Chapter 85: The Fate of the King
Chapter 85: The Fate of the King
Arthur walked freely through the streets of London, and since he was in civilian clothes today, he was finally able to slow down and look at the scenery that was different from the usual.
According to the latest mission orders issued by Sir Peel, in light of the increasing protest demonstrations and large-scale gatherings across London, all police districts in Scotland have selected a portion of their experienced officers and assigned them to go into the various gathering places in plain clothes for covert duty.
It wasn’t surprising that Sir Peel had reacted so strongly, as it wasn’t the first time that an event like ‘Demand for Parliamentary Reform and Expanded Electoral Rights’ had taken place.
The first time such a large-scale campaign for parliamentary reform broke out in Britain was during the French Revolution in 1789.
As Sir Peel emphasized in the Home Office paper – every French revolution has unintended consequences in Britain.
The French Revolution of 1789 aroused a great deal of political enthusiasm among the lower classes of the British people, and it changed many of them from the concepts they had held since the Glorious Revolution, making them realize that politics was not only the private business of the great men, but that the common people were also entitled to participate.
One of the first to challenge the old ideas was the Reverend Richard Price, a prominent member of the Sheffield Society for the Knowledge of the Constitution.
In a sermon he delivered at an event marking the 101st anniversary of the Glorious Revolution, entitled “On Loving Our Country”, he made a point that was crucial to the subsequent reform movement – that the most important legacy of the Glorious Revolution was the right of the people to choose their own government and to remove it at any time.
But this idea immediately provoked a fierce rebuttal from the Whig literary gallant Edmund Burke, who published and published a book, Thoughts on the French Revolution, in which he presented his views.
–The principle of the Glorious Revolution was not change, but adherence to tradition. Tradition preserves the existence of society and is therefore its cornerstone. It was the destruction of tradition that led France to collapse in the French Revolution. Britain must not follow in the footsteps of France; it must uphold tradition and safeguard the country.
And while Burke had the upper hand, Thomas Paine published Human Rights to engage Burke.
In his book, Penn emphasized that each generation had the power to choose its preferred political system and its forefathers had no right to decide. Choosing a political system was a natural human right that the British were born with, and the British should fight to the end in defense of that right.
But under the present system, the working people have been deprived of this right, thus causing their widespread poverty. Only by restoring their rights can they be rescued from poverty.
Upon its publication, Penn’s Human Rights surpassed 200,000 copies sold within a year.
In such a social climate, a series of civil society organizations advocating reform were established, and groups as large as 10,000 people, such as the ‘Sheffield Society for Constitutional Knowledge’ and the ‘London Correspondents’ Society’, sprang up.
The British government was horrified by the emergence of these organizations, which they saw as a precursor to revolution.
In line with the principle that it is better to strike first than later, the British authorities swiftly arrested key members of the London Correspondence and the Sheffield Society for Constitutional Knowledge and prosecuted them for treason.
Magritte and Gerald, the president of the London Correspondence Society, were eventually sentenced to fourteen years’ exile, but most of the other members were acquitted by a jury for lack of evidence.
And with the failure of the French Revolution, the Parliamentary Reform movement fell into a period of depression.
But the memory of the past was still present in the minds of the MPs, and it was no wonder that Sir Peel was not cautious in his response.
After all, the Tories had proved over the decades that simply using violence would only make things worse.
Although the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel were opposed to parliamentary reform, they were equally adamant that force should be used as little as possible to solve problems.
As contradictory as this view may seem, it is indeed the current policy of the Wellington Cabinet.
They hoped that in time the British public would forget about parliamentary reform on its own, rather than resort to violence to suppress rallies.
But as far as Arthur’s observation in the past two days was concerned, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel’s calculations should be defeated.
Because this time in the parliamentary reform of the people involved, not only has a small group of workers, but also the Whig party, a large number of clergymen, and the Tory party Canning and extremist people.
As far as Arthur has observed, almost all classes in London, from the top to the bottom, are in favor of parliamentary reform.
While their aims in wanting reform may be different, at least their behavior is consistent.
“Whether it’s good or bad, reform always helps in some way!”
“We demand the expansion of the right to vote!”
