Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. Once interests are involved, everything becomes complicated.
Some people oppose "free trade" and others support it. Not everyone is a victim of "free trade", but many industries in Britain are also beneficiaries of free trade.
For example: the coal industry.
Britain has been the world's largest coal exporter since the beginning of the last century. Today, nearly a third of the UK's coal production capacity is exported.
Once out of the free trade system, the good days of coal bosses will come to an end. With tariff barriers, British coal would lose its cost advantage.
If the energy industry cannot monopolize the market, their core competitiveness is cost. Without the cost advantage, market occupation is almost inevitable.
Another example: the textile industry.
Although the textile industry has been severely impacted by the wave of industrialization, Britain is still the world's largest exporter of textiles.
Because the economic development market has become larger, even though the share of British textiles in the international market has shrunk, the total export value of textiles has not declined much.
The data is false, only the money is real. Regardless of the future market prospects, at least for now, it is still profitable.
Once they withdraw from the free trade system, one of these export-oriented enterprises will count as one, and no one will have a good life.
Driven by interests, the British business community has already been divided. The palms of the hands and the backs of the hands are full of meat, and the consortium bosses who control industry and commerce behind the scenes also have a headache.
It is never a matter of course to decide who to support and who to oppose. Essentially, a consortium is a group of capital interests, and does not have strong binding force.
The strength of the consortium is when everyone has the same interests. Now that the members are divided, the power of the consortium has actually weakened to the extreme.
If the interests of some members are seriously damaged, the consortium may split in minutes. In this context, all the consortium bosses can do is to reconcile the contradictions between the parties as much as possible.
With the internal differentiation of capital, the question of whether to withdraw from the free trade system is naturally impossible to settle immediately.
Without trade barriers to protect the market, the London government's stimulus policies would be useless.
No matter how stimulating the policy is, industries that fail will always fail. The product does not have market competitiveness, and it is useless to give more preferential policies.
If economic problems cannot be solved, political reform will be even more difficult. Most of the reforms proposed by the Campbell government were rejected by the upper house, with the exception of the Economic Industry Disputes Act.
For example: reducing the power of the House of Lords, supporting Irish self-government, giving colonies higher autonomy...
With so many appealing cheese reform proposals, the Campbell government's life soon became difficult.
In order to safeguard their own interests, the conservatives were forced to unite together, using the parliament as a position, and the reformists opened the prelude to the "mouth gun war".
…
Downing Street, the Prime Minister's residence.
Looking into the distance through the window, Prime Minister Campbell sighed deeply. At this moment, his mood is similar to the weather in London, it is all gray.
As a sign of the advent of the industrial age, London has been shrouded in smog since the last century.
Especially in winter, the visibility is less than 50 meters, which is a common thing. Had it not been for the invention of fog lamps, driving in London would not have been possible in winter.
The weather was crazy, and Campbell couldn't care less. Since the reform began, he has not had a good night's sleep, and countless troubles come to him every day.
Conservatives and reformers have quarreled, and the contradictions between the two sides have almost become public. The battlefield spread from the original parliament to the whole society.
The broadcast press is the main battlefield of the debate between the two sides.
"The father said that the public is reasonable, and the mother said that the mother is reasonable."
As the debate unfolded, let alone ordinary people, even intellectuals and middle-class elites were stunned.
In fact, Campbell himself was a little confused. Although he proposed the reform policy, after listening to the reasons of the opposition, Campbell was not sure that the reform would be successful.
Persimmons are looking for a soft pinch. Political reform is put aside first. The most important thing at the moment is to reform the economy and reverse the deteriorating economic situation in the country.
Only when economic reforms are successful and sufficient prestige is established can further political reforms be promoted.
After releasing his emotions, Campbell turned and asked, "Who has the upper hand outside now?"
Unlike other countries, there is not much power gap between reformers and conservatives in Britain.
Then there was a strange scene. During the debate, no one was able to overwhelm the other.
Reformers prevail today, and conservatives prevail tomorrow, and no one knows what the final outcome will be.
The complicated situation has made the speculators in the government dare not stand in line. How can reforms go on without the help of bureaucrats
Interior Minister Azevedo: "There is no result yet. The strength of the diehards is too strong, and it is difficult to distinguish the winner in a short time.
