The critics, all four of them, panned last week’s song. But in the blogworld it doesn’t matter what the critics say – no one can boo me off my own stage. In any case, I got quite a few links and the sincerest form of endorsement, with Jason Soon digging into his own bottom drawer to retrieve an entertaining piece of erotica. So here’s this week’s song. It’s based on the Irish anti-war classic Johnny, I hardly knew you, perhaps better known in the American pro-war version When Johnny comes marching home. The details in the song are a bit out-of-date, but the theme of a radical labor leader who becomes markedly less radical in office will persist as long as we have radical labor leaders (not that there are many around right now).

As I was walking past the lodge, haroo, haroo
I saw a most peculiar dodge, haroo, haroo
Bob Hawke came by and I swear its true
He went in red and he came out blue
And the Liberals didn’t know what to do
Oh, Bobby, I hardly knew you !

Where are the eyes that flashed with fire, haroo, haroo
Where’s the fear you once inspired, haroo, haroo
The bosses love you like a son,
You’ve got the greenies on the run
Flogging yellowcake by the ton
Oh, Bobby, I hardly knew you !

Where’s the workers leader now, haroo, haroo
Consensus is the sacred cow, haroo, haroo
Out wages cut and hours froze
Except for the doctors and such as those
I think that something’s on the nose
Oh, Bobby, I hardly knew you !

Where’s the voice that roared so loud, haroo, haroo
Wheres the left-wing stand so proud, haroo, haroo
You smile so sweet and you talk so glib
You duck and dodge and you fudge and fib
And you sound just like a bloody Lib
Oh, Bobby, I hardly knew you !