2031 - The Special Relationship Ends

By John Roche

As the economic fallout from COVID-19 drags on, insularisation is the go-to term for governments. Refusing to honour overseas energy contracts, one leader sums it
up: 'If the pandemic taught us anything, it was to pull the ladder up early.' Aspiring politicians have to play the nationalist card or be a distant memory.

 

It is no surprise, in November 2028, when a Trump clone sweeps to power. John Harris promises to put America fi rst, and put the us back in the USA. While Russia and Islamic countries are in his sights, he reserves his main criticism for the "sneaky Chinese" whom he claims have stolen America's technology and jobs.

A month after Harris's inauguration, billionaire Peter Smith establishes a new party to contest the 2030 British election. He plans to run the UK like a business, enter
new trade deals with China, and heal old wounds with countries the UK once stood against, shoulder to shoulder with America. When Smith announces he will withdraw Britain from NATO and Aukus, hardliners close to Harris plot to assassinate him before the election.

In April 2030, the British secret service foils a CIA-sponsored attempt on Smith's life. A month later, he becomes prime minister with the largest majority in British
history. As details of the assassination plot leak, the two leaders' ongoing dispute takes centre stage. Within months, there are few countries that haven't supported Britain's stance. NATO starts to crack, and Harris looks to former Soviet countries to build a new alliance.

China's President Huang and the general who built the People's Liberation Army\to be the world's foremost military power use the rift between the old allies to achieve
Mao's ultimate goal.

For decades, world events have been the touchpaper for violence in the Middle East. In October 2031, a devastating attack on Israel leads to a confl ict that will redefine the political world map.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Roche
• Release date: Nov 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201577810

John Roche

John Roche, being Irish is a seasoned storyteller. In his working life he has managed major international construction contracts living in Ireland, Hong Kong, China, Australia and now New Zealand. In 2009, when living in Melbourne dormant spiritual capacities emerged, initially with a focus on his local area then extending to other places and times. Taking a break from project work, he commenced writing books and Irish folk stories in 2016.

Book preview

Dramatis Personae

American Government

John Harris – President

Owen Walker – Vice President

Scott Rice – Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff

Paul Schechter – Secretary of Defence (1)

Carmel McCloud – Secretary of State

Ross Evans – Secretary of Defence (2)

General Harry Forde – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

British Government

Peter Smith – Prime Minister

Harold Fairclough – Deputy Prime Minister

John McGowan – Chief of Staff

Conor Jenkison – Special Advisor to the Prime Minister

Elizabeth Bradley – Attorney General

Ben McCarthy – Foreign Minister

Margaret Fox – Minister of Defence

Olivia Powers – Home Secretary

Central Intelligence Agency

Una White – Director (1)

Mike Fuller – Director (2)

Terrance Baker – Director (3)

Tim Johnson – T24 Operative

Federal Bureau of Investigation

James Stone – Director

Susan Downer – London Office Station Chief

British Secret Service

Roger Hartley – Director General MI5

Charles Truesdale – Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)

Allister Black – M56

Nora Henderson – M56

MI5 / MI6 Contractors

Jake Higgins – Former SAS

Steve Merritt – Former SAS

Sheila Webb – Former MI5

Metropolitan Police

Andrew Kane – Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis

Tom Diamond – Commander SO14

Audrey McLaren – Commander SO15

Others

Bridget Malcolm QC – Chairperson Petmit plc

Huang Shu-hui – President of China

General Zhao – Commander of the Peoples Liberation Army

Kim Yo-jong – President of North Korea

Johann Fuchs – German Chancellor

Paul Luquette – Canadian Prime Minister

Alexander Gruzdev – President of Russia

Sol Elbaz – Israeli Prime Minister

Wolfgang Köfler – President of the European Union

Hossein Armajani – President of Iran

Mostafa Khatami – Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Iran

General Paul Martin – Commander CentCom US Military

PART ONE

All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common:

it was the willingness to confront unequivocally

the major anxiety of their people in their time.

This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.

~ John Kenneth Galbraith

1

27 October 2028

Washington, DC

‘I never liked Washington. It’s full of people who don’t have the balls to do what we sent them here to do.’

‘You’ll change that, John.’

