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What does "Under the last lot. Under the new lot" mean in this passage:

Paul: Have you ever seen me cry? Do I look like a man who cries? Has there ever been a day … ? Christ, we’ve known each other for fucking generations. Under the last lot. Under the new lot. We’ve been together for so fucking long. And have I ever been a crying man?

It's from a play called "The Cut" by Mark Ravenhill.

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The Cut is (according to Wikipedia) partially about governments, and so "this lot" means the present government, "the last lot" means the previous government, normally of another party. Especially with "under".

In informal UK English, a "lot" can mean group of people, in a slightly disparaging way. A sergeant might address soldiers: "You lot, get ready!". And is very frequently used for governments, management groups, owners of football teams, the groups of players.

OED: lot 16. a. A group of people gathered together; a company, a party; (now usually) a number of people associated in some way by the speaker or writer. Chiefly with of or a determiner such as this, that, or other. Now colloquial and often depreciative.

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  • Thank you very much. about the title "The Cut" what word we can use besides that, to describe the meaning specifically for a non-english reader
    – user90219
    Commented May 4, 2019 at 19:09
  • Alternative for "cut" ?
    – jonathanjo
    Commented May 4, 2019 at 19:10
  • Yes, Alternative for "cut"
    – user90219
    Commented May 4, 2019 at 19:12
  • Cut is used for any kind: with scissors, with a knife, for a surgical operation, in gardening, cooking -- everything. It is also used for financial reductions, an politically in the UK, "the cuts" would normally mean reducing public services to save public money. It also has a meaning in "make the cut" to qualify, achieve a passing mark in an exam, or similar. I really don't know how many of these meanings Ravenhill is using, but it's probably several of these!
    – jonathanjo
    Commented May 4, 2019 at 19:25
  • Wow, Thank you. it's hard to choose a specific word, so, I guess it's rather political than Medical. In the Text, Paul character is surgent who do the cut on people.
    – user90219
    Commented May 4, 2019 at 19:32

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