shadow of britain

Chapter 750: Reversal of London: Hastings' Power
"The Uncrowned's Oath: Princess Victoria's speech at the memorial service for Officer Cali moved the audience"

"I'm scared, but I'm staying."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince rocked St Martin-in-the-Fields Church as he gave his first public speech, and London gasped as Princess Victoria said she would stay.

She's not the queen, but we're willing to give her a standing ovation

Princess Victoria said "I'm afraid", but in our opinion, no one is braver than her.

Her Royal Highness's speech was not perfect, but that is why we choose to believe her.

Power does not lie in commanding, but in staying - this has been the most copied phrase on Fleet Street in recent days.

The One of Us Who Remains: A Tribute to Cali and to the Country

A speech without partisanship became the most dignified voice in London yesterday. The young stars of Parliament led the mourning, and their voices inspired the whole audience. Not fighting, but persevering, Benjamin Disraeli reiterated the foundation of the country.

"One Briton stands up so that another Briton will not fall down"

Benjamin Disraeli refused to define sacrifice by profession, title or party affiliation.

Benjamin Disraeli: Who is Robert Cally? Robert Cally is the man who chose to stay on the vigil!

Tory leader Sir Robert Peel delivers a campaign speech in Tamworth

Robert Peel: I see the Parliamentary Reform Bill as a means, not an end. It is a tool to give the people more effective oversight of their representatives, a mechanism to promote more timely exposure and more certain punishment of those who abuse power, and a means to inject a spirit of innovation and improvement into the country's governance system without undermining the true principles of the Constitution... I firmly believe that what the country needs is a government that is capable of enforcing laws and maintaining stability, has the determination to advance national affairs, and has the wisdom to control finances to reduce the tax burden. More importantly, it must be a government that respects the dedication of grassroots citizens, ensures that law-abiding people are not ignored, and that people like Robert Carley are not forgotten.

Tamworth Declaration: Continuation of the noble spirit and guarantee of traditional faith

This newspaper is pleased to see that, at this turbulent time, Sir Robert Peel has chosen to step up and reshape the modern face of the Tory Party, bravely taking on the responsibility of uniting conservatives. In a sincere message, he assured the people of Great Britain that the Tories were not reactionaries who were clinging to old habits, but a strong force willing to implement necessary reforms within a stable framework. This was exactly the kind of language that new voters needed, especially at a time of unrest among the lower classes and controversy over church reform. The Tamworth Declaration was a symbol of the Conservatives' willingness to face reality and no longer avoid controversy.

"Tory is gone, Conservatives are on the rise! The Tory Party will face the general election with a new name"

"We are no longer Tories," Sir Robert Peel said in an interview. "We are Conservatives, but we do not reject the times, we just do not succumb to them."

New posters are posted on the streets of London: Choosing the Conservative Party means choosing stability

To be honest, this is the first time we have seen the word "Conservative" in official Tory party propaganda.

"The Tamworth Declaration triggered a political re-positioning, with steady reform becoming the new banner of the Conservatives"

Since Sir Robert Peel published the Tamworth Declaration at Drayton Hall, Tory candidates across the country have dropped the Tory name when printing campaign leaflets and called themselves "Conservatives".

After Sir Peel firmly stated that "the Parliamentary Reform Bill is the final constitutional solution", many local supporters who had been waiting to see the outcome finally accepted the party's new platform. For the first time, Tory candidates in emerging industrial areas such as Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol publicly called themselves "friends of order under reform" and "conservatives loyal to the constitution", and consciously downplayed the word "Tory" in pamphlets and speeches.

Benjamin Disraeli, the Tory candidate whose constituency was changed to Tower Hamlets in London, said at his campaign rally: "We are no longer just the gatekeepers of the nobility, but the night watchmen of towns and factories!" As soon as he said this, the crowd burst into warm applause, and this move was exclaimed by many liberal tabloids as "the Tory Party's breaking out moment."

