Pity Labour Party stalwart David Lambert, 60, who walked for eight days from Stroud to Islington in order to show love, honour and devotion to his Leader by chaining himself and three comrades to the Leader’s garden fence. This was part of the XR protest last week. Chagrin, then, that the Leader ignored the Stroud Four and refused to accept a gift of chocolates (fair trade of course) wrapped in a “love hamper”.
In a classic piece of self-criticism that would have done credit to the Cultural Revolution, the four refused to blame the Leader. An unchained but chastened Richard House, 64, was quoted in the Times saying, “We feel some guilt to have done something that has placed someone’s family life under duress.” Tracey Williams, 55, added, “we’re decrying our own action, and that shows the gravity of the situation.” And they had to endure seeing themselves – enchaîné – pictured on the Times' front page.
As Oscar Wilde almost said, you’d need a heart of stone to read about this without laughing. But as they are all from Stroud, and allowances have to be made, I feel a tribute is due:
There were four protesters from Stroud
Who wished to stand out from the crowd
So they went up to town
And sat chained on the ground
But their Leader was not to be wowed.
Respond