‘That I will.’ Republican candidate John Harris patted his campaign manager’s shoulder and stood to call the meeting to order. ‘Listen up, everyone, we’ve ten days to run, and our task is to make sure every voter comes out to tick the box for America.

‘From tonight, we forget about the Democrats. Get an ad out first thing tomorrow – short, crisp and to the point. I’ll record it this afternoon: From today, I’m not wasting any more time highlighting the Democrats’ mismanagement. It’s time to look to the future. Then run some images of the Florida rally – everyone dancing and singing – and close with me laughing with folks. Also, get an anchor on a friendly network to make a comment like, The way things are going for the Democrats, they might qualify for charity status soon.

‘I want two more ads up and running in the next 24 hours. Anyone tells me it’ll take longer, fuck off to that loser Walters. We clear?’

A resounding ‘Yes, sir!’ filled the room.

‘Good. The first ad. Opening scene, a close-up of a Chinese worker making an American phone. The camera pulls back, rises above the shop floor to reveal thousands of people at their workstations, then the camera goes through the wall to the outside. As it moves further away, a huge sign comes into view – Huawei. Then a voice-over: The Chinese Government has stolen our technology and jobs. In return, we get phones equipped with spyware. We finish with Americans using their phones at home, work, school, in hospital, and close with: Do you feel safe?

‘Number two is simple. A picture of the Russian, Iranian, North Korean, and Chinese leaders sitting around a table flanked by military. In front of them a map of America with holes burnt where New York, Chicago, LA, Houston and a few other cities should be. Then a child walks into the picture: Please don’t let this happen, Mr Harris.

‘Make sure both are up on social media in case some bleeding heart tries to pull them off the television. Now off you go and get busy.’

The tilt for the job of the 48th President of the United States was Harris’s first foray into politics. For years, the billionaire, whose family made their fortune in industrial chemicals, was a regular face in the national media. In his campaign, he’d spent big to get his message across, attacking the sitting administration’s policies, countries he claimed stole from America, and its long-held enemies. He was hard-line right, with a plan to put America on top in business and international politics. An uncanny ability to use the press saw him annihilate all competition early in the primaries. He held the Republican nomination but, like Donald Trump, the man he planned on emulating, he had a high degree of contempt for party officials. Early in his campaign, addressing a crowd of hard-core supporters, he’d made a comment his colleagues in Congress tried hard to forget: In the past 30 years, Red and Blue contributed equally to the mess our country’s in. I’m going to change that.

‘I want you to talk with your people in Congress. Every one of your buddies needs to take my lead and cancel all ads attacking their opponents. They can follow this simple mantra: The Democratic Party is dead, and the few who remain standing can bury it.’

‘They ain’t going to buy that. A lot of them are in a tough fight,’ replied Senator Owen Walker.

When Harris threw his hat in the ring for the Republican nomination, his campaign manager steered him towards the Missouri senator as a running mate for VP. He’s the perfect yin to your yang. Harris, while not particularly liking the man, had gone along with the idea. The strategy was simple. Swing voters would see the former soldier as a handbrake on Harris during critical decision-making.

‘Any candidate who can’t ride the wave of support I’ve created, and win, isn’t a person I want on my team.’

‘This needs to be a party decision, John.’

‘A party decision? Until I came along, your fucking Republicans were so far behind, the Dems couldn’t see them in the rear-view mirror.’ Harris lit a cigarette. ‘Tell them to do as I say. And if they don’t, I’ll stand in front of the media, ditch your nomination and finish this on my own ticket.’

‘You do that, and you’ll split the party. A lot of people will follow you.’

‘I won’t split it – I’ll create a new one and leave the losers behind.’

While he didn’t like it, Walker knew he had no option. Harris was so popular there was little he couldn’t achieve if he put his mind to it. Worse still, if he turned his back on the Republicans, most of those running for Congress would join him. ‘OK, I’ll talk with them.’

‘And get the job done.’

‘I’ll get it done.’

‘In three months, I’ll officially be your boss. But let’s be realistic. I already am. Understand something, Mr Vice President – I don’t like it when staff question my orders. So from now on, when I want an opinion from you or your friends in Congress, I’ll be sure to tell you in plain language. We clear?’

