The Shadow of Great Britain
Chapter 206 - 206 141 Utopia 4K4_2

206: Chapter 141 Utopia (4K4)_2 206: Chapter 141 Utopia (4K4)_2 “Parliamentary reform?” Arthur raised an eyebrow, “Do you mean the one that grants voting rights to the middle class but sends workers to their deaths?”

“The middle class getting voting rights?” Dickens said in surprise, “No!

Isn’t the goal of parliamentary reform universal suffrage?”

Arthur just smiled, “Do you think that’s possible?

Universal suffrage?

If it were truly implemented, neither the Tory Party nor the Whig Party would get elected, and the government would surely be led by either Thomas Attwood’s Birmingham Political Union or the Capital Political Union of London.

So, you’re saying the Whig Party goes through all this trouble to push for parliamentary reform, only to end up getting themselves not elected?

Charles, do you think that’s possible?

As a genuine Briton and someone who has covered Parliament for a while now, you surely know that compromise is a crucial part of British politics.

To get Bill A passed, we often propose an even more unacceptable Bill B.

But Bill B is never really considered; it exists solely to make the opposition hold their noses and agree to let A pass.”

Dickens furrowed his brows slightly, seemingly not very convinced by Arthur’s view: “This…”

Arthur just cradled his coffee cup, feeling the warmth emanating from it, and said, “Maybe there really are some in the Whig Party who sincerely want to achieve universal suffrage, but once you expand that to the whole party, that small fraction becomes negligible.

Do you know why I think the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel are not too bad?

Dickens asked, “Why?”

Arthur took a sip of his coffee, “Because they are among the few politicians who dare to go against the mainstream opinion of their party, ‘The Catholic Emancipation Act,’ I can hardly believe it to this day, the Duke of Wellington, a man known as a die-hard Tory politician, actually had the courage to make such a bold decision.

The moment he signed the act, his political career was almost over, yet he still chose to sign that document.

This is not something ordinary people would have the courage to do.

I admire him greatly, and indeed benefited from the act, so to repay the favor, I cannot just let others continue to break his house windows.

It benefits neither those who break them nor those whose windows are broken.

Charles, you know, to be ungrateful to the first benefactor of one’s early years, the creator of one’s fortunes, one deserves to be punished.

For me, both Sir Peel and the Duke of Wellington count as such creators of fortune.”

Upon hearing this, Dickens’ eyes brightened, “To be ungrateful to the first benefactor of one’s early years, the creator of one’s fortunes, one deserves to be punished… That sounds pretty good; is that another quote from Marco Aurelius?”

Arthur just smiled, “No, it’s yours.”

“Mine?” Dickens said, perplexed, “You mean I can write that down in a book?”

“Of course, anytime and anywhere.” Arthur raised his coffee cup and clinked it with his, “Charles, I wish you a prosperous future.”

Arthur asked, “By the way, have you finished reading Marco Aurelius’ ‘Meditations’?”

Dickens chuckled sheepishly, “I’ve read half, but I’ve recently gotten hooked on another book.”

“Oh?

Which book?”

Dickens grinned, pulling a wrinkled book out of his bag: “This one, Sir Thomas More’s ‘Utopia.’ Have you read this book?

It’s a very interesting work.”

Arthur nodded, “It’s not just the book that’s interesting; Sir Thomas More himself is quite a character.

When our King Henry VIII wanted to divorce, he asked all the nobility to co-sign a letter to the Pope, but the High Chancellor More steadfastly refused to sign it.

Later, when Henry VIII passed the ‘Act of Supremacy,’ making himself the supreme head of the Church of England, More was again unwilling to swear an oath of allegiance to the King.

The aggravated King then threw him into the Tower of London, had a bunch of false witnesses testify against him, and charged him with treason.

Out of ‘mercy,’ Henry VIII graciously changed the sentence from being hung, drawn, and quartered to beheading.

But More’s first reaction to the news was to joke, ‘I pray God that my friends will be spared such mercies.’ And even as he ascended the guillotine, he still had the nerve to jest with the executioner, saying ‘Help me up, as for getting down, I’ll take care of that myself.’

Dickens laughed upon hearing this, “Sir Thomas More was indeed an interesting man, but what does that have to do with the book ‘Utopia’?”

Arthur pointed to the title of the book and said, “Haven’t you realized that the title ‘Utopia’ is also a joke made by Sir Thomas More?”

“How so?”

Arthur explained, “Charles, as a future literary giant, perhaps you should brush up on your Greek.

‘Utopia’ is actually a compound word formed from two Greek words representing ‘no’ as ‘ou’ and ‘place’ as ‘topos.’ So, the actual meaning of ‘Utopia’ is ‘no such place.’

This book is not like Plato’s ‘Republic.’ If you read it with an overly serious attitude, you not only miss its essence but also get fooled by More.

Yet, this is quite alright; perhaps More intended to make fun of us readers when he wrote the book.”