Poor Yosser!

Yesterday signs began appearing in Elswick much to the delight of our old friend the Reverend Roberts. He does always seem to be the first to know when local anti-fracking signs are damaged or the occasional pro-fracking signs go up doesn’t he. Hmmm – now why could that be?

Anyway Michael was so pleased with himself, (being a Rev of the people, as he is) that he thought he’d Tweet a cultural reference to Alan Bleasdale’s 80s TV drama “Boys from The BlFrack Stuff” to show what a trendy vicar he really is.

Poor MadRev

Initially we were not sure that tweeting a reference to Yosser Hughes the desperate anti-hero of an 80s anti-Thatcherite black comedy was a good idea. However, on reflection, Yosser’s hopeless refrain of ‘Gissa Job’ described as “almost a requiem for the old working-class community that is being destroyed” does seem strangely appropriate, given that fracking offers few, if any, employment prospects to the unqualified unemployed struggling against austerity in George Osborne’s Britain.

Yosser Hughes

Local people may indeed want fracking jobs but sadly the American experience has shown that claims made by the industry have been highly exaggerated and job creation has been “very modest”.

Ultimately Yosser Hughes may be more emblematic of fracking’s bitter future than the Reverend Roberts intended.