Genre:

Poetry

Subjects:

Government, Politics, Public Health, Sanitation, Class, Utilitarianism, Progress, Nationalism

    Written from the perspective of a poor law guardian, who lambasts the attack on the 'good old British' principle of 'self-government' 'for the sake o' paupers scurvy'. Ridicules the proposed solutions to this problem and scorns the need for and cost of calls for paupers to have clean water, warmth, food, and proper medical attention. Later asks, 'Wot's the use o ' spendin' money to improve what's past improvin'?' and emphasises his belief that centralisation is a threat to the hard-won 'British Constitootion'.