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Wow guys some real good writing on this post. I salute you all.     

Excellent strong lyrics Beamer. I always find it hard when things or issues are black and white once politics enters it things start to develop shades of grey.  A bit like an onion once you start pealing it there are different layers. Politics in what should be simple start to muddy the water.

Cheers Phill

I'm glad you got my satire in the poem in hindsight after writing it does open up a discussion about big business. . It was a stormy wet day when I wrote this more along the lines of a Cat Stevens, “Father And Son” in this case mother and son giving voice to both viewpoints his and hers. When I turned sixty I went from being very employable to no one wanting me. I applied for over 180 jobs to finally getting offered one working for our dysfunctional city council a job I hated but I took on as it was all I could get.  I worked with some wonderful people there but the political  management was shocking. Doing that job at times I got a lot of flak making me at times look  like I had thrown away my moral sword. I hadn’t thrown away my moral sword but I had to deal with issues created by  the council which were wrong. People would see me as part of the problem because of problems our council had created. Though I wrote this not thinking of that on reflection it does cover that a bit. Reading what I’ve written now it does highlight how a young person with a family could have moral conflicts over earning and doing what is right so if that opens up that discussion that is good. I guess all corporates around the worlds have an ability for good and bad so that discussion can enter moral realms of right and wrong. Here in NZ now there is heated debate over the ownership of our national sport Rugby Union. There are two camps around the commercial side and funding of Rugby. The executive wants to sell  12.5 % stake of Rugby commercial rights to a big company called Silver Lake. Under the Silver Lake deal NZR would set up a company called Commercial Co which would own NZR's commercial rights. Silver Lake would take a 12.5 stake in this for $390 million .The rugby unions Players Association (NZRPA) is opposed to deal, saying the numbers don't add up and that selling off 12.5 percent in perpetuity doesn't make financial sense, leading to a bitter dispute between the two parties. The NZRPA agrees the game needs a substantial cash injection and along with investment company Forysth Barr are proposing a public share float which it estimates could raise $190 million. NZR has rejected a public share float believing it would only appeal to 'mum and dad' investors and doesn't meet other criteria the Silver Lake deal does. The debate is do we see a big corporate such as Silver Lake being a good thing over Kiwi mum and dad investors. So, the question now is Silver Lake going to be a rugby saviour or not? What sort of hands do we want to feed when it comes to our national sport? So in the poem the old lady is anti  dodgy corporates  and the one that  her son has gone to work for. The son sees his job as financial opportunity not to be missed..

I love the way Phill  used his excellent music skills to compose and perform this piece of music Papa Whisky Tui. Those who know the NATO alphabet will see the PW connection here. I hope this video with a Tui  that hangs around my neighbourhood playing a roll in it does Phill’s tune justice. Many books say that Tui's are usually solitary.  It’s place in the forest is among the treetops where the flowers and fruit are borne.

Tui  they fly at great speeds. Even though several Tui may feed in the same tree they have clearly defined territories. Outside of the breeding season they become partially nomadic and travel to towns and rural gardens and forest patches in search of good sources of nectar and fruit. Some birds regularly occupy each year summer breeding and winter feeding territories that can be 20 plus kilometers apart.

Although the Tui primary food source is nectar, they will hawk large insects. Tui will jump around and beat bushes to disturb stick insects and cicadas. This  bird, is called by many names other than Tui or Koko, was of great importance to Maori and there are many stories about this relationship in the literature. Apart from potted Tui being a favourite food, they were very often kept in cages and trained to speak and even welcome people to a marae.      ( Marae is a courtyard of a Maori meeting house, a place used as a social or ceremonial forum.) Many of these birds were famous and even fought over.

The ornithologist Olive commented on the Tui pugnacity and courage and wondered if perhaps this character has been the cause of their being attacked and sometimes killed by companies of blackbirds and starlings. However, the Tui has also been known to kill the birds it pursues     

Jim you have an incredible ability  to write lyrics that flow and tell a story of trying to win a ladies heart , and once again you have hit the nail perfectly on the head.  Like Grah I can hear a country blues thing going on with this song.     

Cheers Beamer     

I can relate to what your saying there Jim having lost an older brother who passed away  who i never really got to know well. Also  there has never been a time because of age difference  and living in different parts of the world that me and all my siblings have ever been in the same place together.

Jim I like the  way this song could have many different back stories to it. Your  a gifted songwriter.     

Cheers , Jim, Phill, Brian,  thank you your input it is much appreciated. In these privileged times for many of us, there are people out there who  forget they don’t have to risk their  life or martyr themselves for some of the freedoms that many people in the free world today take for granted. The derogation of voting rights is widespread in many countries in the world. In my opinion people who live in countries where they can vote should vote purely on the basis that the world is full of countries where they don’t even get a chance to have some say in what’s going on. Also we should do it out of respect for those who  have made  the ultimate sacrifice with their life so that we can have this choice to vote. It is not only a human right but something  that many humans don’t get the opportunity to do on this planet. I admire anyone who is  prepared to stand even if their politics is not mine providing their not maniacs who want to be dictators, or people who don’t want free and fair elections set at appropriate intervals of time. One thing that has been lost in recent times is peaceful demonstrations with people holding placards about whatever their gripe is.  There are now in many counties people who instead of demonstrating are rioting damaging fellow citizens property using it as a front too steal and loot, that also is a breakdown of democracy. I think people should use their voice even if I don’t agree with them but it should always be peaceful. I understand why people get sick of politics it  is because the major parties around the world are using marketing and spin and with that somehow good  and true debate gets lost.  Bureaucrats and politicians do get out of step with what is going on  right outside their front doors. One thing I have noticed in my extensive travels around the free world is the common thing of government run inefficient institutions, civil services and city councils that don’t meet the needs of the people in other words the business  side or suppliers of political run services in all countries. I don’t blame all the civil servants its just that their systems and hierarchy agendas clash with those at the coal face trying to do  a good job. I can tell you having been in countries that are not part of the free world their bureaucracy is far worse. Here endeth my rant.