The Shadow of Great Britain

368: 222 chapters Economist 368: 222 chapters Economist “The Parliamentary Reform Bill will be put to a vote again tomorrow, and Prime Minister Earl Charles Grey has warned his party members, ‘My patience has its limits!’”

“The Whig Party is making preliminary contact with the Tory Party, trying to persuade the opposition to change their stance”

“Duke Wellington: ‘I have always been consistent in my position, I oppose any election reform that might shake the foundations of Britain’”

“Sir Peel: ‘I hope Viscount Palmeston won’t get lost on his way to vote this time’”

“Viscount Palmeston retorted, ‘You needn’t worry, I have my map ready’”

“According to reliable information, if the Parliamentary Reform Bill is blocked again, Earl Grey may consider asking His Majesty the King to dissolve Parliament and hold a new general election”

Arthur sat with his feet on the desk, sinking into his office chair, his face almost buried by the various newspaper headlines about the parliamentary reform.

He muttered, “Are they really serious this time?”

Agares, sipping a steaming cup of tea with half-closed eyes, the Red Devil spoke up, “Is the Parliament performing that old and stinking long ‘Don Carlos’ again?

I must say, that play is the worst I’ve seen in London in recent years; it’s stinky, long and utterly uninteresting.”

Arthur’s eyes peeked out from the pile of newspapers, “Your taste is quite similar to Benjamin’s; he also told me earlier that ‘Don Carlos’ is the most insipid tragedy in the history of British drama.

I just don’t know if you, like him, for the sake of a slender waist, would be willing to wear the corsets of ladies.”

The Red Devil merely snorted at this remark, “No, no, no, Arthur, Disraeli probably said that mostly to curry favor with the Tory grandees.

After all, he had just joined the Tory Party and needed to attack a star of the Whig Party.

And Lord John Russell, the author of ‘Don Carlos’, is obviously a perfect target.”

First of all, Lord Russell’s fame is great enough, but his status within the Whig Party is not top-tier, talented yet gruff and reclusive, the older Whig stalwarts can’t stand his arrogance, those of similar age can’t tolerate his sarcastic tongue, and only those young and brainless ones dazzled by his celebrity halo are willing to flock to him.”

I must say, your Jewish friend knows how to pick his battles; by attacking Lord Russell, not only can he please the bigwigs of the Tory Party, but he can also secretly delight some members of the Whig Party.

However, I’m still surprised that Disraeli would follow your advice to join the Tory Party.

I always thought he would choose the relatively Jew-friendly Whig Party, especially now that even Rothschild has shown an inclination to abandon Duke Wellington and switch camps.”

Arthur, lighting up a cigarette, took a draw, “How could that be?

Benjamin is a smart man; he knows all about buying low and selling high and is not as clueless about his own importance as Alexander.

Rothschild can switch allegiances because the Whig Party is willing to welcome a wealthy family capable of shaking the London Financial City.

For the Whig Party in its prime, one more or less young man, like Benjamin, with a bit of fame as a fashionable novelist and at most, an ‘English’ editor, won’t make much difference—why would they entrust him with an important role?

But the Tory Party is different; they’ve just lost their ruling position, and their public image is terrible.

Whether it’s the neutral newspapers like ‘The Times’ and ‘The Manchester Guardian’, or radical ones like ‘The Observer’, they all condemn the Tory members as the source of Britain’s corrupt politics.

At this point, if they can get a novelist with a good image in the public eye, a political newbie without much scandal, although it won’t be a great gain, it’s still somewhat helpful.”

Moreover, Benjamin’s chosen political slogan is very clever; he advocates for reviving the ancient noble spirit forgotten in the corner, praising the pastoral rural life, and putting the blame for society’s moral degeneration squarely on the materialistic overflows brought by the industrial era.

I’ve heard that the Priests quite appreciate his views, and the noble youth also agree with his philosophy.”

As for Sir Peel, although Benjamin’s views conflict with his principles, out of the need to unite the party, he has not opposed him directly.

From the current momentum, it seems that within the Tory Party, everyone agrees that replacing Bernie Harrison’s parliamentary seat with Benjamin is a very appropriate move.”

Agares covered his mouth in feigned surprise, “Oh!

Arthur, listen to what you’re saying.

Do you think that’s right?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, “Right?

No, I just think Benjamin’s proposal is at least better than Bernie Harrison’s.

Agares, you’ve witnessed the rise and fall of human society for thousands of years; you should know that most of the time, we’re only heading from bad to worse.

Now that we’ve been lucky enough to avoid the worse, that’s already as good as it gets.

How could I still wish for it to be right?

Besides, Benjamin, although a bit pretentious, is very adaptable.

He’s even willing to wear a corset for a slender waist, so what is it that he couldn’t possibly do?”