This song is written by Norma Parry, the mum of singer and onetime Liverpool Echo Merseyside busker of the year Alun Parry. The tune is adapted from an old music hall song (Oh Mr Porter, I'm guessing). Alun's performed it at various trade union events as well his own Woody Guthrie folk club in the Ship and Mitre, and it's since been picked up as a protest song by loads of people. In particular the Liverpool Socialist Singers (pictured above singing on the steps of St George's Hall at a rally against changes to public sector pensions) have made it their own, and have passed it on to various other similar choirs.
Clearly, you don't have to be a revolutionary socialist to have sympathy with the song, given recent omnishambles... I just wish the song didn't leave Ed Miliband off the hook, given that he stands just as much as the others for everything that is wrong with the modern political class!
