Some of you will be aware that I wrote and recorded a song called "Do They Know It's G8 Time?" to the tune of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" before the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. There was a massive campaign to "Make Poverty History" in the run-up to that summit - which hasn't exactly happened! The G20 summit in April could be even more important, since world leaders at it will try to find a capitalist solution to the massive economic crisis (credit crunch and recession/depression/meltdown. Protest against it and seize the chance to finally make capitalism history! [If we don't, fascists will.]

 

I've just finished writing a new song called "Do They Know It's G20 Time?", which also does involves some blatant plagiarism (from Band Aid again and "Radio Africa" by my favourite overtly political band of all time Latin Quarter), as well as some of my earlier songs.

 

I plan to record the song with a new line-up of my Manchester band Galaxia, or in conjunction with another band, soon. Details of some of the G20 protests are included at the end of this message.

 

It's G20 time! There's a need to be afraid!
At G20 time, they say they'll help but we don't trust them
In our world of plenty, there have been so many shattered dreams
Demonstrate in London this G20 time!
The credit crunch exposes the bunch
Of those who don't care that the world is unfair
Food has risen in price so many can't even afford rice
Greedy speculators, to big business are traitors
Fannie and Freddy, capitalism's no longer steady
To get the rich off our backs
Try to force them to pay tax
The loopholes are very lax
Let's open up the cracks
Conspiracies are now in our favour
We may even split New Labour
The banks they're nationalising
But not democratising
Remove the fat cats from the boards
And end speculators' rewards
There should be control from below
By those borrowing or saving dough
Plus trade union representation
Nationalise without compensation
Except for pension schemes
And shatter fascists' dreams
Of taking power across the world
Demonstrate with banners unfurled
Some say that the G8, IMF and World Bank
Are organisations the masses should thank
But they have tried to enforce privatisation
As a condition for funding poor nations
The Tories under Thatcher, milk snatcher
Took on the NUM
Which had previously beaten them
Left good coal in the ground
Their economic theories were unsound
Closed down a lot of industry
Workers' struggles could have made us free
The City of London is now key
To the UK's economy
After the run on Northern Rock
Bankers and regulators are in the dock
Tony Blair didn't care
Gordon Brown is feeling down
He has no solution - we need revolution
So demonstrate in London this G20 time!
At G20 time they plot, so we can't just have fun
And the G20 suits that'll plot there are the bankers' allies in power
So overthrow them - be clever not just sour
They're hearing only bad news on Radio Africa
They're hearing only sad news on Radio Africa
The West still complains about giving foreign aid
They'd do better to change the terms of the trade
Exchange means and recession means
It all means it's harder to take
But the masses' will to struggle, they will not break
The greatest gift we can give them is socialism
When we all rule the world
No rich or poor any more
Do they know it's G20 time at all?
I'm urging people to demonstrate
But what the masses want, I won't dictate
If some want capitalism, that's fine by me
As long as there's real democracy
Change the world
Change the world
Change the world
Demonstrate, let them know it's G20 time
-- Repeat to end --

 

Saturday 28 March, 11am, Embankment, Central London. Demonstration organised by Put People First (http://www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk), with the support of many trade unions and the TUC, charities and campaigning organisations.

 

Wednesday 1 April, G20 Meltdown in the City - Financial Fools Day. Carnival parades from four London railway stations to Bank of England. For details, go to http://www.g-20meltdown.org.

 

Thursday 2 April, Central London. Demonstration called by Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, The British Muslim Initiative and CND. For details, go to http://www.stopwar.org.uk.

 

 

PS Some of you will be aware that I have started writing a book called "Revolution Destroyed? Have I ensured that a world socialist revolution will never happen?", and quite probably be of the opinion that I am mucking things up for socialists. A new introduction, that I have written most of, will hopefully correct that impression (for some of you anyway). I have put a draft on-line at http://www.revolutiondestroyed.net/introduction.htm and will finish it soon (after discussions in Manchester on the economic crisis and what alternative ideas for running society we should put forward).

 

--
Steve Wallis (Manchester, England)
Preferred email address: revolutionarysocialiststeve@...
Super-blog: http://www.twitter.com/socialiststeve
Other blogs: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/steve-wallis-socialist-blog,
http://blog.myspace.com/galaxiasteve
My socialist website: http://www.socialiststeve.me.uk
My pages at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1038291480, MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/galaxiasteve and Bebo:
http://www.bebo.com/SteveW519
Founder, Ethical Capitalism Network: http://www.ethicalcapitalism.net
Founder, Foundation for Proportional Representation-based Socialism: http://www.PRsocialism.org
Founder, Revolutionary Platform Network: http://www.revolutionaryplatform.net
My revolutionary socialist band, Galaxia: http://www.galaxiamusic.net,http://www.myspace.com/galaxiamusic, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Galaxia-a-revolutionary-socialist-band/84310120180, http://www.bebo.com/galaxiamusic.
My socialist band, Red Day: http://www.red-day.net, http://www.myspace.com/reddayband,http://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Day/27468311341
Author, "Revolution Destroyed? Have I ensured that a world socialist revolution will never happen?": http://www.revolutiondestroyed.net
For discussion of the credit crunch, go to
http://www.revolutionaryplatform.net/forum/index.php?board=156
For discussion of 9/11 conspiracy theories, go to http://www.revolutionaryplatform.net/forum/index.php?board=89