The National Minimum Wage

People campaigned for IT
And in exchange for their vote
They were promised IT
And when they got IT
They were happy for IT
They celebrated to be told IT
"Your soul is worth the bare minimum,
though if we could pay you any less,
make no mistake about it,
we would.
You are of MINIMAL value
The lowest of the low
The tapered end of the turd
By default
By decree
By law!
Sign on the dotted line:
........................
Admit and accept your new worth!"

And they did
And they smiled while doing it
And there were even tears
And this was progress.

On the 1st of April 1999
Almost 10% of the British workforce
celebrated the news that:
The soul did indeed exist
And was worth £3.60 an hour
The 1st of April
And no-one got the fucking joke.