The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
But leaves the greater villain loose
Who steals the common from off the goose.
The law demands that we atone
When we take things we do not own
But leaves the lords and ladies fine
Who take things that are yours and mine.’
This was a 17th century protest against English enclosures. Enclosure was the process by which land in Britain which had been traditionally farmed by peasants was enclosed by those who technically held the deeds. It ceased to be land for communal use, usually transformed into private pasture or hunting grounds, which resulted in vast numbers of dispossessed poor and a process of steady depopulation of the countryside. Various versions of this anonymous verse exist – it’s a cry against the effects of unbridled private ownership and neoliberal values. Still relevant today, perhaps? (The backdrop, if you were wondering, is from a painting by a 19th century Italian artist, Antonio Montemezzo.)
