God save the Queen -- or the people?

The protests against miserable  and repressive regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and other places remind me that government should be “of the people, for the people, and by the people”.

Miserable and repressive governments are not the sole province of Arab and Muslim states.   

I can think of a couple of nations which I know well, where the “people” have ceased to be stake-holders in their own governance. 

In these nations  (each has a name which begins with “United”!), government is now "by the professional politicians and for the oligarchs".

In thinking about this, my mind went back to the 19th Century hymns by Ebenezer Elliott, a great and noble champion of the poor.  His hymn is a “people’s anthem”, rather that a national anthem.  He asks God not to save the Queen, but to save the people.

(His hymn was, of course, used in “Godspell”).

You may read more about Elliott by following the link below.

First, his hymn:


When wilt Thou save the people?
O God of mercy, when?
Not kings and lord, but nations
Not thrones and crowns, but men!
Flowers of Thy heart, O God, are they
Let them not pass, like weeds, away
Their heritage a sunless day
God save the people!

Shall crime bring crime forever
Strength aiding still the strong?
Is it Thy will, O Father
That man shall toil for wrong?
"No," say Thy mountains; "No," Thy skies
Man's clouded sun shall brightly rise
And songs ascend, instead of sighs
God save the people!


When wilt Thou save the people?
O God of mercy, when?
The people, Lord, the people
Not thrones and crowns, but men!
God save the people; Thine they are
Thy children, as Thine angels fair
From vice, oppression and despair
God save the people!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Elliott





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shoe insults

Last year I consulted with a local podiatrist: Dr. Robert F Herbold Jr. D.P.M. 4717 Swift Rd., Sarasota , FL – 34231  because I was being bothered with a couple of bunions  (yes I am at that age). I was very impressed with this Doctor.  He agreed that I had bunions, but he ventured that it was much too soon for surgery. (Now there’s a first). Instead he recommended some “arch supports” to relieve the tension for my feet, a tension which was exacerbating the bunions. What’s more -  he told me that he sells these arch supports at the miserly sum of $2.50 each (about 1/5 of the price in the local pharmacies). He is an honest man, and I recommend him to anyone with foot problems. So, a couple of weeks ago, having purchased some new walking shoes, I knew that I needed to buy a couple of new arch supports I took myself to his office. Once there, my mind went blank. I wanted to ask his front desk Clerk if I could buy some “shoe inserts” , as I could not rem...
Read more

It began in Bristol U.K. "A man dies" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Image
I well remember the swirling controversy in Bristol, U.K. when a (Presbyterian) Minister the Revd, Earnest Marviin created a ":Rock Opera", called "A Man Dies"  in and for his congregation in the Lockleaze area of Bristol, U.K. Earnest Mrvin I was a sixteen years old member of the Plymouth Brethren Church back in those days, so I most likely disapproved of "A Man Dies" .  We, (the Plymouth Brethren),  disapproved of everything! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had forgotten all about "A Man Dies" until earlier today when saw these pictures on the "Bristol, Then and Now"  Facebook page.   St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, Bristol  The Bristol Then and Now page includes the following commentary: Lockleaze, Bristol  -  'Jesus Christ Superstar' began at St.James (Presbyterian) Chur...
Read more

The background, the couple, my friends, the wedding ceremony, the Shaykh, the Priest,

Image
The background   I have known the Keller/Bonsey family since 2000 when I became the Rector at St. James's, Cambridge, MA. They (Elisabeth Keller and the Revd. Steven Bonsey with their four children Noah, Sam, Josiah and Annie) had come back to Cambridge from Hawaii where Steve had been the Rector of an Episcopal parish. Steve had just been appointed as a Chaplain at Tufts University (no Sunday morning duties) so the entire family was able to enrich our common life at St. James's - which they did with great love and joy. I count them as friends and have stayed in touch with them since my retirement.  Noah, the oldest son is eloquent in Arabic (he spent a year in Damascus when Syria was a safe place).  He has developed a super career as an analyst of social media in the near East.    Noah worked in Tampa for a while a few years ago, so he and I were a...
Read more