A modern re-telling of the famed holiday classic highlighting the 2019 year in Manitoba politics. Read by the kind and friendly MTS General Secretary Roly Stankevicius.

‘Twas the Night Before New Year’s

By George Stephenson
with our yearly tip of the hat to Clement Clarke Moore, 1779-1863

‘Twas the night before New Year’s,
we looked back in thought,
To examine the past year and all that it brought.
The year was electric and touched many souls,
The New Year will show us for whom the bell tolls.

The commissioners were nestled all snug in their beds,
While changes to schools danced in their heads.
They’ve heard from the teachers, are thinking it through,
Now we wait for the review to make its debut.

And down at the Leg. politicians rose from their slumber,
The premier had called an election in summer.
The bummer in the summer went just as planned,
With Pallister and friends still in command.

He argued against taking any carbon tax,
On climate change the people should just relax.
In fighting global warming, he showed us the way,
With a stroke of his pen, he froze teachers’ pay.

Soon after that vote we went back to the polls,
A battle of people and Internet trolls.
The ballots themselves had a certain ring,
Trudeau, May, Scheer, and Jagmeet Singh.

In the end it was Trudeau, sans his black face,
Who came out on top in this moribund race.
His victory for him was bitter sweet,
He now has to work with his new friend Jagmeet.

While the results left many slightly dismayed,
It seemed the whole globe was becoming quite frayed.
More rapid than eagles the issues they came,
It was easy to see them and call them by name.

Now Chile! now, Turkey! now, Hong Kong and Brexit!
On, Ukraine! on Russia! on, Impeachment and Wexit!
To the top of the news! To the top of the ‘net,
It was enough to make even the comatose sweat.

Hurricanes, typhoons and tornadoes they churned,
While California and the Amazon rainforest burned.
While it may have seemed like Apocalypse Now,
There was certainly good news we can’t disavow.

There was joy in old England as a Royal gave birth,
And kids led the adults in protecting the earth.
Students were the ones beating the drums,
On climate inaction and controlling of guns.

NASA declared the globe was now greener,
And plastic use dropped to make the sea cleaner.
The Avengers and Lion King were movies to see,
While Argentina declared itself Malaria-free.

Your teachers’ union finished its one hundredth year,
The accomplishments made could only bring cheer.
We can only exclaim as the year drifts from sight,
Happy New Year, to all; we can still get it right.