However, the agricultural guilds we wooed have already made some moves, and it is also in their interests to withdraw from the free trade system. "
Compared with the industrial and commercial world, the peasants in Britain are the real tragedy. Restricted by geological conditions, there is not much land suitable for agricultural development in the British Isles, and the cost of agricultural production is relatively high.
Facing the impact of foreign agricultural products, British agriculture can be described as "only parrying, but not fighting back".
But they can't make a fuss, because Britain's food production simply can't meet their own needs.
Since it is imported food, it is naturally the cheaper the better. All sectors of society stand together, and the interests of farmers will naturally be sacrificed.
It is not only ordinary farmers who suffer losses, but also farmers and land-owning nobles.
They have a say in politics, but they are significantly weaker than the business community.
In order to change this passive situation, agricultural guilds were organized among these people. Unite in politics and fight for your own interests.
It can be seen from the sales prices of agricultural products on the market that the Agricultural Guild has not achieved the goal that everyone expected.
It's not that the agricultural guild doesn't work hard, it's mainly that the politicians are too shameless. You say one thing before you take the stage, and you do another thing after you take the stage.
Invested so many times and ended in failure, so much so that everyone lost confidence.
If it weren't for the fear, these guys would have already participated in the abolition of the free trade system and implemented tariff barriers, which is a great benefit to agriculture.
Prime Minister Campbell nodded and sighed: "It's better! Otherwise, it will hurt the country too much if it stays like this forever."
There was no mention of the Agricultural Guild, and Campbell was obviously not prepared to fulfill his promise.
There is no way to do this. Britain's grain output is limited, and it cannot meet its own needs at all. Importing is inevitable.
Protecting agriculture means rising prices of agricultural products, which will inevitably increase the living pressure of the working class, and the labor costs of enterprises will also rise.
Capitalists are not vegetarians, and every rise in labor costs is earned by the working class with their lives.
One bad is a nationwide strike wave, and just thinking about the dire consequences is enough to make any politician timid.
…
Foreign Secretary Adam Wingard: "Let's not worry about domestic troubles, and there has been no shortage of international incidents recently.
The Venezuelan civil war has continued, and the factions we support have been defeated in the war, which has hindered the expansion of the empire in the region.
Not long ago, Washington and the Vienna government reached an agreement to obtain the right to dig the Panama Canal, ending the freezing point diplomacy between the two countries since the Civil War.
Recently, something has happened in the Far East, and the contradiction between the Russians and the Japanese has intensified, and there is even the possibility of a war.
…”
As a global empire, it is inevitable to pay attention to changes in the international situation. Of course, Britain is not just paying attention, but actively participating.
Adam Wingard has said so many international events, all of which are directly related to Britain, or even planned by them.
For example: the most inconspicuous Venezuelan civil war is one of the British government's efforts to expand in the Americas.
It's just that they provoked the beginning and were not able to determine the end. No one would have imagined that an ordinary civil war would continue for several years because of the intervention of international forces.
Now that the curtain is about to come to an end, the tragedy is that the side supported by the British government has lost the civil war.
There is no way to do this. Who makes Britain's reputation bad and doesn't pay attention to the appearance
Because of the late rise in the rise, Shinra had no time to expand its power in Venezuela, and naturally there was no hatred.
The main purpose of participating in the Venezuelan civil war is to block the British, and there is no intention to invade Venezuela at all.
On one side are the British who invaded their own country, and on the other side is Shinra who specially blocked the British. The insightful people in Venezuela know who to support with their eyes closed.
In an ordinary proxy war, the big boss is mainly to issue loans and sell arms. Naturally, those who have the most help will win.
Venezuela these days is not the oil giant of later generations. In addition to the slightly fertile land, basically it is not worth mentioning at all.
A few small setbacks could not shake Britain's hegemony. The failure of the proxy war can only prove that the proxies supported are not good, but it does not mean that the British Empire is not strong.
In contrast, the Washington government's approach to Vienna is the real cause for vigilance.
The core of international politics is interests, and changing jobs and changing bosses is a routine operation. As long as the Vienna government is willing to bid, it is not impossible to win over the United States.
