Chapter 903 The Natural African Overlord

Currently there is a choice in front of the only post-war prime minister Aidley, one is the old way of successive economic crises, counting on the market to self-digest the extra production capacity, the other is what Alan Wilson said, since the Soviet system of the country and the free world encountered the opposite problem, so if in a molding out of the Soviet Union similar to the self-governing territories, is not it just complementary to the United Kingdom.

It doesn’t matter if it fails, won’t it just prove that the Soviet Union’s planned economy doesn’t work. Most importantly, the civil servants of British India had already proved that it worked during the process of British Indian independence.

It gave Britain, which was in dire straits after the war, access to extremely scarce funds.

“If it really fails, will Nigeria hate Britain after independence in the future?” Adderley’s heart had already leapt to the surface, and asking this question at this time was merely to give the two civil servants in front of him a chance to convince themselves.

“Honorable Prime Minister, we at least left something behind. It may not have turned out as well as it should have, but it wasn’t a one-sided claim.” Alan Wilson elaborated on the benevolent side of the British Empire, at least compared to other colonial powers, Britain was benevolent enough.

Britain had certainly been predominantly predatory towards the colonies, leaving nothing useful behind, but at least it was left behind.

If governance was a hundred out of a hundred, Britain would be a ten at best. Germany and Britain were about the same, roughly at the same level.

If others think this is the bottom of the barrel for colonial empires, they are mistaken. The colonial policies of Britain and Germany, and especially Britain, were completely the upper limit of the colonial empire.

And the Latin-based colonizers like France, Portugal, and Spain were totally all take and no go. So there’s a reason why English-speaking countries generally have better infrastructure than Latin-speaking ones, and why the Commonwealth of Nations remained loyal to the Queen of England for many years after Britain’s decline.

In the process of plundering, colonizers take away resources will not leave behind the core technology of the economy, will not leave behind the local high-end human resources, will not leave behind a complete industrial chain, will not be based on the characteristics of the resources of the colonies to design a reasonable industrial structure.

Britain of course will not do all of the above, but the pile of reinforced concrete can still do, but the Latin system of colonial empire does not even do this.

Allen Wilson is going to take advantage of the planned economy this time to tap into Nigeria’s potential for once. Naturally, he did not believe that these big old black men could be filled with energy all of a sudden, but there were other ways. Nigeria was not formally independent after all, and Britain could still use a bit of the colonial approach.

“Want a cabinet grant?” Prime Minister Adderley had the decision to ask the final question.

“We can manage on our own.” Alan Wilson, knowing that Aidley should have an idea, added more fuel to the fire.

“Fail and I’m sure Nigeria will understand us.” Norman Brooke elaborated confidently, “But maybe this will cause some criticism, we have to do some public opinion leading work. Show the difference between us and the Soviet Union, and look at it objectively from a global point of view.”

The fact that Britain is going to implement a planned economy in a self-governing territory may be rumored to cause some misunderstanding. This is especially true for some uninformed eaters, and some positive guidance is necessary. Prime Minister Airdrie thought deeply of this.

Leaving 10 Downing Street with the Cabinet Secretary, Norman Brooke said as he walked, “This is also the Labor Party in power, if the Conservatives were in power now, they would certainly not agree with your approach.”

“Ideological disagreement is such a bullshit area, but we still need it.” Alan Wilson replied helplessly.

Norman Brooke was noncommittal, if it was someone else proposing to follow the Soviet Union’s example, Norman Brooke would have doubted that person’s reliability, no matter who that person was. But Alan Wilson was different, and unless this pillar of Whitehall was prepared to confiscate his wife’s vast wealth, he would never do so.

The vast wealth protected the reliability of the Imperial Commissioners, and would have been, in any case, impossible for Allen Wilson to confiscate his wife’s estate, and it was impossible for an Englishman to become rich by dividing twenty pounds.

“This year’s meeting of the Colonial Commissioners has been brought forward to Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, in two weeks’ time.”

Through the Foreign Office, Alan Wilson sent telegrams to the commissioners of the major colonies. The Persian Gulf commissioners could choose to attend or not, the decision was in the hands of their old colleagues themselves.

In Perth, the capital of Western Australia, Pamela Mountbatten took the telegram from London, picked up the phone and said, “Move a recent exploration team to West Africa, don’t ask why, listen to my husband when you arrive.”

Putting down the phone, Pamela Mountbatten thought for a moment and picked up the microphone she had just put down again, “Under the economic crisis, imports and exports have suffered a setback, iron ore supplied to the Kuching steel base can be adjusted downward in price as appropriate, the general environment is not very good, and I believe that Canberra should be able to understand. Liaise with Kuala Lumpur, Australia’s goodwill should be known to the citizens of Malaya.”

