The Ganger

To enable the Federal Ministry to pass as many Bills as possible before the adjournment for general elections, business has been expedited and an extra sitting day has been proposed.

Brothers,
    And sundry others
To whom this appellation does not
    apply.

I Trust that the manner in which I
address you
Does not distress you.
In a little subterfuge I have acquired
For use when I am tired.
Today
I would comment upon the way—
The old, familiar and deceptive way—
The wily politician speeds the game
What time his claim
To place and pay seems hanging by
    a hair,
He gets a scare,
Throws in the clutch, and puts her
    at top speed.

Indeed,
I am reminded here
Of sights I witnessed in one distant
    year—
How long ago
I would not care to say. Ah, well.
Heigh Ho!

I saw a gang of navvies digging earth.
Amongst them was much mirth.
The merry quip
Passed happily around, from lip to
    lip,
And there
Seemed little care
Amongst that merry gang.
They laughed and sang,
As languidly they drave
Their shovels into Mother Earth and
    gave
The clear impression that work was a
    game.

Then suddenly there came
Upon the scene—a man.
A moment on the bank he paused to
    scan
The merry crew.

And lo, all suddenly the shovels flew,
Earth filled the air,
And where
But recently had been a merry gang
That laughed and sang,
Now madly toiled keen workmen,
    anxious-eyed;
For, lo, it was the ganger they
    espied.
It was the ganger. As he paused to
    view
The slaving crew,
His hand went out
And, with a shout—
“You! You! and You!”
He yelled, till his voice cracked,
“You're sacked!”
And many a man departed, sad and 
sore
That he had not
Got
Speed up just a few brief strokes
    before.

Friends, need I point for you the
    parallel?
We know quite well
Why members—when elections loom
    ahead—
In nervous dread
Roll up their sleeves and go at it
    dingdong,
Pretending they have done it all along.
No need for us to ask, “What does this
    mean?”
The ganger, friends, is coming on the
    scene.