Episode 4

Kelvin was taken through secluded corridors at the airport to avoid the crowds, not wanting to draw attention to what was happening.

The plane hadn't arrived yet and wouldn't for about another hour.

The airport escort met with with Kelvin's aide in a private airport lounge area were told to make themselves comfortable.

"Would now be a good time to go over the statement we've prepared?" said the aide, approaching him with some handwritten, but clear, notes which had clearly been thrown together in the last hour or so.

"How much time have we got to keep the lid on this, Mike?" he asked the aide.

"I've been speaking with the consul. The Egyptian government are still dealing with the aftermath. It's chaos there. Reports are intermittent and unclear. There's no indication they know who's involved let alone whether its...your son."

"Let's be thankful for small mercies, then. Once he's here he can answer for things at our pace, in our way, rather than left there to god knows what kind of treatment."

"Kelvin. I know this is going to be difficult are sure you want to be the one handling this? You could leave yourself wide open..."

"Your concern is noted, Mike. I'm the best option for handling things though. Especially if things deteriorate. As long his name is kept out of the channels then there should be nothing for anyone to pick up on."

"Leaks?"

"Well, we can't control those can we? Such is their nature. We've got our response there though in case something does get out. The chance of there being someone in the chain who doesn't like what's going down is real but unlikely."

Kelvin took the handwritten sheets, "I'll let ou know when I'm done."

"Anything else?"

"Not yet. Thanks."

As the aide started to move away Kelvin had another thought.

"Mike, wait! Do you know whether this has filtered further than the direct chain of 'Need to Know'?"

Hesitating his colleague responded, "About twenty minutes ago the PM's secretary called me for an update as he wanted to take some info into an emergency meeting. I didn't really have anything to tell that he probably wasn't getting from his own people."

Kelvin drew a sharp breath. "Cabinet briefing."

Mike nodded in agreement.

"Okay. The PM's not going to be able to hold onto this much longer for me. There'll be too many arguments in that room to use this against me. This is going to get ugly before that plane touches down. The only thing in our favour is that it's the middle of the night."

"Kel, We need to get on..."

The two men parted and Kelvin moved over to the window looking over the runways. He stared up into the black night that was held at bay by the airport lighting.

The preceding hours had weighed heavy on him already. Now he wondered what kind of world his son would touch down in.



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Now playing: Bob Relf - Blowing My Mind To Pieces
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Episode 2

The ride from Westminster to the airport was going to take a while. Even with a congestion charge London's ancient streets just weren't built for heavy traffic.

Kelvin Carter went over again in his head just what trouble his son had now gotten himself into.

He wasn't sure he wanted to believe the report he had been given.

A succession of bomb attacks in Cairo on religious sites had caused untold damage and casualties.

The extent of his son's involvement was as yet unconfirmed by the embassy, but there was no doubt that he was, in some way connected.

Kelvin had immediately called in a favour with the Prime Minister to suppress the story for as long as possible. Not to save his embarrassment but to allow time for the diplomats to do their job in determining exactly how to stave off political disaster.

He may be a member of the opposing party but in the halls of Westminster his Foreign Policy advice was well trusted. Although it could never be revealed in public, the current PM relied on him as if he were a party advisor.

The current Foreign Minister was in his post to gain experience, not because he had any. He was the favoured child to lead them at the next election and so this was seen as invaluable to cement him as a contender in the public's eyes.

The thought that by helping the Prime Minister from time to time might be ruining his own party's chances of election gnawed away at him. In the end, he was an idealist.

He was in politics because he really did want to make a positive impact on the world and bring about peace and harmony for everyone.

Petty party politics didn't concern him.

If he could improve things for other people in the world today he would do so. It seemed like madness to wait for the slim chance that his party would get re-elected in order to make progress on things that could make life better for all.

How many lives could he save today by influencing the current foreign aid policy? How many conflicts could he resolve by using his substantial negotiating skills now rather than later?

That thought brought him back around to Thomas. Thankfully in all the confusion surrounding the alleged massacre, his son had made his way to the British Embassy before the local authorities got to him.

He was now being flown back for his own protection after a bit of adroit thinking by one of the local diplomats. Getting him out of the country would at least make it difficult to prosecute anything quickly.

It would be hard to reconcile this mess.

Even though his son was a constant embarrassment to him, he still loved him.

He had tried to help him before. Divorcing Thomas' mother some years ago had not stopped him from trying to keep in touch with his son.

Amidst his burgeoning political career it had been especially difficult watching him grow up mentally unbalanced.

A doubt had always resurfaced at times like these that maybe it was his fault. If he had tried to make things work in the marriage and not been selfish about his career then maybe he could have been there to guide Thomas' through his dark years.

