the OUP Concise Dictionary
consicely says it all:
wide boy (slang) shrewd;
skilled in sharp practice
no mention of ‘wide girls’
but they’re there too
in abundance all leading us
not on a merry dance
but a valse triste of
chancers shysters
charlatans and con-artists
ensconced in a fusion
of public school
and gentleman’s club
its well-paid members
are as removed from
the realities of everyday life
as ‘White’s’ or ‘The Carlton’
and just like those joints
Parliament celebrates
its own charmed
egocentric existence
are MPs even aware
how easily seduced they are
by superstitions by rituals
by preposterous traditions?
the Opening of Parliament
nothing but a Gothic turn played
by actors in wigs and breeches
anarchists always say:
whoever you vote for
the Government always wins….
and wide boys have wings
Jeff Cloves
.