Act III
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Congrats on being such a lovely bunch of intelligent people. Being a mod is not as tough as elsewhere because you are all awesome and sensible and enjoy this for what it is meant to be: A FUN PLACE!
A few things:
a) If you are unsure about anything, look at the guidelines or feel free to write a message to lolitics_meme at ( Read more... )
“I was there as a matter of public policy; you are different. I suppose Nick Clegg returning to Britain was also your doing.”
“The Commons had entrusted him with a task and he had completed it,” George answered guardedly.
“He is the noble knight carrying the Conservatives’ favour,” Balls said, “But I do not believe the group had ever had intention for Great Britain to return to its former independence. It would allow us to afford tax credits, pensions, and strengthen our fiscal position only to the extent that we could maintain a society, but not to improve it. You know as well as I do that economic recovery is not within immediate reach.”
“You have very little faith in this government,” George said coolly, “Thank you for voicing your opinion, be rest-assured that we will build or even rebuild this country.”
“But Nick Clegg is going to leave your government soon. He is a liberal-democrat. I think you do well remember that. Your ambitions could not afford to lose him and,” Ed Balls eyed him speculatively, “It is not only Labour that wants his support.”
George furrowed his brow.
“What are you implying?” Then Ed Balls did something very strange. He took a step back and the other man, whom George recognized as a silent Andy Burnham, touched him lightly on the elbow. Balls turned and scowled and said something fierce in an undertone. Having never known either men to be quiet and laconic when they could be voluble, Goerge thought the entire exchange worrisome. The matter they were contending obviously pertained to himself and Nick Clegg.
The thought of the association was black. Perhaps they had found out, or worse, have evidence of his regrettable lapse on the plane or even of his current propensity to still occasionally succumb to the stress of his ordeal. Pressure exerted via spin had always been the easiest weapon and George knew was the most effective against him; his enemies in the media outnumber his friends.
He had been so expectant of this terrible personal revelation that George felt the effects of Ball’s next words as a wave of relief followed by sharp alarm that he said something senseless.
Balls was smirking. Andy’s curiously vivid eyes strangely sad.
“You weren’t at Brussels for long,” Ball said, triumphant, as if George’s reaction confirmed some long cherished suspicions, “Otherwise you would have known. It was hardly the work of a week or a month, and yet you’ve led the parliament deliberately to think otherwise. One of our mutual friends, you may think of him as a Rothschilde in this scenario, leaked the information that the group’s concession to Britain was the knightly Nick Clegg who was given an offer he couldn’t refuse. He is playing both sides again, chancellor, in mid-negotiation with both sides. Strange, isn’t it, how a liberal democrat can end up being kingmaker twice over. In a different era, it would be easy to imagine him as having dictatorial or even,” The bright blue gaze was sly, “Monarchial intention, but I think that particular ambition is thoughtfully suppressed by his own AV reforms.”
“So he is a better man than you imagine him to be,” George said, overwhelmed with the information. Nick Clegg might not have had monarchial intentions, but of course he wanted to be Prime Minister and of course whatever private bargain he struck with David Cameron still wouldn’t mean that the lib-dems could ever run a government alone, “Nick Clegg is the Deputy Prime Minister per the Coalition agreement, and he has never claimed to be anything else.” Of course he didn’t need to, but George knew he was losing his point. He had made made no cut of his own and was at best standing his ground, but Balls had always seemed rather impervious to his attack; of a course a man who worked under Brown could be so resilient and tiresome at the same time.
“Strange to see you defending him,” Balls said, “I’ve always thought you in particular had no particular liking for him.”
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