He pushed the guilt back down as he normally did, in order to think more clearly. If he was going to help his son now, he needed to be on top of his game.

If the situation got nasty though and it turned into a full-blown international incident then there would be nothing he could do to protect his son. He may have to sacrifice him for the greater good.



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Giving Bush the Boot

If you want a snapshot of everything that George W Bush represents and how the US government have handled the war then the shoes thrown at the outgoing US President is just the kind of moment you'd ask for.

I couldn't believe someone had actually done it. Bush just stood there dumbfounded and later brushed off the incident.

My immediate response was to cheer. The Iraqi people have suffered a lot under Saddam and life hasn't really improved since the invasion. They've been trapped between the occupying forces and those who want to 'Free' Iraq. The symbolism of Bush finally getting a taste of what the people he has crushed with his ignorant regime actually feel might cause some remorse, but I doubt it. Instead, hopefully, it will be something the country can rally around in order to pull itself back together.

Maybe it is the beginning of true independence for Iraq once more.

Certainly the treatment that the reporter who threw his shoes appears to have gotten does not indicate that Iraq is as free as America would like every one to think it is. We all know that modern politics isn't about dealing with real problems, its about putting the right PR spin on things so that it looks like things are being done when they aren't.

I would like to think that the people of Iraq are ready to stand up to the US and that other countries would back them and support them. The US has ruined the world as its ideas of 'Democracy' and Capitalism have been shown to be hollow of meaning.

But what can take it's place? Does Barrack Obama have anything different to offer the world? Can he pick up the pieces of his countries past mistakes. It won't be long till we find out.


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Now playing: DC Talk - Mind's Eye
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Random Story 4

Jaz wandered into the kitchen. He liked it there.

Cooking wasn't a chore for him. He'd grown up around food and had always shown a keen interest in trying out new things.

He shared the apartment with his twin brother Jez.

Jez was due back anytime soon. He worked in the construction industry. They were fortunate to live on the south coast and with all the recent underwater living development he had a good career ahead of him.

In the years since the turn of the millenium new ways had to be found to cope with the threat of global warming and overpopulation. Birth control had helped to turn the tide in western countries, but the war-torn, corrupt countries of the Third World still showed no sign of social responsibility. Thankfully, someone came up with an innovative method of harnessing geo-thermal energy and instead of building hideous monuments that ruined the skyline most new development was now concentrated on building underground habitations. This was of benefit to Africa because they had one of the most stable continental plates in the world and they were rapidly usurping the middle east in terms of energy supply to the western world by running long trenches and insulated pipes to the rest of the world. Hopefully this mean its long term social development would become more stable as well.

Architects rushed to make something of beauty out of this utilitarian concept and thus Riverside living was no longer the fashion. Instead it was Underbay areas that fetched the highest prices on the market. Jez had found a niche here specialising in watertight roof windows that allowed the penthouse Underbay to have views directly under the marina. The water in these new bays was now barraged and filtered to give it an extra clarity in the bright sunshine and afforded spectacular views to those able to pay for them. Jaz thought it was a bit like living in an aquarium.

He looked up as Jez wandered in. Tonight was a special night. Their 21st birthday.

The meal that had taken most of Jaz's time to prepare this evening would soon be ready.

As Jez flopped on their sofa his brother came and sat beside him.

"You look shattered." Jaz said. There was something he wanted to talk to his twin about, but he knew he had to guage his mood first.

"Yeah. We had to vaccum seal the penthouse and then pump the work area dry so we could prepare the roof to accept the first window tomorrow."

"That sounds...involved."

"It's a klick's worth of checklists is what it is. We can build underwater houses, but we can't build a reliable pressurised construction drone to do the dirty work."

"I thought those drones were quite sophisticated now?"

"They are, but down there, the inconsistency of the light through the water plays havoc with their optics. That big collapse in Dubai a couple of months ago was caused by a drones inability to accurately see depth in detail. Sonar can only do so much but the optic recognition program wasn't sophisticated enough."

"Just like the old days huh? 'To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.' "

"You been spending the day reading. Again?"

That was the moment Jaz realised they wouldn't be able to talk about it. Tonight would be their last night.

"My studies are nearly done. I was kind of hoping that I would get to finish them sooner."

Jez shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the future.

"Why have you wasted all this time on something so dumb as anthropology? The world is getting better. We passed the period of environmental short-sightedness years ago. We're in a new dawn of human achievement."

"And what price have we paid for this achievement, Jez." he looked at his brother. They'd had this conversation before. The decision to be made was an impossible one, and it was not in their hands.

"Can I smell something burning?" Jez ended their little chat and turned toward the TV screen that was unfurling against the main wall.

Jaz got up. The food was fine but when Jez didn't want to talk, he just didn't.

