Union Songs

Privatising Power

A Song by John Dengate©John Dengate 2008
Tune: Bread of Heaven/ Cym Rhonda

Guide me, oh, thou coal-fed power station
Generating light for me.
Lead me to my holy distribution:
Market electricity.
Don't postpone it, if we own it
Flog it off immediately…
Privatise all electricity!

Damn state conference…put it on a roster,
Bills will go anyway.
Listen to that lovely Mr Costa-
Sell the lot by Saturday.
Get on line please. Tell the Chinese;
Call it leasing; and then sell…
Tell the unions they can go to hell!
Sell it all, God knows, we need the money;
Just make sure the price is right.
Hope the weather's nice and warm and sunny
When Beijing turns out the light.
Such euphoria, like Victoria,
We will privatise our power…
Celebrate it with a nice cold shower.

Notes

Many thanks to John Dengate for permission to add this song to the Union Songs collection.

The proposed privatisation of electricity by the Iemma Labor government in New South Wales has met solid opposition. The overwhealming majority of ALP branches in NSW have voted against it as has the ALP State Conference (by a margin of 7 to 1). Recent polls show 85% of the voters of NSW are opposed, and the unions are opposed. It remains to be seen whether Iemma the NSW State Premier and Costa the NSW State Treasurer can in reality realise their dream.

See also in this collection The Man from Snowjob River and visit the campaign website StopTheSellOff.org.au

More of the work of John Dengate in this collection

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