It's not that similar operations have not happened before. Many of Shinra's current younger brothers have been dug from them.
It’s fine for a small country to be poached. If the only allies of a big country are also poached, the London government will be forced to work hard.
Prime Minister Campbell: "Venezuela's problem, let's take one step at a time. We will fight back if we have a chance, and we will give up temporarily if we don't have a chance.
On the Washington government's side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should pay more attention to avoid problems at critical moments.
Emperor Franz the Great may seem suave, but he is actually an outright hegemonic, and it is simply impossible to tolerate an existence that may threaten Shinra.
From the fact that they occupied Central America and stuck the necks of the Americans, it could be seen that the Vienna government would not allow the birth of a great power in America.
There is this fundamental contradiction. Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for the Washington government to fall to them.
But everything can happen unexpectedly. If the Vienna government allows the Americans to annex Canada in order to win hegemony, the Washington government may be tempted.
As for the issue of the Japan-Russia conflict, it is part of our plan, let's let their hatred deepen!
The bait has been put down, and with the greed of the bears, as long as the Siberian Railway is open to traffic, they are bound to invade eastward.
There is a conflict with the Japanese now, and it seems that the Russians are really impatient, and they are not willing to wait for such a little time. "
As the ancestor of digging holes and burying people, when it comes to provocation, Britain considers itself the second child, and no country dares to call it the first.
Before the Siberian Railway was opened to traffic, the conflict between Japan and Russia was provoked first. With Mao Xiong's unwillingness to suffer losses and not looking for the bad luck of the Japanese, then there is only a problem.
…
The British government is preparing, and the Vienna government is not idle either. Everyone is preparing for the next game.
I have to admit that the Russians are big-hearted, and even the construction progress of the Siberian Railway has not been concealed from the outside world.
With the selfless dedication of a group of free laborers, the construction progress of the Trans-Siberian Railway is much faster than expected.
Perhaps it was because of the strength of the American railway technical team, or because the French laborers did not feel distressed when they died. In short, the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway is progressing very smoothly.
In the words of the French writer Romain Rolland - "Every sleeper of the Trans-Siberian Railway is paved with the flesh and blood of French laborers".
Franz agrees with this statement.
According to intelligence from within the Tsarist government, over 250,000 French laborers have given their lives for the construction of the Trans-Siberian railway in the past few years.
Whether it was death from freezing, sickness, starvation, exhaustion, or accidental death on the construction site, this question is no longer important.
In any case, the French will be charged with the Russians.
Judging from the current situation, it is very likely that the French laborers who entered the Russian Empire will not be able to return.
There is no way. The Russian Empire is so big and there are so many infrastructure projects. The tsarist government needs this kind of labor force who can't afford to die, and has no troubles.
The grudges of the French are nothing at all. Even if France turned over one day, it would be impossible to get past Shinra and get revenge.
…
Vienna Palace
"The construction speed of the Trans-Siberian Railway has exceeded our expectations and is much faster than the Central Asia Railway.
According to the Russians, the Trans-Siberian Railway was opened to traffic in 1905. At that time, the biggest obstacle to the eastward advance of the Russians was swept away.
Once the railway is opened to traffic, the Far Eastern Empire and the Japanese alone may not be the opponents of the Russians. Especially since the two countries fought a war a few years ago, it is difficult to unite.
In order to limit the development of the Russians, I am ready to strengthen…”
Before Frederick could finish speaking, Franz interrupted: "The Trans-Siberian Railway and the Central Asian Railway are different.
The Central Asian Railway we helped to build was a two-track railway, while the Trans-Siberian Railway that the Americans helped design was a single-track railway.
Even if it does open to traffic, how many trains do you think the Trans-Siberian Railway can send every day
With such a small amount of capacity, there is no problem in supplying daily needs. Once a war broke out, the Russians immediately felt what was the logistical pressure.
Besides, don't you think it's strange that Americans help the government build railways
The Trans-Siberian Railway is not profitable, and it is God's blessing that the operating income can smooth out the daily maintenance expenses.
I think apart from the British who want to lead the way, there is probably no one else who can be so generous.
The stage is set up, I don't believe the Brits are unprepared. Next, it is enough for us to help the flames secretly, and the British government will arrange the rest. "