He stopped briefly by a mirror on the wall and looked deep into his own eyes, trying to search for some answer to their problem. For some other way. Although they were twins he looked only vaguely similar to his counterpart. There was a definite similarity but they had both developed in different ways. Both physically and emotionally. Jez was by far the more masculine of the two and Jaz, the more sensitive.

The political culture which had brought about the changes that Jez was so enthused over was an unlikely combination. A movement with the voice of the Moral Majority but with Liberal tendencies had finally risen up and drowned out the tired bleatings of socialists, centralists and conservatives. Grass roots frustration with career politicians had finally coalesced into something that worked for everyone. It started in the UK and was now taking hold across most other major democracies in the world especially those with the most disillusioned populace.

With it had come a push for a change in the status quo. With a mandate from the people who put them into power, there were more sweeping changes made than had been since back in the first months of the Blairite government. The old guy even gave his guarded approval to the new movement, which he felt was a natural progression of what he'd tried to do. The UK was now more of a meritocracy than ever before. The class system was disappearing, the welfare program had been all but dismantled by making sure the country had a framework that was sustainable in supporting its citizens and that society had a place for everyone. At 21 is when you became a full citizen.

Jaz drifted over to the cooker and moved things around, finishing off the last few parts of the meal. Their big day was here.

With the cooking done Jaz added a last garnish to Jez's meal and brought it to the dining table.

"It's ready." He announced.

Jez tore himself away from the screen where he was watching a football match from the latest round of the World Champions League. It was a classic grudge match between Liverpool and Barcelona. Barcelona were leading one-nil partway through the first quarter.

"I can't believe Jones got herself sent off in the first five minutes!" Jez complained as he sat at the table facing the screen. "We're down to ten on the pitch now until the second quarter. They're gonna hammer us."

"Eat your food or it'll go cold", Jaz said without looking up.

"Alright, Alright."

Jaz waited until the first quarter of the football match had finished before trying to speak again.

"Jez. I was talking to a man from the Office of Citizenship the other week. He thinks I'm not going to make a full citizen."

Even though there was nothing to distract him, Jez didn't meet his brothers eyes. His voice was downcast as he spoke.

"What did you think would happen, Jaz. You can't just waste your life anymore. This isn't the bad old days."

"Waste my life. That's ironic. I'm not going to be a full citizen Jez."

"Its the way things are. Its how they work now. Everyone has a responsibility for everyone else to a degree, but ultimately you're responsible for your own contribution to society."

"You've bought it hook, line and sinker haven't you."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, you know you're going to get yours and your not going to jeopardise it. Not even for me."

"Hey! I earnt mine! I didn't look for a free pass." The brothers were simmering and the heat was about to go up further.

"I know but I've got a plan. I need your help."

"No."

"You're central to it. I've learned from you. I want to be like you."

"You what?"

"I haven't been doing my anthropology studies for a few weeks now. I've been taking a crash course in Geo-thermal Residential Construction."

"A job! You want me to get you a job! The assessment is tomorrow morning. Graduation is in the evening. There's no way I can get you a...a...ack!" Jez clutched his chest.

"I knew you'd react like this. I'm sorry." Jaz stared across the table at his brother. "I'm not going to die Jez. I've got things to do. A world to change. You're going to help me do that."

"Wh..Whegghh...What...are you...talking about?"

"I don't like the system, Jez. Life isn't all about work. Life is about freedom. Somewhere along the way our liberal oppressors forgot that. In my studies on anthropology I found out what happens to people with power. They start off with good intentions, but power corrupts them. Liberalism should always be in opposition to the status quo, because the status quo tends toward conservatism and it always needs someone to knock the hard edges off it."

"Jaz..." his brother's voice was a strained cry for help as he reached across the table.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't let it be me. I'm going to change things. For the better. The system works because they kill those who aren't good citizens. They're like the old Soviet Union now. They got mixed up and crossed eugenics with euthanasia. As they loosened the requirement for euthanasia they tightened their control on the birth rate. This is how they created your brand new dawn. They have a mandate from the people too, a democratic mandate, to kill off the opposition because they cause too much friction to the smoothly oiled cogs of our shiny new society. I'm 21. My life should be beginning not ending. Someone has to stand up. Something has to change. Jaz died today. Of a heart attack. Stress probably. That's all they'll ever know. But now the life that you would have had becomes mine and I'll do more with it than you ever could. And to think they were going to kill me instead of you. It's just institutionalised murder. There's no justification."

Jaz moved around the table, his brother had fallen to the floor. He knelt beside him.

"I loved you my brother, but sometimes change requires sacrifice. Things that are dear to you can stop you progressing. You can appreciate that I'm sure. We started off with the right intentions. We got rid of things such as cars, we reduced our reliance on fossil fuels and we made progress. Well now it's time for the next step."

