Chapter 467 Commissioners Return to London
“Ireland’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth is a wake-up call for Britain at the present time.” The telegram, which contained little, was turned over and over in Alan Wilson’s hands, as if there was much more than that in the short telegram.
Greta Garbo, who was carrying the baby in her arms, saw this and asked, “Is it time to leave?”
“London summons colonial commissioners to return to London.” Alan Wilson’s gaze swept over the baby boy in Greta Garbo’s arms, and with an apology, he said, “In fact, it originally had nothing to do with me, but it was only because my position as the administrator of Newfoundland did not expire. So I was among the list of those recalled.”
“Since it’s the London government that’s summoning you, you’ll go back.” Greta Garbo spoke kindly, “Don’t worry about me, I’m capable of taking care of a child, still.”
“I just feel that time is getting more and more insufficient.” Alan Wilson was a little sad, but it was not entirely because of the time management factor moody, just completed a job in Newfoundland, only after more than a month, Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth, this day is also too difficult to live.
On December 21, Ireland officially left the British Commonwealth, which for Allen Wilson, who had just achieved a grand ambition in Newfoundland, was equivalent to the flame of hope that had just risen being doused by a bubble of urine.
“I’m still recovering, so I won’t see you off, so be safe back home.” Greta Garbo gently put the soundly sleeping baby down and softened her voice, “The little man who is busier than the Prime Minister, is there anything else that you have any misgivings about?”
“How about a family photo, right here with you, the kid should always know who I am when he gets a little older, right?” Alan Wilson immediately went along with a sensible and reasonable request as soon as he heard these kind words.
Greta Garbo squinted her eyes, seeing the expectant look on the face of the man in front of her, and gently nodded her head.
The baby that was woken up cried and cried, and was finally put to sleep by his mother before completing this family photo.
Newfoundland was Britain’s earliest overseas colony, but there are different interpretations of this issue if Ireland is included. British rule over Ireland began in the twelfth century.
The centuries of British rule have made Ireland not so much a British territory as the earliest and closest piece of British colonies, and any other civilization, even the Pacifists, would not have let Ireland become independent so easily today after such a long period of rule.
But it happens to be the closest land to Britain that has been ruled for hundreds of years, and it is the one that Britain has been unable to get right. Riots broke out against Britain during WWI, and in WWII Ireland would have joined the German camp if Britain hadn’t been watching so closely.
Europe’s religious atmosphere, in fact, far more than the Middle East, Britain is the source of Anglicanism, and Ireland has always been a Catholic area, coupled with the British in the problem of ethnic assimilation, in the world are the bottom of the level, it caused a series of problems, potato disease, although the whole of Europe swept through the whole of the country, but the sole heavy hit Ireland.
It could be argued that Ireland was the standard heretic more hated than the infidel during British rule, and if the Irish nobility, with their native states in British India, had been taken seriously, things wouldn’t have evolved into what they are today.
It was only when he really began to serve Britain that Alan Wilson was able to feel the inherent problems that existed in Britain itself. There was a deep understanding that different civilizations have different strengths.
The time of being the Governor of Newfoundland, Britain is not without a little action, such as the sale of three Giant-class aircraft carriers, sold to Canada, Australia and the Netherlands, the sale of the Respectable to the Netherlands in May, together with the previous battleship Loathsome, so that the Royal Netherlands Navy has become a maritime force that has been not to be underestimated.
This time London summoned the colonial commissioners to return home, Allen Wilson is only one of them, but he returned to the country quickly, the United States McCarthy rise to the occasion is not yet, he has nothing to stay.
And call the colonial commissioners to return to the country, even if there is no part of him, he will find a way to squeeze in, not to mention the convening of the list would have his name.
This convocation, caused by Ireland’s secession from the British Commonwealth, was an order from Norman Brooke, the Cabinet Secretary, to discuss the problems encountered by the major civil colonies and ways to deal with them.
Arriving in London already on Christmas Day, with a gift for Hepburn through Alim, Alan Wilson reported to Whitehall to be met by Ismay, currently the Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office.
Ismay was the secretary general of British India, after returning home he took over as the permanent undersecretary of foreign affairs, and is now in charge of the day-to-day work of the foreign ministry, and Allen Wilson is also considered to have met.
“Please sit down, you should have also heard that Ireland has announced its withdrawal from the British Commonwealth. Since the end of the war, the British Empire’s territories have been on fire everywhere, first British India and Burma, then Newfoundland, and now Ireland.” Ismay motioned for Alan Wilson to sit down, then his mouth was full of words from the river, “Of course, the Newfoundland issue is being handled very well, London has communicated with Vancouver, and so far there is no opposition from Washington, so maybe we would have been happy for a while if the Irish issue hadn’t arisen.”