"The Whigs are no longer in the lead! Conservative candidates are in a tug-of-war in many areas of London"

According to the latest constituency surveys jointly conducted by The Times, Morning Post, Quarterly Review and other media, the political trend in London is quietly changing, and the support rate of the Conservatives has increased significantly. In several London constituencies where the Whigs had an advantage in the last general election, including Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Marylebone and Finsbury, the support rate of Conservative candidates has increased significantly in this election, and the Whigs are in a tough situation in many London constituencies.

What is particularly noteworthy is that the support rate of Benjamin Disraeli, the candidate for the Tower Hamlets constituency, has soared by 16 percentage points in two weeks. This rising star in the British literary world is now almost on par with the Whig candidate. Some voters claimed: "We prefer to listen to a gentleman who redresses the injustice of those who have suffered injustice, rather than those aristocrats who only shout slogans of freedom in Parliament."

The Whig Party is no longer as stable as a rock, with five of the eighteen seats in London in shaky condition: the Conservative Party is catching up, and the election situation is becoming increasingly tense.

As the general election enters its second week, the political situation in London is quietly reorganizing. Although the Whig Party has firmly controlled 1832 of the seats in Greater London since the parliamentary reform in , in this round of elections, the Conservative Party has made breakthroughs in several key constituencies by virtue of the Tamworth Declaration. Several safe constituencies that were once regarded as "Whig insurance areas" have shown significant signs of loosening.

In the City of Finance, the Whig Party, which is popular with commercial capital, remains strong, but Peel's fiscal reform program has also won the conversion of a few people in the financial community. If the Conservatives can win back their former allies, the "old-school bankers" represented by Rothschild may be able to narrow the gap in the region.

As for Westminster, a stronghold of the Whig Party, Earl Grey and Viscount Melbourne have retreated successively on the issue of promoting Irish church reform, and the recent Westminster fire has worn out the last bit of patience of voters. Currently, this most radical and liberal constituency in Britain has fallen into a rage. Although they are still unlikely to turn to the Conservative Party, the Whig Party still has to be wary of independent candidates who may be put forward in the constituency at any time.

In Southwark, a traditionally liberal working-class district, the local workers' association of the constituency issued a rare statement saying that "Princess Victoria's words represent our beliefs". This incident unexpectedly moved the political focus of centrist voters and aroused widespread sympathy for Officer Robert Carley in the local area. If the Conservatives can mobilize these voters, then it may not be a fantasy to win one of the two seats in Southwark.

Finsbury was a core area for the reformists in the 1832 parliamentary reforms and a former stronghold of the radicals. However, the recent weakness of the Whigs on issues such as church schools and the Poor Law has caused dissatisfaction among some business owners. The Conservatives do not expect to win here, but their momentum is still enough to push the election to a second round of counting.

Marylebone and Tower Hamlets are currently the two constituencies most likely to see seats change hands.

The two seats in Marylebone were once safe bets for the Whigs, but in this round of elections, the Conservative upstart Dr. John Latham won the support of the middle class with his campaign slogan of "order and frugality", especially among real estate developers, pharmacists and architects. It is believed that the election situation in Marylebone is still in a tense state, with neither the Conservative Party nor the Whig Party being able to shake off the other.

As the area with the lowest average income and the highest crime rate in London, the voters of Tower Hamlets have long been dissatisfied with the policies of the former Tory cabinet and have always firmly supported parliamentary reform. However, after the parliamentary reform was passed in 1832, Tower Hamlets felt only deception and anger.

As the most competitive London constituency in this election, Conservative candidate Benjamin Disraeli has become the focus of the city after the memorial service for Officer Robert Carley, and his speech at St. Martin's Church has been widely circulated in Tower Hamlets. According to our on-site investigation, a week ago, Disraeli's support rate was quickly approaching that of the current Whig MP Sir John Lancaster. In the survey report just released yesterday, Disraeli's support rate exceeded 1.7 percentage points for the first time, making him the most popular candidate in this constituency.

