I decree today that life
Is simply taking and not giving
England is mine – it owes me a living
But ask me why, and I’ll spit in your eye
Oh, ask me why, and I’ll spit in your eye
But we cannot cling to the old dreams anymore
No, we cannot cling to those dreams
-Still Ill (The Smiths)
I have to admit I cringe when I see the fashions and the hair from the 1980s. But if you can get through the cheese, there was some interest angst being explored.
Take Morrissey for example. An ardent opponent of Thatcherism but yet the lyrics to this song could be the anthem for it.
Then again it was another big liberal, JFK, that said “Ask not what your country can do for you but what can you do for your country” or some slight variation.
Why am I raising this? I just got done scanning a pile of online newspapers and it’s all about giving goodies to particular groups of people. Only the crazy Dion is actually pulling an “ask what you can do for your country” kind of line but even he serves up one line about carbon taxes and ten about all the goodies to offset the carbon tax.
At some point, there are “greater good” kinds of issues that must transcend the giving out the goodies mentality in politics today. I would say economic development is one.