Ismay had been the Secretary General of British India and was acutely aware of how Allen Wilson, in two years’ time, had diverted attention while moving British India out of the way.
What surprised him the most was that the assistant commissioner of British India, who proved himself to be of great destructive power, went to Newfoundland and shifted to the position of administrator, and emptied Newfoundland of its debt in less than a year. It also got the local citizens to recognize the transformation into a Crown Dependency.
Ismay had to admit he’d looked the other way; this Mountbatten son-in-law seemed more than destructive.
What surprised him most was that the two Cabinet Secretaries before and after him had held the young official in high regard, and Norman Brooke, when he recalled the Colonial Commissioners, had specifically mentioned that the list was to include Alan Wilson.
“Honorable Permanent Secretary, are you chairing the meeting?” Allen Wilson opened his mouth to ask, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Colonies, the Ministry of Indian Affairs, the Commonwealth Ministry in the past one or two years changes extremely frequently, as if the British Empire’s territories are on fire everywhere, this time the major colonial commissioners returned home, I do not know exactly what to discuss.
“No, it was Sir Norman himself who chaired the meeting.” Ismay answered very plainly, seemingly not feeling that something was wrong, and took the initiative to say, “Sir Norman has asked you to meet him when you return.”
“Understood, Sir Ismay.” Alan Wilson stood up directly to pay his respects, and then exited the office backwards.
The colonial commissioners who had been summoned back to London on this occasion included the commissioners of British Basutoland, British Bechuana, British Togo, British Cameroon, British Gold Coast, British Kenya, British Nyasaland, British Sudan, British Zanzibar, British Malaya, and the protectorate of the Persian Gulf.
There is actually a group of British islands in the Americas, though not included in this recall. Similarly in Europe, Cyprus, and Gibraltar are no longer subject to recall.
After Alan Wilson left from Ismay, the Permanent Undersecretary of the Foreign Office, he went to wait in the office of the Cabinet Secretary, and in a short time Norman Brooke summoned Alan Wilson, “Alan, isn’t it a dull life being Consul in Boston?”
“A little so, but I’ve been doing my best to find a little something to do, and it’s been somewhat rewarding.” Although the biggest gain was the harvest of a son, this matter was a private matter, Allen Wilson did not think that Norman Brooke needed to know about it.
Norman Brooke nodded, then spoke, “I believe you already know about Ireland’s separation from the British Commonwealth, what are your thoughts on that.”
“Washed away my good feelings. Having only made a little achievement in Newfoundland, the complacency disappeared after learning the news.” Alan Wilson gave a bitterly honest laugh, “But there’s no way around it, there’s no reason for the Irish problem, it’s the result of eight hundred years of British incompetence, generation after generation. We’ve long since lost the chance to solve the problem, unless we’re the French.”
“Do you think it would have been better if the French had ruled Ireland than the situation we face today?” Norman Brooke narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Is that from a religious point of view?”
“Yes, if Ireland had been part of France, which I believe remains an integral part of the great France to this day. Of course it may not be good for us in England just the same.” Alan Wilson was honest and didn’t shy away from the Irish question just because it was a pain in the ass for Britain.
First of all France was the most powerful agricultural empire in Europe and with Ireland in French hands the Great Famine would never have occurred. Furthermore because of the difference in thinking between an island nation and a continental nation. France would not have treated Ireland as a colony for long and sooner or later would have given it native status.
And unlike England, which has been conquering Ireland since the twelfth century, after eight hundred years it can’t even do basic assimilation. Never mind if the French Catholic Filibuster was flirting with the idea that France and Ireland were of one faith, surely it would not be like England, where practicing heretics was more hateful than pagans.
“Well, it’s not too late to correct what’s happened, and this time I’ve summoned the commissioners of all the colonies in Africa and Asia back to London to finalize a response.” Norman Brooke mused for a moment, “Alan, you should also know what the colonies mean to civil servants, right?”
Alan Wilson nodded, of course he knew this all too well, the loss of a colony politicians don’t lose anything, but civil servants lose jobs, and space to fight against politicians, any colony that is lost is a cut of meat for civil servants.
Of course he couldn’t say straight out what it would do to the civil servants, but rather to express the benefits to the British Empire, “As things stand, every colony that is lost feeds back into the homeland, and the constant turmoil is detrimental to Britain’s economic development.”