‘We’re clear.’

‘No fucker’s gonna stand in the way of what I have to do. In a few years, the world’ll be a different place, and it’ll be because of me. You’ve work to do. Get on with it.’

31 October 2028

Dorking, Surrey

‘Jeans and jumper? I was expecting a David Lloyd George costume tonight.’

‘When I tell them what’s on my mind, they’ll think I’ve gone mad. No point in providing props to help them along.’

‘They’ve supported you for years, Peter. This’ll be no different. Now, how do I look?’

‘Like someone who’s lost her sheep.’

‘Good. Kiss Bo-Peep goodbye, and I’ll see you later.’

‘Have fun. Say hi to my dear sisters for me. Try to limit their wine intake.’

‘Finding sheep is difficult enough.’

Peter Smith had started life as a banker. His uncanny ability to predict the market had made him and his clientele a fortune. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, he left the world of finance and set up Petmit plc, buying businesses throughout the UK and related supply chain companies worldwide. The institutions that benefited from his days in the banking industry provided the cash for his empire-building, keen to follow the man with the golden touch. The 40-year-old was CEO of a business that generated annual revenues north of ₤900 billion. With a workforce edging past 1.9 million, it was the UK’s largest employer.

His four guests on this Halloween night were all board members of the company.

Tony Watson, CFO, was the oldest of the senior management team at 59.

Conor Jenkison’s role was to oversee strategic development. Having left high school early, he’d put his IQ of 161 to good use playing the stock market, gradually building a retail empire which was now part of Petmit.

Katie Masterson from Belfast was Head of Human Resources. It wasn’t typical for an HR guru to be on the board of such a large enterprise. When Smith first approached her, she’d laughed at the idea of working for the gamekeeper. Undeterred, he’d told her his thoughts on how to treat employees. There’ll be no better place to work.

Bridget Malcolm was Group Chairperson. A former criminal barrister, the 52-year-old had been a surprise choice, replacing a well-known captain of industry who had held the job since the incorporation of Petmit in 2025. On offering her the job, Smith had said, In the world we live in, I need someone who knows the meaning of the word strategy.

‘In seven days,’ declared Smith, ‘the great American public will vote John Harris into office.’

‘Christ, the idea of that lunatic having his finger on the button gives me the shivers.’

Smith agreed with Masterson. ‘He’s a strange man. Nonetheless, even if the polls are out by 40 per cent, he’s still going to win. We’ve got an extreme-right almost-Republican topping the polls in all the Blue states. He’s likely to get over 500 electoral college votes. He may record the biggest election win in American history.’

‘That dick’s going to march America off to war, and no doubt our prime minister will follow.’

‘The thing is, Harris has got it right.’

‘How can you say that, Peter? The guy’s fucking deranged!’

‘Hear me out, Katie. I’m not talking about his policies. While he’s right-wing to the core, he’s brought the left along for the ride. He’s managed to weave a campaign where the voters don’t think the election’s about Republican versus Democrat, rich versus poor, or black versus white. He’s convinced them it’s about America against the rest of the world. He has Americans believing every other country’s milking the United States dry, and he tells them he’s the man to set it right. Look at his two campaign slogans: Vote for America, not Vote for Harris, and Let’s put the us in the USA.’

‘Put the us in clusterfuck, would be more appropriate.’

Smith ignored Jenkison’s comment. ‘Harris has shown that in today’s world party politics means little. The American people want someone who’ll look after the US. Britain needs something similar.’

‘You want a Harris in Downing Street?’ asked Masterson. ‘Jesus, can you picture it. It would be like Thatcher on steroids!’

‘Guys, give me five minutes to explain. Politics has shifted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries have become more insular, and that’s why Harris can walk away with the presidency – and Congress.

‘Now, leaving Harris aside, let’s look at the bigger picture. Britain, Canada, Australia, France and so on, are all struggling. Think of each one as a company. Look at the governments running those businesses. Are any of them like us? No. Would Petmit enjoy its success if half the people running it were trying to screw the other half? No. In today’s world, to survive and grow, countries must run like a conglomerate made up of state, public and private companies, with a strong government acting like a management team making decisions for the benefit of all.’

