Southern Africa hopes to abolish tariffs within the Commonwealth. The purpose is to promote exchanges and integration within the Commonwealth, strengthen connections between the autonomous dominions and colonies within the Commonwealth, and build a harmonious and beautiful Commonwealth family.
vomit
The above are all face-rolling keyboards. There is only one truth, and that is to enhance the competitiveness of southern African goods and dump more goods to the Commonwealth. London also knows this, so the United Kingdom is the most fiercely opposed to the removal of tariffs.
So when Winston said "Why not", Rock's first reaction was that he heard wrongly.
"Why not?" Winston repeated with a smile, very satisfied with Rock's reaction: "Tariffs can be completely eliminated, but there must be a prerequisite. We must set up a joint committee. The procurement and sales of materials will be controlled by this joint committee.
so that we can give full play to the advantages of our Commonwealth."
Roque only listened to the first sentence, and there was no need to listen to the rest.
Abolish tariffs?
Haha, I really thought too much. According to Winston's intention, this is basically unified purchasing and marketing. No need to ask about the "Joint Committee", it must be controlled by London. I don't know how fanciful it is to come up with such a plan.
idea.
“What do you think?” Winston looked at Rock expectantly.
“What do you think?” Rock didn’t answer directly. This probably wasn’t Winston’s idea. Winston was not that stupid.
“I think it’s pretty good!” Winston said sincerely.
Don’t doubt that a qualified politician must have the ability to mistake a deer for a horse.
"That's not bad! Whose idea was this? Neville? Has his IQ dropped to this level?" Roark cursed directly. This was no longer a forced reduction of intelligence, it was simply anti-intellectual.
"Don't say that, let's just discuss it." Winston finally showed a hint of embarrassment on his face, and he probably didn't have much hope.
"Winston, if Neville really wants to set up a joint committee, then focus on serving the Dominions and Colonies instead of trying to get impossible benefits from the Dominions and Colonies." Rock agreed to the Commonwealth
Integration, but not in the way of unified purchasing and marketing.
“Go on.” Winston’s expression was serious, and he almost picked up a small notebook and started recording.
Winston was the Governor-General of Southern Africa when the economic crisis broke out, and he was well aware of Roque's role in responding to the economic crisis in Southern Africa.
I still remember that during that time, Winston stayed in Roque’s office every day, and he knew very well how Roque led Southern Africa to deal with the economic crisis.
If possible, Winston would have liked to take a notebook and write down every word Rock said, and then go back and study it carefully with a magnifying glass.
Roque laughed, how could he explain this kind of thing clearly in three or two sentences?
What's more, even if he could make it clear, Rock would not tell Winston that a united Commonwealth would not be good for southern Africa and that it would be good for now.
But such a smile seemed inscrutable in Winston's eyes.
I know what to do, but I just won’t tell you. Why, bite me.
Winston felt like his teeth were itching, it was so irritating.
But we have to accept the reality.
Winston came to southern Africa this time, originally to sign a city-wide alliance, and he really was not qualified to be too tough in front of Rock.
There is a dinner as usual in the evening, and it is still located in the Governor's Palace opposite the Palace of Justice, because the banquet hall in the Governor's Palace is a little larger than the banquet hall in the Palace of Justice.
Looking at the splendid array of wines in front of him, Winston felt as if time and space were out of place.
Winston was still the owner of the Governor's Palace two months ago, but now he has become a guest. The people are still the same, the place is still the same, and his mood is completely different.
Even though Britain is mired in an economic crisis, banquets are often organized in London, and Winston attended more than a dozen during his return to London.
Different from southern Africa, banquets in London always give people the feeling of a doomsday carnival. All the ostentation and luxury on the surface cannot cover up the emptiness in people's hearts. A few blocks away, there may be all kinds of people living in dire straits, but those who attend the banquet
The big shots are all looking out for their own interests.
banquets in southern Africa are relaxed and joyful. There are no gorgeous court dances, no long speeches, and no splendid courtesans. What the guests discuss is not art and poetry, but more about work and technology.
By the way, let’s scold the Japanese, Americans, or others.
Winston has no doubt that, had he not been the Chancellor of the United Kingdom, he would have had the most common language in criticizing the British.
This kind of scene is familiar to Winston. When he was in Pretoria, Winston often attended such banquets. Compared with the British, southern Africans are very pragmatic and terrible.
Just next to Winston, a poet famous for his poetry in England was talking to the people around him about the importance of public opinion propaganda to patriotism.
This made Winston feel strangely heavy.
