‘What crawling villain preaches abstinence and wraps himself
In fat of lambs? No more I follow, no more obedience pay.’
William Blake, America a Prophecy, 1793, ll. 16-17
The Chancellor’s house
Is photographed with ten crates
Of pricey Champagne,
Whilst the Chancellor
Makes austerity cuts and
Pours talent away.
Would it be stealing
To open the crates and then
Pour them down the drain,
Or just throw a brick
So they all burst in a cloud
Of empty bubbles?
Heathcote Williams