’ and ‘It’s not that bad’ to ‘We must act now’ and ‘We will be following data, not dates’. While this could be said to be the approach he should have had a year ago, I think the main thing to take out of this is that he does appear to be actually trying to do his job – we can only hope and pray this is the start of a long-term policy.

Also, the departure of Dominic Cummings from his team hopefully shows that just as he is no longer committed to playing follow my leader with Trump and his policies, he is now less inclined to blindly and foolishly follow the advice of people he likes, has previously trusted or possibly have leverage over him. True he is still not practising accountability for himself or his cohorts – as demonstrated by the fact that Cummings faced no repercussions for any of his transgressions and likewise Matt Hancock has now evaded censure for his unlawful actions regarding COVID contracts – but it is a definite step in the right direction.

I’m not saying he’s perfect – there's still a long way to go before he even gets close to that and there are still a lot of dismissive policies and borderline comical U-Turns to sort out, get past or prevent from happening ever again.

Overall, I believe judgement should be reserved on this newfound ‘dedication’ until we have sufficient time to judge the success and also longevity of his apparent epiphany but it is hopefully I sign that we are at last truly on the road to recovery. We can only hope that the UK finally gets the leader we so desperately need and that Johnson apparently desperately believes he is.

I Became VP - !!!NEW!!!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! The day has come and he's finally gone. What better way to celebrate that with a parody in honour of the new second-in-command. 
Given her appointment can effectively be said to be thanks to the inspiration for this song's original focus, I figured it was rather apt.

I Sat On A Bus I Became VP not from Horrible Histories

I’m K Harris, Rosa’s heiress
I picked up on her old fight
Sexist bigot in charge, racist killers at large
It just was not all right
What could I do to attempt a reprieve?     
Why have you heard of me?
What could one little woman achieve?
We-e-e-ell

I became VP
(You became VP?)
I became VP
(You became VP?)
You want to know how?
(Go ahead, tell me)
I became VP
(You became VP)

Since Year ‘16, when Trump took over
We faced a grim outlook
(It’s sad to see)
Black blood was spilled, and innocents killed
Yet no one brought to book
(How can it be?)
Even though I am a mixed race girl
Joe picked me as his partner
(Filled us with glee)      
Trump tried to shout it’s not allowed
You’d think that he would be smarter
(No, not really)
He failed in this, still wouldn’t desist
Yet he could not beat me
Was here to stay - would persist
And so I

Became VP
(She became VP)
I became VP
(She became VP)
For all folks to see
(She won it you see)
So I was made VP
(She was made VP) 

We started up a campaign to ensure a correction
To bring round all of the voters and to win the next election
The USA I’m sad to say
Was suff’ring from dejection
Cause decency was gone and prejudice was strong
(Oh, our poor nation)

We faced libel, lies and slander
Yet we kept soldiering on
Fought for the soul, to evict the troll
Just wanted Trump gone
It all came down to one big day
November the third
(Democracy)       
The vote was tight even so
We had the final word
(Majority)
Our time’s come we’ve finally won
Biden now leads the country
He is the forty sixth US president 

And I’m the new VP
(She became VP)
I became VP
(She became VP)
I became VP
(For you and me)
I became VP
(She became VP)
I am, I am
(Our country will see
A woman VP)
I am, I am, I’m the new VP
(We’re glad you see
She’s our new VP)
I’m VP
(She became VP
For you and me
I became VP
She became VP
She became VP)

His Dark Materials Advent Calendar – 30

 Door number 30:

Bye Bye Bigot - !!!NEW!!!

A little parody song to celebrate the result of the US Presidential Election.

Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye Bigot not by Bay City Rollers

We still you hate you for all that you say
Can't stand that stuff any longer
So gonna tell you go away 

Bye bye bigot, bigot goodbye (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)
Bye bye bigot, your time is nigh (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)

You're the one man we never wanted
We were determined and were undaunted                 
We’d see you ousted
Couldn’t stand you you’re just so racist
With your Twitter you would not desist
Took so long but now you’re gone so

Bye bye bigot, bigot goodbye (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)
Bye bye bigot, your time is nigh (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)

Wish we could forget that you were here
When you leave town we all will cheer
Gee, how good it will be for we
Shouldn’t have got in last time so true
But now you’re done so won’t feel blue
You lost see and now we’re free so

Bye bye bigot, bigot goodbye (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)
Bye bye bigot, your time is nigh (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)

Bigot, bye bye (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)
Bigot, bye bye (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)
Bigot, bye bye (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)
Bigot, bye bye (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)
Bigot, bye bye (bye bigot, bigot bye bye)

From The Mind of Merc - US Election

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today, as with the rest of this month,  I was thinking about the US election.

