The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1702: Chapter 62: London Reversed: The Power of Hastings_2

The second week of the election saw London’s political landscape quietly reshaping. Although the Whig Party had firmly held all eighteen seats in Greater London since the 1832 Parliamentary reform, the Conservative Party made breakthroughs in several key districts, leveraging the momentum from the ”Tamworth Manifesto”. Even some districts previously deemed ”Whig strongholds” showed significant signs of loosening.

In the Financial City, the Whig Party, long favored by commercial capital, remained firmly positioned. However, Peel’s agenda of fiscal reform gained some traction among a minority in the financial sector. Should the Conservative Party succeed in regaining their former allies, such as the ”old school bankers” represented by Rothschild, they might narrow the gap in this area.

Meanwhile, in the Whig Party stronghold of Westminster, continuous backdown by Earl Grey and Viscount Melbourne on the issue of Ireland Church reforms, coupled with the recent Westminster fires, had exhausted voters’ last bit of patience. While this most radical and liberal district in Britain was not likely to turn Conservative, the Whig Party still needed to watch out for independent candidates that might emerge.

In the traditionally liberal worker district of Southwark, a rare statement by the local Workers’ Association claiming ”Princess Victoria’s words represent our beliefs” unexpectedly shifted the political focus of centrist voters, sparking widespread sympathy for Officer Robert Cali. Should the Conservative Party mobilize these voters, clinching one of Southwark’s two seats might not be a fantasy.

Finsbury, a core area of reformists during the 1832 Parliamentary reform and a former Radical Party bastion, recently witnessed dissatisfaction among business owners due to the Whig Party’s lackluster stance on issues such as church schools and the English Poor Laws. Though the Conservatives did not expect to win here, their momentum was strong enough to push the election to a second round of counting.

Marylebone and Tower Hamlets currently seemed the most likely districts where seats could change hands.

Marylebone’s two seats, once safe for the Whigs, saw Conservative newcomer Dr. John Latham garner middle-class support with the campaign slogan ”Order and Frugality”, resonating particularly with real estate developers, pharmacists, and architects. As of now, the race for Marylebone remained tight, with neither the Conservative Party nor the Whig Party able to pull ahead.

As London’s district with the lowest average income and the highest crime rate, Tower Hamlets’ voters remained long dissatisfied with former Tory Party Cabinet policies and steadfastly supported parliamentary reform. Yet after the 1832 reform passed, Tower Hamlets only felt deceit and anger.

As the most fiercely contested district in this London election, the Conservative candidate Benjamin Disraeli became the city’s focal point following a memorial event for Officer Robert Cali. His speech at St Martin’s Church spread widely through Tower Hamlets.

According to a local survey, a week ago, Disraeli’s approval rating rapidly approached that of the current Whig Party MP, Sir John Lancaster. The latest survey report, released just yesterday, showed Disraeli’s approval rating surpassing by 1.7 percentage points, making him the district’s most popular candidate.

Once published, this data sparked heated discussion in working-class areas like Whitechapel, Poplar, and Stepney.

”That young novelist understands our days better than the old Whig gang.” commented a dockworkers’ union member at a rally.

Meanwhile, anxiety within the Whig camp was surfacing. A support rally scheduled for this weekend in Tower Hamlets was abruptly canceled, with a Whig Party spokesperson attributing it to venue permit issues. However, insider sources revealed that an internal proposal by the Dockworkers’ Association to support Sir John Lancaster was voted down in the latest council meeting, suggesting their stance in this election had shifted to neutral.

Conversely, the Conservative Party’s street-level campaigning intensified.

Posters from the Disraeli camp at the West Indies Pier read: Someone willing to listen to the night’s winds deserves your vote.

In marketplaces across Stepney and Bethnal Green, volunteers distributed leaflets with Disraeli’s portrait door-to-door.

In the past week, Disraeli’s supporters organized three forums targeting new voters, sequentially inviting the ”Conscience of Britain” Charles Dickens, the ”Uncrowned King of Fashion Novels” Alexander Dumas, and the ”Destined Laureate Poet” Alfred Tennyson to rally.

Benjamin Disraeli, a young author known for political novels and satirical poetry, lacked noble lineage or familial territories, with no traditional ”inherited vote base”. Nonetheless, our newspaper can responsibly assert that his victory in Tower Hamlets is on the horizon.

...

London, Gower Street, University of London.

The morning after rain bore a damp and hazy air, with a few droplets hanging from the office window’s ledge.

Arthur sat behind the old, spacious desk, cheek resting on his left hand, flipping through piles of newly arrived newspapers nonchalantly with his right.

He flipped through them quickly, too quickly, as if not reading the papers but rather reviewing his spoils of war like a general after a battle.

”She isn’t the Queen, but we’d stand and applaud for her.”

”The one among us who remains: To Cali, and to the Nation.”

”Conservative Candidate Gains Ground in Multiple London Districts.”

”The Whigs Are No Longer Unshakable.”

Flipping them over one by one, each headline seemed like a flag planted on enemy territory.

Arthur’s mouth twitched, a hint of a smile.

He glanced at his pocket watch, then slowly put it away, closing it.

”The counting in Tower Hamlets should be over by now.”

Bang!

A sudden cannon-like sound exploded in the office.

Agares shook the colorful confetti off himself, grinning playfully like a New Year greeter towards Arthur: ”Congratulations, congratulations, the Hastings Party... oh, no, it’s the Conservative Party that won a seat in Tower Hamlets!”

With his hands behind his back, Arthur couldn’t be bothered with the troublesome Devil, yet out of curiosity, he asked: ”By how much did Benjamin win?”

The Red Devil didn’t bother lying: ”782 votes to 639 votes.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow: ”Quite a win, more than I expected.”

”Wouldn’t you go and listen to the young Jew’s victory speech? West Indies Pier is quite lively now.”

”Me? I’m not going. Standing on the West Indies Pier allows you to look towards the Tower of London; my appearance there might recall some unfriendly memories in certain people.”

”Afraid of taking another shot?”

”Getting shot isn’t an issue, it wouldn’t be the first time anyway. But if I were to get shot again, it’d better be somewhere worthwhile.”

Agares chuckled twice: ”You’re really an old bureaucrat. Clearly, you’re the main architect of Tower Hamlets’ victory, from the whispers at Nightingale Mansion, the setup in Kensington, to Robert Cali’s memorial event, and Disraeli and Victoria’s speeches, each step was perfect... Now that the grand plan’s complete, why act so humble? Won’t you even drink a toast?”

Arthur didn’t respond to his jibe, only saying quietly, ”Maybe.”

He walked to the window, where, through the drizzle, a small newsboy was waving a freshly printed, still steaming copy of The Times at the end of the street, shouting hoarsely: ”Disraeli declares victory! Conservatives advance on Whitechapel!”