Once the data was released, it sparked heated discussions in working-class communities such as Whitechapel, Poplar and Stepney.

"That young man who writes novels knows what kind of life we ​​live in better than the old Whig gang," commented a dockworker at the meeting.

At the same time, the anxiety within the Whig camp is also surfacing. The campaign rally originally scheduled for this weekend in Tower Hamlets was temporarily cancelled. According to a Whig Party spokesman, this was due to venue permission issues. However, according to internal sources, it was actually the local dockworkers' association's internal proposal to support Sir John Lancaster that was rejected by the majority at the latest union consultation meeting. It is believed that the association's position in this election has now turned to a neutral attitude.

Correspondingly, the Conservative Party's street propaganda offensive is becoming increasingly intensified.

A poster put up by Disraeli's camp at West India Dock read: A man who is willing to listen to your voice for a night is worth your vote.

At the market entrances in Stepney and Bethnal Green, small booklets with Disraeli's portrait printed on them could be seen being distributed door to door by volunteers.

In the past week, Disraeli's supporters spontaneously organized three rallies for new voters, and invited "Britain's conscience" Charles Dickens, "the uncrowned king of fashionable novels" Alexandre Dumas, and "the destined poet laureate" Alfred Tennyson to campaign for him.

Benjamin Disraeli, the young writer famous for his political novels and satirical poems, had no aristocratic blood, no family territory, and no "inheritable voting base" in the traditional sense, but this newspaper can say responsibly that his victory in Tower Hamlets was already on the horizon.

……

University of London, Gower Street, London.

The morning after the rain was gray and damp, and there were still a few drops of wet water hanging on the windowsill of the office.

Arthur sat behind the old and spacious desk, his chin on his left hand and his right hand casually flipping through piles of newspapers that had just been delivered.

He flipped through the pages so quickly, so quickly that it didn't seem like he was reading a newspaper, but rather like a general reviewing his achievements after the battle.

She's not the queen, but we're willing to give her a standing ovation

The One of Us Who Remains: A Tribute to Cali and to the Country

Conservative candidates see-saw in many London boroughs

The Whig Party is no longer stable

Opening them one by one, the titles on each page looked like flags planted on enemy positions.

The corners of Arthur's mouth twitched, as if he was smiling.

He took out his pocket watch, checked the time, then slowly put it away and closed it.

"The counting of votes in Tower Hamlets should have been completed."

Snapped!
For no apparent reason, a burst of cannon fire was heard in the office.

Agares shook the colorful flakes on his body and congratulated Arthur with a playful smile, as if wishing a happy new year: "Congratulations, the Hastings Party... Oh, no, it's the Conservative Party that won a seat in Tower Hamlets!"

Arthur put his hands behind his back. He didn't bother to pay attention to the devil, but out of curiosity, he still asked: "How much did Benjamin win?"

The Red Devil didn't bother to lie to him: "782 votes to 639."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You won quite a bit, more than I expected."

"Wouldn't you go and hear that little Jew's victory speech? The West India Quay is bustling with activity."

"Me? I won't go. Standing at the West India Dock, you can see the Tower of London from afar. My presence there might evoke some unfriendly memories for some people."

"Are you afraid of getting shot again?"

"It's okay to get shot once. It's not the first time. But if I get shot again, I'd better get shot somewhere valuable."

Agares laughed out loud and said, "What an old bureaucrat. You are obviously the one who contributed the most to the victory of Tower Hamlets. From the news of Nightingale Mansion, to the layout of Kensington, to the commemoration of Robert Carley, to the speeches of Disraeli and Victoria, every step was on the beat... Now it's done, but you are pretending to be low-key. Don't you even want to have a drink to celebrate the victory?"

Arthur ignored his teasing and just said lightly: "Maybe."

He walked to the window and saw a little newsboy at the end of the street waving a freshly-made, still-hot copy of The Times in the drizzle. The newsboy shouted at the top of his lungs: "Disraeli has won the election! The Conservatives are marching into Whitechapel!"

(End of this chapter)