[Video Link: Gang of Four, "I Found That Essence Rare," Peel Sessions, 1990]
Aim for politicians fair who'll treat your vote hope well
The last thing they'll ever do act in your interest
Look at the world through your polaroid glasses
Things'll look a whole lot better for the working classes
This blog post about the UK riots from Dave Allen, best known as the bass player from the great "political" punk band Gang of Four, has been making the rounds this week. He compares the youth street protests for which Gang of Four was a symbol in the late 1970s and early 80s with what's unfolding today in the UK.
At first glance, the current unrest might appear to be less politically driven— but Allen points out that the anger wasn't much more coherent back then, either.
"History repeats itself, especially when memories are short," he says, "[and] if the radical right and the Tea Party insist on attempting to fix economic problems and social ills by reducing the size of government, the consequences of those decisions and actions will be enormous for the USA."
Read: "London Burning, Punk Rock, and a Tea Party Dream Come True" (north.com)
(Via Chris Anderson/G+)
