UK Politics

The Poor Are Always With Us

Marcus wrote here the other day: “Seminary or science ? I’ll take the latter. Unlike religion it doesn’t start from the asssumption that the poor are always with us.”

Having spent several days away from the joys of Google I had to endure that old-fashioned, pre-internet, experience of wracking your brains trying to remember where you had heard that line before.

And on the train last night I remembered and at home Google confirmed:

Jesus was a conjuror, miracles were his game
And he fed the hungry thousands and they glorified his name
He cured the lame and the lepers, he calmed the wind and the weather
And the wretched flocked to touch him so their troubles would be taken
And Jesus knew the answer
All you who labour, all you who suffer only believe in me
But Judas sought a world where no one starved or begged for bread
The poor are always with us, Jesus said

It comes from Leon Rosselson’s song Stand Up For Judas.

I’ll leave it to the lawyers here to determine whether Rosselson’s song of praise to Judas (which I know from the rousing Dick Gaughan version) could be considered as ‘hateful’.