Union Songs

The Man From Snowjob River

- [play]

A Poem by Don Morrison©Don Morrison 2008
Tune by Denis Rice©Denis Rice 2008

There are surges at the station
For word has got around
That someone thinks power's fit to privatise
Pyremmia Eyemmia and his mate 'Too Mucha' Costa
They're in this plot up to their scheming eyes

Pyremmia Eyemmia? Yes - the man from Snowjob River
Torrents of it flow each time he speaks
With Treasury boffins greedier
Time to confuse the media
Hoodwink the public with selective leaks

At Wang, Liddell and Piper
They must outwit the viper
Essential service! - Keep in public hands!
Organise - don't falter
This program must be altered
Don't govern just for corporate demands!

But 'Fancy Pants the Overpaid' is here to lend a hand
He's been at public-private gigs before
When our Premier hankers
After deals with ... merchant bankers
The public purse is set to end up poor

And now the lights are dimming
With all this budget trimming
The Man from Snowjob's blackout-prone this hour
He's kept the 'Flintstones' shelfbound
Along with all my other Dee-vee-dees
Can't watch a thing when there's no power!

Eyemmia and Costa
They'll both be on a roster
To meet the Pope in Sydney before long
Spare diesel generation
Could have an application
When the Pope turns on his 'mike' to wow the throng

But Murphy's Law's disruption
A big power interruption!
when the pontiff lands a Mascot - wait and see
He'll drop and smooch the ashphalt
Then say some words quite heartfelt:
"Oh Sydney's full of candles - just for me!"

But the pollies are still wheeling
They're ducking - and they're dealing
However it turns out - there'll be no pride
In Pyremmia Eyemmia
And his private power dylemmia
As the shock-jocks note the thickness of his hide!

Notes

Many thanks to Don Morrison for permission to add this poem to the Union Songs website. Thanks to Denis Rice for permission to add his musical version.

On 24 November 2007 Australia booted out the Howard Government. Less than two weeks later, perhaps not realising the political climate had changed, the NSW Iemma government announced it would force through the privatisation of the state power industry despite the opposition of 80% of the voters (according to polls) the workers in the the industry, the unions and most branches of the Labor Party. Workers at Wallerawang, Liddell and Mount Piper (Wang, Liddell and Piper) power stations have already taken strike action to stop the sell-off.

Premier Iemma and his Treasurer Costa (Pyremmia Eyemmia and 'Too Mucha' Costa) are becoming increasing out on a limb on this issue see http://stoptheselloff.org.au/

See also in this collection Joh Dengate's Privatising Power

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union songs..........a selection by mark gregory