The Podium

Questions have been raised Lines have been prepared The position is evolving The truth has been declared I came here to be clear with you Clarity is what I bring Subject to the latest view On the truth of anything Yesterday the fact was true A hill on which I’d proudly fall Today the fact is not quite true And I was never there at all The cameras find the angle The aides adjust the light The words arrive behind me And I make them sound like right I firmly stand my ground here The ground may move, of course I hold my stated principle Then redirect its force There is my red line, burning It looks kind of orange now This is the hill I die on On this copy of the map I have always been consistent Once consistency was briefed I have always shown good judgement Once the judgement was received I was clear in saying one thing I am clear in saying two I reject the crude suggestion That the first thing was my view Minister! Clarify! Polling says- Legal says- People feel- Headlines say- The wording changed at midday The briefing changed at two So I put on fresh conviction And said the thing was new I firmly stand my ground here The ground may move, of course I hold my stated principle Then redirect its force There is my red line, burning It looks kind of orange now This is the hill I die on On this copy of the map Some have called this a reversal That is not the term I’d use I have changed what I would say now Not the thing I claim is true I have walked a difficult journey From the sentence to the clause From the thing I said with passion To the thing that gets applause I will not apologise For listening very hard To the latest run of headlines And the polling on the chart The podium waited for a leader And received the latest line I stand exactly where I stood At the safest point in time If the court should move the mountain If the headline turns the tide If the party finds a formula With survivability inside If the pollster brings a warning If the donor brings a frown If the evening shows get restless If the feed starts bearing down Then I will take the difficult choice To show the courage to agree With the thing that now appears to be The safest place for me This is the line This is the line This is the line At the present time That was the line This is the line Lines mature In real time I did not change direction The map was changed below me I did not leave the battlefield The field was moved to show me I did not drop my values They were carried from the room And returned in safer language With a footer and a form So let me be quite clear again As clear as I can be The truth requires courage And the courage now agrees with me I firmly stand my ground here The ground may move, of course I hold my stated principle Then redirect its force There is my red line, burning It looks kind of orange now This is the hill I die on On this copy of the map I firmly stand my ground here The ground beneath me moved I never left the record The record was improved I have always been quite clear here Once clarity was supplied The podium does not wander It merely turns with the tide Questions have been raised Lines have been prepared The position is evolving The room has been prepared I stand exactly where I stood Once the ground beneath me moved