“Wellington out of office, he’s an old crook from Ireland!”
Arthur mingled in the ranks of the demonstration, shouting the slogans of the demonstration while not forgetting to hold up a sign for his partner beside him. “Down with the Tories! Eradicate Wellington!”
Seeing this, Agareth couldn’t help but glare, “Arthur, aren’t you here to spy on them? Why are you still hanging out with them?”
Arthur raised his hand and touched the brim of his hat, finding a chance to get rid of the parade, it wasn’t that he was tired of walking, but he had followed the parade to the Greenwich District police station.
He came to a vacant lot on the corner of the street and lit his pipe, taking a sharp sip.
“Agareth, you don’t understand, the highest form of undercover work is joining. At least I’ve also learned that this team seems to be sponsored by the Whigs, and that their actions are merely chanting slogans and not planning to do anything over the top, which is pretty good and saves me a lot of trouble.”
The Red Devil couldn’t help but narrow his eyes when he heard this, “Arthur, what exactly are you thinking? You’re feeding off Robert Peel of the Tory Party while getting close to Duke Sussex of the Whig Party.
Please forgive me, if you really intend to play politics, it’s best if you don’t step on two boats like this, it won’t do you any good. You have to realize that for those powerful politicians, loyalty that is not absolute is the same as absolute disloyalty.”
“Agares, that’s where you’re wrong, I’ve never had two feet in two boats.”
Arthur exhaled his cigarette, “You know, I’m a Scotland Yard policeman, and under house rules I can’t hold any political positions.
Like I told you once upon a time about my religious views, I don’t choose God or the devil, both are walls that would blind me.
And politically, I don’t choose the Whigs, nor the Tories, they are both really the same, and only act like the light of justice when they are in opposition.
I just see things the same way as they do on some issues.
I admire the Whigs for abolishing slavery, although most of them only support it because they are mostly factory owners who don’t make money on it and still need free workers in their factories.
On the other hand, I also appreciate the conservative stance of restraint that the Tories are now promoting, and they are peace-loving, although that’s also because their supporters include a significant number of bankers, and a war is not going to do much good to the stocks and bonds they’re holding in their hands.
All in all, they each have their own merits, Agareth, and the times are changing, and every party has its good in him, and we have to see the good in them.”
The Red Devil rubbed his hands together and hemmed and hawed, “Come on, Arthur, you little scoundrel. Don’t tell me you don’t know that sometimes not having a position is just as much of a position, and a two-sided one at that.
Do you know why the Duke of Wellington is in the position he’s in now, with his back against the wall? It is because he intended to take the middle course, which resulted in him being unpopular with the liberals and getting himself removed by the conservatives.
It is only because he is Wellington that he can still hold on for a while. If anyone else had been Prime Minister, he would have collapsed by now.
Don’t look at how much the people marching and protesting shout, they seem to love freedom, but in fact they just hate their masters. What they are angry about is not the injustice, but their own subordinate position in the injustice.
Don’t be deceived by your puny conscience. Parliamentary reform is a wonderful opportunity, and the choice is now in your hands.
You can use this opportunity to swear allegiance to Robert Peel, or you can use the Duke of Sussex’s connections to throw your lot in with the Whigs.
Come, Arthur, have you considered which side you support? A feisty young Scotland Yard police inspector may not look like much right now, but if you use the intelligence at hand, you’ll be able to make a difference for them in no time.
Are you for reform or against it, for Pfleger or for Tory? Don’t take the middle course, and don’t go into that slave-trafficking case or whatever it is, neither of which will do you any good.”
Arthur just glanced at him as he extinguished the pipe in his hand and spoke, “Agareth, haven’t you been encouraging me to become their god? Now that I look back and think about it, it’s still too hard to be a god or something, so why don’t I go and be their king.”
The Red Devil sniffed and said in surprise, “Wow, my dear Arthur, you’ve come to your senses?”
Arthur nodded as he spoke, “I’ll send you a message, do you know what the fate of a king is?”
“What is it?”
Arthur stowed his pipe in his pocket and lifted his leg to step into the police station.
“The fate of the so-called king is to do good deeds and get a bad reputation.”
(End of chapter)