What happens when the people asking for protection
stop believing it will be applied equally?
I Don’t Think You Have, Mate takes aim at the perception of two-tier policing in Britain, moving through protests, public disorder, speech and violent crime to question whether political sensitivity has begun to influence who receives scrutiny, sympathy and protection. Its title turns one brief exchange into the song’s refrain: a statement of disbelief becoming an accusation about trust in the institutions expected to enforce the law.
Flags in the street, but only the wrong ones get snatched
Lads on the corner, they turn the other cheek
While grannies get raided for a mean tweet
“Community cohesion” that’s the brief
One side throws bricks, gets a polite chat
Other side waves a banner, riot van’s on the mat
Stabbings in the park, but swift only on the chat
Priorities twisted like a bureaucrat’s knot
They kneel for the cause when the cameras roll
But a kid on the ground? Just another patrol
“I don’t think you have, mate” as the blood hits the floor
“I’ve been stabbed” , “Nah, you’re fine, settle the score.”
Handcuffs on the victim while the killer stands tall
Two-tier justice, watching Britain fall
“I don’t think you have, mate”, the words that kill
Protect the narrative, ignore the spill
From Southport to the streets, the pattern’s clear
Don’t think you have rights… not if you’re from here
Nowak on the pavement, bleeding out slow
Told ’em straight up, but they already know
Who to believe when the script’s been sold
Racial abuse claim better safe than bold
Rudakubana flowers? Nah, the real blooms of grief
Ignored reports, hushed whispers, no relief
Grooming gangs whisper while the papers sleep
But a tweet gone viral? Full SWAT team
“I don’t think you have, mate” as the blood hits the floor
“I’ve been stabbed” – “Nah, you’re fine, settle the score.”
Handcuffs on the victim while the killer stands tall
Two-tier justice, watching Britain fall
“I don’t think you have, mate” the words that kill
Protect the narrative, ignore the spill
From Southport to the streets, the pattern’s clear
Don’t think you have rights… not if you’re from here
One rule for the favoured, one for the rest
“Far-right” label sticks to your chest
While the real trouble hides behind the vest
Of diversity quotas and fear of the press
How many more Nowaks before they confess?
The two tiers are cracking under the stress
“I don’t think you have, mate…”
“I don’t think you have…”
Don’t think you have justice today
The song was prompted by the case of Henry Nowak. After Nowak said that he had been stabbed while being detained by police, an officer responded, “I don’t think you have, mate.” That exchange became the title and central refrain of the song, and a starting point for its wider anger about policing, institutional judgement and the perception of unequal treatment under the law.