“It must be a lot of emotion to return to Pretoria again.” Rock noticed Winston’s abnormality.
"It's really a lot of emotion." Winston shook his head and smiled bitterly, as if trying to get some bad things out of his mind: "When I returned to London, I realized how rare everything in southern Africa is. No wonder southern Africans call Europe the Old Continent.
"
The "old" here certainly does not only refer to the category of time.
“That’s right, I can give you the answer to the question you asked me this afternoon,” Rock chuckled.
“What’s the answer?” Winston became energetic.
"But my answer is useless to you. You and Neville, or Baldwin, or Macdonald, all lack the courage to break everything, just like Roosevelt in the United States." Rock's face still had that annoying look on his face.
Inscrutable.
Winston's face looked ugly, and it was as if Rock had not said this.
To put it bluntly, the vested interests are still unwilling to give up their rights.
Then the new interest class continues to demand more rights.
The two demands collided, and the United Kingdom was the unlucky one.
Such things have not never happened in British history. In 1640, Charles I convened a new parliament, which directly led to the outbreak of the British bourgeois revolution and eventually formed the current "parliamentary constitutional monarchy" in Britain.
The British bourgeoisie at that time is now the British Liberal Party.
After all, the emerging bourgeoisie has never played against the British aristocracy. After two to three hundred years of differentiation and co-optation, a new vested interest class has formed. The new Labor Party has replaced the Liberal Party, and a new cycle has begun.
The key to the problem is that the last time a bourgeois revolution broke out in the UK, the British Empire had just defeated the Spanish Armada and the entire country was on the rise. Some deep-seated social problems were covered up and conflicts did not break out. This allowed the UK to become the "Japanese Empire".
Fallen Empire".
The British Empire is now facing internal and external troubles. It is facing the comprehensive challenges from southern Africa internally and the strong competition from the United States externally. Can Britain be great again?
Winston himself had no confidence.
"We are now all on a big ship that is about to sink. Only by working together can we reach the other side of victory." Winston gave himself a shot. The British Empire has not yet reached an unsustainable point.
situation.
This is true, after all, World War II has not yet broken out, the pound is still an international currency, and the UK can still use the pound to plunder the world.
However, the future is hard to say. With the economic recovery of the United States and the expansion of power in southern Africa, the pound is also facing strong challenges from the US dollar and the rand, and its position is in jeopardy.
"Locke, since the United Kingdom has ceded the Commonwealth market, Southern Africa should also pay something." Winston's tone was not normal, and Locke was slightly surprised.
“Southern Africa has already sacrificed a lot.” Rock hadn’t noticed yet, but Winston’s eyes were a little decisive.
"Apart from the gold from the Rand Mine, what else is there? And the gold London receives from the Rand Mine is less than one-third of the total output of the Rand Gold Mine, which does not match the price paid by the United Kingdom.
"Winston's face was expressionless.
Rock suddenly felt that he had made a mistake in agreeing to Winston's appointment as governor of southern Africa.
Even if Winston has a good relationship with Rock, he is still the greatest Englishman in British history.
Such a person cannot be overestimated.
“What do you want to say?” Rock thought quickly, wondering where Winston got the confidence.
"Locke, if Southern Africa cannot truly assume its obligations as an overseas dominion, then Southern Africa must be prepared to lose the Commonwealth market," Winston said in a surprising way.
Rock suddenly realized that London was indeed confident.
Perhaps British products have indeed lost their competitiveness compared with southern African products.
However, the UK can close the Commonwealth market to southern Africa, which is London’s last trump card.
To put it bluntly, it means expelling southern Africa from the Commonwealth and giving Roque the truly independent status he dreams of.
But that also means that southern Africa will lose the Commonwealth market.
This is the rhythm that is forcing Southern Africa to become the second United States.
"Have you thought it through?" Rock was indifferent. He had already made preparations for this. In another time and space, South Africa had also left the Commonwealth. This time and space was just a little early.
"Thank you for not using you." Winston smiled bitterly. It was a difficult decision to make, but for the sake of the United Kingdom, Winston and Neville could only fight hard.
“Huh, I thought that as Neville became the British Prime Minister, the relationship between Southern Africa and the United Kingdom would ease.” Roque also smiled bitterly. As expected, he relied on everyone to run, and he had to rely on himself at all times.
“Locke, it is precisely because we all know southern Africa that we have to do this.” Winston was sincere as never before.
Rooke can understand that if southern African goods are not driven out of the Commonwealth market, British goods will no longer be wanted.
But by driving Southern African goods out of the Commonwealth market, will British goods be able to monopolize the Commonwealth market?
