Three little words

“I don’t care if they think I’m lazy.  I know I’m not.  I work as hard as the next man.  Always have.  People get in their minds what they want to see – or what they want others to see.“

“Easy fella.”

“Fuck off!”

“Whoa! Easy!”

“I do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.  When did that become wrong?”

“Nobody’s saying it's wrong.”

“No?  How about that jerk, then? Trying to make out I’m not pulling my weight.  Just because they spend all their time here and break their backs, ruin their family life, does that mean we all have to?”

“No.”

“Yes!  If you listen to them and do what they do.  What the fuck is wrong with these people?  Don’t they want a life outside here?”

“It’s the same everywhere, man.  It’s just how it is.”

“It’s how it is because you fuckers allow it to happen.”

“Us fuckers?”

“Everyone.  What the fuck is wrong with people?  They’ve set dog against dog.  Can’t you see what they’re doing?   This isn’t competition – it’s cannibalism.”

“You’re turning me off.  Is everyone wrong except you?  Are you the only one who’s got it right?  Well, you must be some clever motherfucker.  I wish I had your brains.  I wish the whole country had your brains.”

“Is that how you feel?”

“It’s how you make me feel.  So who has got all the answers then?”

“I’m not sure anymore, but the French and maybe the Spaniards and Italians.  People in some African countries and maybe South America.  They know what counts in life.  Family.  People.  Social life.  Tradition.  Time.”

“But they’re lazy.  That’s why their economies are crap and we end up bailing them out.”

“Who’s bailing them out?”

“We are.  All that aid and the money we pay to Europe.  We’ve been through it.  We had the job losses.  Those fuckers are being subsidised by us.”

“Have you driven down the motorway lately?  Have you seen all those big new four-wheel-drives?  Have you seen how many there are?  Have you seen the buildings in the City of London?  It’s exploding.  The houses these people are building – house prices in the South-East.  That’s who we’re subsidising, mate.  Those fuckers.  And all the time we’re being told there’s no money.  No money for this, no money for that.  Bollocks!”

“I don’t see what that’s got to do with working here.  Everyone’s busy.  Everyone’s having to do more.  When people leave they don’t get replaced.  What do you expect?  We’re all having to work harder to keep things going.”

“Wear yourself out, then.  Give up home life.”

“I’m just glad of a job.”

“Exactly.  They’ve got us just where they want us.  Everything that was so hard won is being given up.”

“We don’t have much choice.”

“Except we live in a democracy.  The trouble is, people are too lazy to get involved.  Well?”

“We’re too busy living our lives.”

“And the French and all the rest are living their lives, and they look at us and think we’re crazy.”

“Plenty of them come here.”

“Plenty don’t.  They stay where they are for their quality of life.  Three little words.”