After a quick swig of beer, Smith got to the point. ‘I intend to form a party and contest the next election.’

‘Are you serious?’ Masterson was gobsmacked.

‘I love this country and the people in it, so yes, I’m serious. Politics in the UK is like a piss-poor soap opera. Our politicians believe delivering witty or disparaging soundbites is their job description. As a result, dealing with the chronic state of the nation has become secondary.

‘A classic example is the National Health Service, a great place for politicians to pour out political platitudes. Every Labour and Conservative government has come into power promising to make sweeping changes for the better. And what’s happened? It’s got worse. None of them have a clue what to do. Anybody disagree?’

When no one answered, he asked another question. ‘Could we overhaul it and build a better system?’ He didn’t wait for an answer, as this was a subject they had discussed before. ‘In five years, we’d turn it around.’

‘You might be oversimplifying what pollies do, Peter.’

‘Then let me put it another way, Tony. When a worker in our organisation gets up in the morning, do they care about what we’re doing or what one of us might’ve said the day before? No, because they know Petmit management remains focused on running the company. If our government was doing its job, there’d be no need for all the media bullshit.

‘When I announce the party, I’ll immediately do what Harris did two days ago. Ignore the opposition and concentrate on the future. I’ll make no bones about the fact that I’ll run the UK the same way we run Petmit. Efficiently.’

‘Say nothing about the current government’s handling of the economy, while laying out what you’ll do. The public’s going to look at your record and think: This guy will turn things around. Quite a neat strategy – for years the financial press has been calling you Mr Fixit,’ said Jenkison.

‘We’re getting wise to the fact that lining up every five years to vote into power the next set of public school boys to fuck us over hasn’t worked.’ Masterson was talking to herself as much as to the others. ‘I get this. A government that’ll run the country like a business.’

Watson shrugged his shoulders. ‘Yeah, it could work.’

Malcolm spoke last. ‘I agree, but it’s going to take discipline, Peter, and self-discipline isn’t something that comes easily to you. You’ll need to remember that not everyone can join the dots as fast as you can – Prime Minister!’

2 November 2028

Chicago, Illinois

The United Centre on West Madison Street was at capacity, with thousands more outside listening and watching live feeds. Once a safe bet for the Democrats, the city was tipped to fall to the Republicans.

Roars erupted from the 23,000 in the arena as Harris, in chinos and Hawaiian shirt, strolled onto the stage. ‘In five days, the people of America have a decision to make. Take our country back, or leave it to the vultures. In the past years and during this campaign, I’ve done my bit to put the us in the USA. In two minutes, I’m going to leave you, head to O’Hare and fly to Orlando.’

Taking the microphone with him, Harris came down to the front row. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Sandra McKay.’

‘I need you to do something for me, Sandra. On this piece of paper is a phone number. Only you will have it. I’m going to stay away from all media until that phone rings on November 7. Your job is to tell me whether the people of America need me or not!’

Returning to the podium, he replaced the mic in its stand. ‘Do you know what your country needs you to do?’

The crowd cheered, and God Bless America roared from the sound system as John Harris left the stage.

7 November 2028

Orlando, Florida

<< Harris Sweeps to Power in Landslide Victory >>

The most popular president ever, with 528 electoral votes.

2

9 November 2028

Dorking, Surrey

‘Pamela, send out notification of a board meeting on 15 November. I need everyone to attend.’

‘Six days isn’t a lot of notice, Peter. Some are overseas.’

‘Tell them it’s important.’

‘Doesn’t make the time any longer. Some will have to be on conference call.’

Leaving his PA to make the arrangements, Smith went to his office, which looked out over the garden of his home. Emily was picking through fallen leaves for a piece of art she was planning. He smiled as she stretched backwards; she looked like she had a beach ball under her heavily stained art smock. Tony Watson and Conor Jenkison were on their way to meet with him. Putting aside what he had to do before the others arrived, he went to join his wife.

The couple had married just 21 months earlier. Childhood sweethearts, they went their separate ways after high school, Smith to study business and Emily to art college. They met again by chance in Liverpool. Smith had gone for a walk between meetings and stumbled on Emily’s gallery. After two dates, he proposed.

