In the Bretonian Parliament

[pbrione]

As the debate in the Lords ploughed on, the House of Commons had, by now, been in a state of uproar for the last two days. The staunch opposition of the more conservative MPs to the Constitutional proposals had split the House, including many of Worthington's key Cabinet Ministers, with the traditionalist Lord Chancellor, Lord Russell, threatening to resign should the motion be passed. In a desperate effort to reach a compromise that would not destroy his government, Prime Minister Worthington had proposed a Bill that would postpone any Constitutional amendments for 6 months, until such time as a Parliamentary Commission had had time to fully investigate and report on the Condition of the Realm, and assess the need for such a measure. Unfortunately, this compromise suited neither the traditionalists nor the progressive movement, and proved a political miscalculation on his part which only served to make Worthington look weak and indecisive.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, and determined to block Worthington's delaying Bill, the strong military lobby had joined forces with Mountbatten's growing progressive faction, and the defection of several key members of Worthington's government, including the Defence Minister James Ralston, gave this new coalition a potential majority in the Commons and Lords.

By now the chaos had spilled back over into the House of Lords, and with the Prime Minister stuck in the Commons, here Mountbatten and his allies were able to begin to undermine the government's position without Worthington having a chance to defend himself.

"Order! Order! .....Order I say!! You shall quiet yourselves or be ejected from this Chamber! Lord Carlile, please be seated! ......The Speaker recognises Lord Canning, Earl of Malmesbury."

Lord Canning, one of Mountbatten's closest allies and a skilled orator and political negociator, rose steadily to his feet. He paused for a moment, waiting for the Chamber to fall silent, and stared dramatically around, being careful to make eye contact with those key wavering members whom he needed to convert.

"My Lords. As you are well aware, we live in difficult times. The Kusari are at the gates; without action soon Harris may well be lost. In Dublin and Edinburgh, political instability threatens constantly to overcome us. Our economy is in dire condition, ever weakened by our taxing trade blockade in Tau. The people are discontent, years of rationing are lowering their morale day by day. And who can blame them? Who here can honestly say that their grievences are not justifed? I for one can certainly sympathise with their concerns. Yet what is being done by this government to address them? Hmm? What, if anything, is our government, our Prime Minister, doing to strengthen the Bretonian Crown and aid its subjects? Proposing a Six Month Parliamentary Commission, to investigate and report on the Condition of Bretonia."

Many of the Lords jeered and laughed mockingly, whilst those still loyal to the government sank down further into their chairs, looking abashed. It really had been a dreadful proposal. Canning smiled and looked round, encouraging the noise, before waving them back down into silence

"Six months. In six months, this great nation could well be on its knees. We could be overrun by our enemies, both inside and out, and by then it would not be a Constitution we were signing, but a declaration of surrender. The choice is not, as our government would have you beleive, between preserving or weakening the Crown, not at all. It is a choice between regulating the Crown, or handing it over to the Kusari Emperor."

"Only if we stand united, by unifying our government, our Police, our Armed Forces and our great and beloved Queen, under a single, simplified system, can we ever hope of succeeding in defeating our enemies and preserving our Bretonian way of life. The present tangle of bureaucracy is too slow, too inefficient, to pass the necessary legislation that we need. This new Constitution is our last chance; our only chance. And the Prime Minister's proposed Parliamentary Commission, with its cumbersome and painstakingly slow investigation, would damn us all to oblivion."

"I know, as many of you do, that this government Amendment Bill will be seen as a referendum on the Prime Minister's leadership. Its failure will, no doubt, be seen as an expression of no confidence in the government of Prime Minister Worthington. This is...regrettable. I for one feel great loyalty to the Prime Minister," he lied convincingly, "and sincerely beleive that he has done a fine job of governing our nation thus far. But be in no mistake - fail this Bill must. Whatever our loyalties, whatever our doubts, we must ensure that the Amendment Bill is blocked, so that we can press ahead with Constitutional reform now, not in six or twelve months time. If the cost of doing so is the downfall of the Prime Minister then, I regret to say, it is a price we shall have to pay."

As he resumed his seat, the House remained deathly silent for several seconds, as the Lords slowly digested his controversial, yet much needed words. Secretly, it was what many of them had been thinking, even if they dared not express it out loud. Slowly, there began a great tidal wave of noise, as the rest of Mountbatten's allies began to applaud and cheer their approval, whilst those remaining loyal to the government started to shout out in protest...the room returned into chaos once more...

"Order! Let there be silence, please, my Lords. Order...........

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Sir Stanley Nelson




<span style="color:#000066">Charles Canning </span><span style="color:#000066"> Foreign Secretary</span>