Will we ever know their secrets?
These sly folks that rule our rulers,
The ones way back behind the scenes,
Anonymous to all but Queens,
Future kings, selected MPs,
High ranked spads and civil servants,
Cross party, beyond politics,
Above democratic control.
Part of a giant Ponzi scheme,
Designed to create illusions
Of genuine access to change.
An old friend of mine once told me
“Understanding our system is
Akin to trying to knit fog.”
Special advice from researchers
Gives documents a key word gloss,
Commons library table creaks
Under sheer weight of paper bills.
Subtle nuances abounding
A myriad of gaslighting
Phrases to aid bamboozlers,
Written under extreme pressure,
Mostly unread, then stored away,
Added to historic mountains,
Laws that await fevered usage
In debates within status quo.
Behind the veil of ignorance
Bliss fueled rhetoric purveyors
Spaff and bluster as walls crumble.
Cherry pick as midnight oils burn,
Latest wheeze, slung upon the pile,
Designed to make the people yearn
For fake impossibilities,
Squared circle hope filled elixirs,
Obfusticated essences,
Blind belief that things will improve,
We can all start levelling up.
Only some are on the level,
Mostly we’re on slippery slopes,
Horizons crooked from the start.
Watch as Atlas shrugs in the dark.

Harry Rogers, In The Red Bedroom, 15th July 2021.