If you voted for Trump then I’m sorry but I just don’t understand your choice.

I’ve no doubt you had your reasons I just hope they weren’t the same as the rest of his supporters.

You may have chosen to support him as an alternative to Hillary or because you’re anti-Democrat but what his biggest fans voted for was the wall to keep out immigrants, the deportation of all non-white people, the right to treat people like slaves and women like objects.

You may not agree with these viewpoints but thanks to you, the man who embodies them is now the man in charge of the ‘Free World’/Commander-In-Chief of the USA.

If you voted for Trump but don’t believe in his policies – you are an enabler.

If you didn’t vote for either candidate – you are a bystander.

And these two types of people can be just as dangerous as the people who commit evil acts because they allow the evil acts to happen.

Don’t be an enabler or a bystander – be a stander, be a fighter. Stand up for equality, fight against discrimination.

The US election was the battle – it was not the war.

To those, like me, who are scared at the changes that are already occurring in American society:

Do not give up

Do not hide away

Do not live in fear

His supporters may be numerous but they are not the majority (they weren’t even the majority of the votes but let’s not go there).

The best way to deal with a threat is to use it to make yourself stronger and that’s what we should do. Band together, stand up for each other, show these discriminatory, uneducated bigots that their behaviour is NOT what makes America great again.

Above all don’t accept the behaviour – report it, stand up against it (within reason – i.e. don’t put yourself at risk), speak out to condemn it.

They may be right-wing that does not make them right. They are in fact little better than terrorists and I would hope that such a thought would shame them into reconsidering their actions (although sadly I doubt it). A terrorist is defined as someone who uses intentionally indiscriminate violence (terror) in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim - can you think of a better word to describe people who accuse, abuse and assault people simply because they have a different skin colour, religion or gender?

And now they are shedding their civilised camouflage to show their true terrorist colours. Well, shame on them! All that does is make them easier to spot, to isolate and to deal with. They should not be fooled into believing that suddenly their unacceptable behaviour is acceptable – it’s not, it never has been and it never will be and the sooner they are educated to understand that the better. Prejudiced violence will not make their country great again.

Some parents are concerned about what this teaches children and what they positively say about the situation.

But the lesson for children from the US election is not ‘If you are a misogynistic, racist, sexist bully then you can become President’ but ‘If you don’t stand up to misogyny, bigotry and racism and don’t use your vote when it matters, this is what happens’ and what must never be allowed to happen again

Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be (Part 2) - !!!NEW!!!

Following on from my previous parody of Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be (see here), I decided that the situation in America warranted its own version. And here it is:

Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be also not by Anon

Oh dear, what can the matter be

America has voted Trump in, you see

Now he’s in charge of their Presidency

What on earth have they done now?

Despite the pleas of tons of celebrities

They thought he’d help to destroy the disease

That they feel’s destroying the colonies

What on earth have they done now?

We thought that they would come to see sense one day

Not let bigotry and racism hold sway

Supremists are now shouting hip-hip-hooray

What on earth have they done now?

It’s viewed as a win for groups like the KKK

For them it’s a glorious red letter day

They think that they now have a chance to stay

What on earth have they done now?

Hate and violence are all over the TV

Pain and suffering seems to be all we see

Extremist groups are filling the country

What on earth have they done now?

But

It’s not the end of the world – oh no, it’s not

Trump has won but he’ll never be on top

Haters will hate but then we will make them stop

That is what we must do now

The racist groups are the ones in decline

They’ve kept their colours hidden all this time

But they’ll see their views still won’t tow the line

That is what we must do now

We won’t give in to petty in-fighting

We must stay strong and keep on wrong-righting

Show them how to keep letting the light in

That is what we must do now

Trump wants to cause lots of division

But if that happens is not his decision

We will force him to make a revision

That is what we must do now

Oh dear, what can the matter be

America has voted Trump in, you see

But he doesn’t speak for all of us you’ll see

We will show them all and how