Pamela Mountbatten wasn’t just a mega-rich person, she was also the ruler of Sarawak, and she had to allow herself to think in that direction when the general environment was not good.

“Pamela!” Princess Margaret, who was holding her brother-in-law’s daughter, arrived late, just as she heard Pamela Mountbatten’s second phone call, side-stepping to inquire about her brother-in-law, “Is this one tough.”

“Alan said that any economic crisis would hurt little at our level. But for the average person, the next year may be a time to bite the bullet.” Pamela Mountbatten took her daughter from the princess.

Little Pamela reached out and placed her small hand on her mother’s stomach and rubbed it gently, as if to say hello to her unborn brother or sister.

If it was just a matter of getting through the economic crisis unscathed, in fact, with the conditions in Britain far better than at the same time in history. Alan Wilson did not need to make this offer at all. Suez Canal is not in trouble, the North Sea oil fields were discovered, the colonies are being developed, there are Malayan colonies to provide primary industrial goods, by London to regulate prices, through an economic crisis, to protect the whole body should not be difficult.

But this is a bit petty, just consider not to be affected, that is not Alan Wilson’s purpose. What he wants is not just to consider self-preservation, but also in the economic crisis time to buck the trend of growth, and the United States and the United States to further draw closer to the per capita income.

If it was only self-preservation, Norman Brooke asked him to take the money, he took the money painfully.

Alan Wilson was rarely without presence, but every now and then he came across someone who was an exception to what he would call the Garbo Exceptionalism, the same incomprehensible existence as the American Exceptionalism.

From the moment he stepped into the apartment, the Imperial Commissioner’s presence disappeared as Greta Garbo worked herself out with a barbell, oblivious to men on equal footing with her husband, “Why don’t you go to your little mistress? She’s at the peak of her career. Fame and looks be damned.”

“Haven’t you done everything she’s done.” Alan Wilson hurriedly said, “Audrey’s relationship with Elizabeth is similar to your relationship with Katharine Hepburn at that time, right? It’s hard to tell who was a little more popular.”

Greta Garbo’s movements stopped slightly, a smile flickered on her face, “You don’t know much about those days, Katharine Hepburn was awards-worthy, and to say how popular I was, my competition was Marlene Dietrich. The German Minister of Propaganda at that time was called Goebbels and was very keen to have her back in Germany.”

“It seems you still have something in common. Both liked by the Germans.” Alan Wilson hit the snake and complimented Garbo, “When Hollywood first positioned you as a sunny, sports-loving woman, it seems to be true now.”

Greta Garbo, sweat stains peeking through her tank top, puts down the barbell and looks askance at her man, “I need to stay healthy or I won’t be able to take care of my son when he’s so young.”

Why did that sound clipped? Could Alan Wilson still see his child sleeping on the streets? Plus, weren’t there two other female presidents to share the load.

Greta Garbo then entered the bathroom, and a short while later, accompanied by the sound of drenching water, inquired, “Little pervert, you want to join me.”

The good thing about being here at Garbo’s is that although he is always treated like air, he can trust this golden age of popularity, Greta Garbo doesn’t leave the house a couple times a year, and whoever is a spy she is unlikely to be is a good person to confide in.

“I don’t know much about Africa. But I can see that you see this economic crisis as an opportunity.” Greta Garbo put on a jacket to cover her body and lit a cigarette and took a drag before handing it to Alan Wilson, “I wish you all the best.”

“Thank you, my dear.” Feeling the fragrance of the Swedish Queen’s lips, Allen Wilson thanked with a refreshed breath.

“You’re mistaken.” Greta Garbo said expressionlessly, “You’re just the father of my son, that’s all. I certainly expect the boy’s father to get better and better.”

There was no response from Greta Garbo as to what the logistics were, she didn’t want to leave her side of the world.

The current meeting of the colonial commissioners was held in Lagos, and the preliminaries had already begun before the landed emperors from around the world had arrived, and the new commissioner, after his conversion to an autonomous collar, had set the tone for the occasion in Nigeria’s most influential newspaper, and the reason why Nigeria had been chosen to be at the site of the meeting was that it naturally possessed the underpinnings of an African hegemony.

Roberts, the Commissioner of the Autonomous Territories, has received a new interim appointment as Secretary General of the West African Development Commission (WADC).

On the matter of whether Nigeria is a natural African hegemon, as long as Nigerians believe it.

He had also informed Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe to represent Nigeria at this one.

Meanwhile colonial commissioners from all over the world have arrived in Lagos, the capital of the natural African hegemon, aboard the Comet airliner.