The story of a place called Mouseland

Originally by Clarence Gillis, as told by Tommy Douglas
Information Clearing House | You Tube

English | Spanish

It’s the story of a place called Mouseland.

Mouseland was a place where all the little mice lived and played, were born and died. And they lived much the same as you and I do.

They even had a Parliament. And every four years they had an election. Used to walk to the polls and cast their ballots. Some of them even got a ride to the polls. And got a ride for the next four years afterwards too. Just like you and me. And every time on election day all the little mice used to go to the ballot box and they used to elect a government. A government made up of big, fat, black cats.

Now if you think it strange that mice should elect a government made up of cats, you just look at the history of Canada for last 90 years and maybe you’ll see that they weren’t any stupider than we are.

Now I’m not saying anything against the cats. They were nice fellows. They conducted their government with dignity. They passed good laws–that is, laws that were good for cats. But the laws that were good for cats weren’t very good for mice.

One of the laws said that mouseholes had to be big enough so a cat could get his paw in. Another law said that mice could only travel at certain speeds–so that a cat could get his breakfast without too much effort.

All the laws were good laws. For cats.

But, oh, they were hard on the mice. And life was getting harder and harder. And when the mice couldn’t put up with it any more, they decided something had to be done about it. So they went en masse to the polls. They voted the black cats out. They put in the white cats.

Now the white cats had put up a terrific campaign. They said:

“All that Mouseland needs is more vision.”

They said:

“The trouble with Mouseland is those round mouseholes we got. If you put us in we’ll establish square mouseholes.”

And they did. And the square mouseholes were twice as big as the round mouseholes, and now the cat could get both his paws in. And life was tougher than ever. And when they couldn’t take that anymore, they voted the white cats out and put the black ones in again.

Then they went back to the white cats. Then to the black cats. They even tried half black cats and half white cats. And they called that coalition. They even got one government made up of cats with spots on them: they were cats that tried to make a noise like a mouse but ate like a cat.

You see, my friends, the trouble wasn’t with the colour of the cat. The trouble was that they were cats. And because they were cats, they naturally looked after cats instead of mice.

Presently there came along one little mouse who had an idea. My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea. And he said to the other mice,

“Look fellows, why do we keep on electing a government made up of cats? Why don’t we elect a government made up of mice?”

“Oh,” they said,

“he’s a Bolshevik. Lock him up!”

So they put him in jail.
But I want to remind you: that you can lock up a mouse or a man but you can’t lock up an idea.

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VIDEO: Mouseland, introduced by Keifer Sutherland and Narrated by Tommy Douglas (6 1/2 min)

 

Clarence (Clarie) Gillis, MP (1895-1960) was a Canadian trade unionist and Social Democrat politician known as a defender of the working-man; Tommy Douglas (1904 -1986) was one of Canada’s best known New Democrats.

Sources: Information Clearing House | YouTube

 

‘Mouseland’, una metáfora de la ‘lobbycracia’

Por Rosi Morera
Mangas Verdes

inglés | español

Andaba ayer corriendo por la Red el vídeo donde Santamaría intenta copiar el discurso de Lisa Simpson. Cualquier parecido con la realidad es un piropo indiscutible para la vicepresidenta, a la que se le quedó la boca seca como la suela de un zapato desde el inicio de su comparecencia. Estará contenta, ¿quién no quiere que se le compare con una de las niñitas más ecologistas, sensatas y queridas de la televisión? No me queda muy claro si el vídeo que pretende ser viral salió de las filas azules o las rojas.

Si me dan a elegir un viral, me quedo con este otro viejo vídeo que no maquilla la verdad. Es directo, sencillo y sincero. La historia de ‘Mouseland’ (léase tierra de ratones, España, Francia, Alemania, EE.UU., Colombia, Perú…). Una conocida fábula política que siempre está de actualidad porque la historia se repite una y otra vez.

Mouseland, la historia que se repite

Contada por primera vez por Clarence Gillis, fue Tommy Douglas, prominente activista y político, elegido en 2004 como “El canadiense más grande de todos los tiempos” quien difundió y popularizó ‘Mouseland’. Más tarde, el Nuevo Partido Democrático de Canadá también la hizo suya. Ante tal bolchevique mensaje, en 2006, Brad Wall, líder del partido de la oposición, parodió Mouseland, presentándolo como un lugar en el que los ratones eran seres malvados y destructivos… y vuelta a empezar.

Con la aprobación en España de leyes que claramente atentan contra el interés general y el progreso tecnológico y económico para satisfacer los deseos de sectores muy determinados, como el es caso de la denominada ‘Ley Sinde‘ o ya ‘LeySinde-Wert‘, esta metáfora de la ‘lobbycracia‘ (el Gobierno de los intereses particulares) cobra de nuevo actualidad. Claro, que la única solución posible sigue estando en manos de los ‘ratones’. Todo es cuestión de despertar.

 

VIDEO: “Mouseland” Subtítulos en español (5 min)

 

Fuente: Mangas Verdes | You Tube| Imagen: “No vote por el partido sin diferencia”