‘How’re my queen and princess doing?’

‘It could be a prince.’

‘No, it’s a girl. Margo told me, and she’s a witch.’ Margo was the staff manager in the house.

‘We’ll see. Are you pleased with the way things are going?’

‘Yeah. Tony and Conor will soon be here to help finalise some details. In a month or so, it’ll be my sole focus. I’ve called a board meeting during which I’ll resign as CEO, and from the board.’

‘It’ll be a surprise for the rest of them.’

‘They’ll see the logic in what I’m doing. I’ll spend a few weeks handing over the reins to Alex.’ Alexander Baxter was Smith’s deputy.

Emily linked her arm into her husband’s and steered him towards the house. ‘Let’s go to the kitchen, and you can make yourself a coffee so I can draw in the aroma. I want you to promise there’ll be a coffee machine in the delivery room, so while you cuddle our bundle of joy, I’ll be enjoying a double espresso.’

Finishing his drink, Smith left Emily in the kitchen sorting through her collection of leaves as the aroma faded.

Watson and Jenkison were waiting in his office. ‘Hi, guys. Let’s talk about the campaign itself and funding.’

Watson had done his homework on the campaign finances. ‘The Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act 2000 lays out the rules. Over the years, this bill has had more changes than a roomful of teenage girls on a Friday night. There was an uproar following the amendments the current lot pushed through. Most criticisms were over the increase in the amount an individual can donate – they removed the limit. The other change was the cap on what a party can spend on an election campaign. That went from just under 19 million to 55 million. The Conservatives pushed this through, as they know the next election will be a tough one to win. The bottom line is you can spend as much as you like on your campaign, as long as you declare it.’

‘Here’s what I’m thinking. We make ours a true members’ party and ask everyone who joins or plans to vote for us to pay ten quid. To get the ball rolling, I’ll put up the cash until the supporters’ funding can take over. We won’t accept any larger donations.’

‘You’re going to ask the voters to fund the entire campaign?’

‘I’ll ask for, and will get, a donation from everyone who wants to see real change in this country. I reckon we’ll get 70 to 80 per cent of the vote.’

Tony ran a calculation in his head. ‘If you expect 37 million members, they only have to kick in one pound fifty each. Why ask for ten?’

‘We’ll give everyone a refund.’

Jenkison laughed. ‘Fuck, pull that off and you will’ve as good as won before a vote is cast.’

‘I can’t see people paying ten quid.’

‘They’ll pay, Tony, because they want us to look after their business – Britain. Once we announce our intentions, we’ll kick off with a large advertising campaign detailing our fundamental principles and policies.’

‘And what are those?’ Watson wanted detail.

‘We’ll serve the people, not big business or union masters. One of our election promises will be to change the funding rules and ban all political donations. Our government will establish a system under which every registered voter will have a ₤5 electronic voucher. In an election year, each person can allocate the voucher to their party of choice. The limit will be ₤25 million. Therefore, say Labour receives 25 million vouchers, it’ll only get cash for five million.

‘Think of it: upfront, the scheme will cost ₤250 million. We make it an investment fund, and with a four per cent return, it’s unlikely we’d ever have to put any more cash into it. In fact, in less than 20 years, we’d have surplus!’

Watson agreed. What his boss was proposing made sense and money.

Smith moved on. ‘We’ll run the UK like a business, ensuring that every step we take protects the country, the people in it and their welfare. The first task is to secure our revenue by closing all the loopholes that businesses use to avoid tax. We’ll streamline government bodies and use what we save to create new employment opportunities.

‘Buy British will be more than a mantra churned out to make people feel good. We know that in any industry, international sales grow if there’s a solid domestic market.

‘In trade and foreign affairs, issues concerning other countries will take second place to matters at home. We’ll pull out of NATO, Nine Eyes and the Aukus treaty – no more fighting other countries’ wars or being a part of groups whose sole purpose is to prepare for war.

‘There’ll be a cap on immigration until we have full employment. Think of that scenario last year in Birmingham when we went out to tender for cleaning services at the nursing homes. We got four tenders, three of which were over 30 per cent below the company currently holding the contract. When we investigated why they were so low, what did we find? They based their quotes on new immigrants, prepared to work for a pittance. If we’d accepted any of the tenders, we’d have put the current guys on the dole. Like any business, the UK can’t bring in more workers unless it has jobs for them.’

