Thursday, April 12, 2007

English and going blind – better read ‘Animal Farm’ quick then….

Well, that didn’t take long did it – English Shire Horse carted off to the knacker’s yard - again…

Another ‘sorry, this expensive drug isn’t for you English’ story breaks – and the surprise is… no one is surprised!. This time it’s retired war hero, 85 year old Jack Strange who is suffering. He’s in danger of going blind for the want of a simple and effective drug that’s available in Scotland but not in England.

Jack has been stumping up the funds for treatment out of his own pocket for the past year – but now all his savings are spent and there’s just the house left to pawn….

No doubt, after a lifetime of work and service, Jack thought the state would look after his failing health….. Sorry Jack, you just don’t fit the New Labour profile mate… you’re not one of the chosen, you’re one of ‘them’…

If you want to qualify to be one of the chosen, then I’m afraid you don’t have a prayer…. For a start you’re English, so that automatically makes you one of ‘them’ – which automatically qualifies you for unlimited supplies of stale bread to make poultices with, some horrible brown tonic that your Mum used to give you and a deluxe pack of vinegar and brown paper for those really nasty suppurating boils……

All the really good gear - the cancer and Alzheimer’s drugs are all on the train to ‘the chosen’ up in Scotland – for their need is apparently more deserving than ours….

And that’s where I came in really, these awful stories of mendacious betrayal reminds me of my O level English - and the book we had to read as part of the course. – Animal Farm by George Orwell.

‘Boxer’ the English Shire horse had worked his guts out for years and was looking forward to a happy retirement – unfortunately, Napoleon, the Scottish piggy with a Tony Blair power complex had other ideas.

He called in the knacker man with his knacker van. His usefulness over, Boxer became something big in the petfood industry. Piggy Napoleon and his piggy Raj henchman toasted Boxer’s good health with the finest Cognac as he was driven off for slaughter…

And they looked from pig to Blair, and from Blair to pig, and from pig to Blair again; but already it was impossible to say which was which…..

Sorry Jack – but you’d better face facts, you’re just a knackered old English Shire horse, mate.

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