It's time politics received poetic justice> vid
On a visit to Hull, newly-appointed Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy spoke of the need for a radical overhaul of politics.
Her comments came as dozens of people packed into Zest in Newland Avenue, west Hull, to hear her give a reading.
The visit kick-started the annual Humber Mouth literature festival, which showcases artists, authors and speakers.
It also came at the end of a challenging week for the region's seven MPs, during which they refused to answer questions posed by the Mail in relation to their expenses claims.
Ms Duffy, who was appointed the first female poet laureate last month by the Queen on the advice of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, claimed her latest poem Politics was not inspired by the expenses row.
Instead, the 53-year-old said the poem was about "wheeling and dealing" and "weasel words", which corrode society and the corridors of power.
However, the mother-of-one conceded the public uproar was very much "in the atmosphere" at the time she put pen to paper.
Asked if her audience would interpret the work as an attack on the MPs' expenses system, she said: "Once the poem exists, the reader has a relationship with that poem.
"I am happy with that interpretation."
Pressed further, Glasgow-born Ms Duffy, who holds an honorary doctorate at the University of Hull, said she believed there needed to be an overhaul of the political system.
She said: "What is perhaps invisibly written into Politics is the yearning for a new type of politics, which I think we will see soon.
"Party politics does not work anymore. It is not good enough anymore. We need the best people in our country to come together and meet the challenges we will face, which will be huge."
Among those who queued outside the café-bar to listen to Ms Duffy was Michael Good, who has just finished a Masters in creative writing at the University of Hull.
The 23-year-old, of west Hull, said: "The job of the Poet Laureate is to promote poetry and get it across to the masses, which she will do.
"Carol Ann Duffy is an excellent catalyst for poetry. A lot of her stuff is true to life. She tackles the difficult issues and is accessible."
Established in 1993, Humber Mouth is managed by Hull City Council and part-funded by the Arts Council.
The festival runs until July 7.
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy
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