He put his hand gently on his brothers face.

"Rest in peace, Jez. Rest knowing that if anything I deserved to live longer. And i'll make it work. In your name and for your memory, this world will change so that a tragedy like this never has to occur again."














Character: counterparts Plot: longer Resolution: mandate


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Gord Save Us All

I have to start by saying that when Tony Blair finally left office I was glad to have seen the back of him, even though at the time of his first election he was a breath of fresh air when compared to the generation of Tory governments that had preceded him.

Unfortunately for him, for whatever reason, he left office under a cloud and had gained a reputation as one of Dubya’s yes men.

Stepping into the void was his long time no.2, Gordon Brown.

Whilst he wasn’t the fresh face some people thought the party needed he did seem as though he would do things differently.

If Brown had called an election within a couple of months then I’m sure he would have been re-elected. He would have got my vote anyway.

At the time David Cameron didn’t seem strong enough to win over the whole country and Brown still had the glow of a decent enough period as Chancellor.

Fast-forward to today and time has given us a taste of what the country would be like with him at the helm. I’m not impressed.

Why had he been so reluctant to put his position in the hands of the people, as it should be? If he had lost an election maybe it wouldn’t have been as bad as he thinks. It would give him time in opposition to put his stamp on the party. He didn’t have any serious leadership contenders so he would have a grace period as people would really have been voting against Tony Blair.

Also the country could have had its chance to see whether the Conservatives really had changed in all their time out of office.

Personally though, I thought he would have survived, although it may have been narrow and the Tories would have made a fight of it, just because some floating voters wanted a change and are disillusioned with the government.

So why did Brown stay on so long? Was he really that insecure about going before the voters? Or had he seen something whilst in his privileged position as Chancellor?

Wild theory time!!

Perhaps Brown knew that the Credit Crunch was coming and rather than leaving it to the fickleness of voters to let him stay in place and dumping the problem in the lap of an inexperienced Tory government, he took the conscientious route to try and solve things and weather any storm about having an election ASAP.

Maybe that was what the 10p tax was really all about. It was an attempt to put more money in people’s pockets in order to keep them spending in a period when other countries might have struggled.

Unfortunately though, he misjudged the reaction to a side effect, which left some people worse off. Had he not foreseen this aspect or was it the lesser of two evils? Pay a little more tax or lose your job?

Had Brown stayed in office with the intention of steering the UK through a global recession, but been hampered in his plans by the petty selfishness of potential voters? Of course, no one really thought things would get as bad as they have so the reaction seemed perfectly justified and the government had to back down. The government also couldn’t come out and express their fears in case it sparked the kind of collapse that we’ve seen since.

No-one likes it when someone says ‘I told you so’ but could it be the government were actually ahead of the game on this?

So, does Brown deserve a little kudos for possibly showing some guts in staying on to tackle a problem like this?

Well, where was his plan B?

Instead of using this period to increase his chances of re-election like I’m sure he was planning on, nothing has actually gone according to plan and he now finds himself caught up in a financial catastrophe with other countries around the world as opposed to being in a position of leadership and guidance to everyone else, which would have guaranteed him the next election.

Ultimately I haven’t got a clue how close to the mark this is or if I’m joining the dots with my limited political knowledge and lots of imagination! I also have no economics degree, so who can tell if the 10p tax would have stalled or quickened the onset of the crunch.

If Brown wants to have any chance of re-election now though, he’s going to have to pull one mightily giant rabbit from a very small hat.

Welcome to the Real World Mr. Obama!

Wow.

I never thought it would happen. I kept expecting the Republicans to steal it away from him somehow.

I'm not American by the way, but I think everyone has a right to comment on the activities of the US as they set themselves up for it.

This election had me really worried that we were going to get four more years of Republican values running roughshod over its own people and the rest of the world.

Let's hope Mr Obama is the kind of leader that encourages international co-operation through mutual respect not bullying or bribes. He seems to have that potential.

But how much of that is just wishful thinking on our part?

Okay so he's not Republican, but that's no guarantee of not putting American interests above all else and with complete disregard for the consequences.

He spoke of "Change" but how can he deliver? Can he clean up the banking system with promises of recapitalisation as its reward? Can he turn around the oil hungry nature of his country's people? Can he speed up the adoption of carbon neutral energy sources?

We know it can be done if there's enough will to do it.

If the same force of will that the US used to push past opposition to its actions in Iraq was turned inwards to solve its own problems then we truly would have a country and leader worthy of respect and that people would want to call upon for advice and follow its lead.

Of course, no-one would reasonably stand for that level of government interference in their life. At least not all at once.

So lets give him some time and see what he can really achieve and lets see if the people of America are willing to do as he asks to make that change a reality.