A Million People Can Be Wrong
In the conference hall
our leader rises to his feet
hand on heart, eyes shining.
'Trust me. I have certain information
it is not safe to divulge. I understand, believe me,
those who trample the grass in Hyde Park
I am listening to them.
Their hearts are in the right place.
Unlike some, they have the democratic right
to voice their opinions,
but they are wrong.
I shall ignore them,
because I know better than any of them.
However lonely and unpopular I may become,
that is the price I have to pay
for my place in history
as a great and courageous leader.
We have a mission to save the poor starving people
from the tyranny they suffer which is a fate far worse
than the death I am sure they would choose if they could.
We would not wish to harm them in any way,
but we will destroy their homes and their infrastructure,
with weapons more lethal than any the tyrant may possess.
If there are casualties, let them remember this,
we cannot stand idly by and watch them suffer.
That would be unforgivable.
If I missed this opportunity
to put them out of their misery
I should regret it for the rest of my life.'
His hearers shift in their seats.
'Such a brave leader.
How isolated and vulnerable he is!
We must support him
if we want to keep our jobs.'
Val Bucknall March 2003 © 2004