‘That’ll come across as hard line, but I reckon the public will see the logic,’ interrupted Jenkison.

Smith continued. ‘The National Health Service reminds me of the time we bought the Quinn Group. It was like Frankenstein’s monster. To fill perceived gaps, the previous owners added bits and pieces everywhere. With the Health Service, we’ll take a whole-of-business approach. The NHS is overburdened because the population is getting sicker through poor lifestyle choices. We’ll address the causes as well as the symptoms. For example, we’ll introduce a sugar tax. Every bleeding heart says we can’t do it – but we taxed smoking because of the impact on people’s health, and it’s time to do the same with sugar and fast foods.’

Smith rolled on from policy to policy.

‘I’m going to enhance the police service and stop this endless chatter about performance-based funding. Policing’s a community service. Bobbies on the beat make people feel safe.

‘Energy will be the big one for us to tackle. We’ll push for more solar and wind power and invest more time and effort in nuclear power, particularly fusion.

‘In social care and pensions, we’re going to look at a universal basic income. Coupled with a Buy British policy, that’ll put more money into the economy and create new jobs.

‘We’ll invest heavily in new homes, replacing as many as possible of those eyesores built in the past 50 years.

‘To make sure we hear everyone’s voice, I’ll expand the cabinet to allow three ministers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.’

‘Christ, Pete, you sound like a cross between Margaret Thatcher and Tony Benn.’

‘If you forget about party politics and think of the UK as a business, what do I sound like?’

‘A CEO, but the country expects a prime minister.’

‘They can call me what they like – either way, I’ll get the job done.’

‘This’s fucking brilliant. What d’you want me to do?’ asked Jenkison.

‘Two things. First, I want you to find a PR company. Be innovative, OK?’

Jenkison smiled, relishing the task. The second made him even happier.

‘We need to find candidates – 650 of them, one for each parliamentary constituency. The first choice will be competent sitting MPs. Search for the good ones, and we’ll target them to climb on board with us. If an electorate has an MP who’s not up to scratch, find someone in the area who’d suit. Do you know what we’re looking for?’

‘I’ll assume we’re putting together a takeover bid for a conglomerate called The United Kingdom, which has 650 subsidiaries. I’ll study each company within the group and find the best manager. How does that sound?’

‘Like a plan.’

‘On a different subject, Tony, I want an aggressive expansion of Petmit. Look for businesses in health, defence and education. I also want to grow our food services sector, both manufacturing and distribution companies. I’ll take this to the board for approval.’

‘Are these things linked?’

‘In a way, yes. I plan to announce the new party in February. It’d be good to have a bunch of stories running about the growth of Petmit and our employee numbers.’

3

15 February 2029

ITV Studios, London

‘Welcome back to the morning show. In the studio, we have Peter Smith, former chief executive officer of the UK’s biggest company and the nation’s largest employer, Petmit plc. Good morning, Peter.’

‘Good morning, Sharon, and good morning to your viewers.’

‘UKG – the United Kingdom Group. A strange name for a political party.’

‘England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are the United Kingdom. Therefore, it’s appropriate the party that’ll govern the group has the same name.’

‘You sound confident.’

‘Everyone knows the problems that affect the UK today and craves a government with the ability to deal with them. In the coming months, the UKG will outline how it’ll tackle the tough issues and get the job done.’

‘How can you make that statement? The UKG has no experience in managing the country.’

‘Petmit now has close to two million employees. They range from part-time workers earning less than £10,000 a year to executives with a salary of one million. We’ve every political persuasion in the workforce – rich, poor, black, white, Asian, and people of every religion. The Petmit management team looks after them all and continues to grow the business. The UKG will do the same for Britain.’

‘Managing a business and running a country are entirely different things.’

‘I disagree. The UK has two trillion pounds in assets, revenues each year of one trillion, and over three trillion in debt. That’s a sizeable chunk of change that requires sound management.

‘When we have a general election, we choose 650 MPs, essentially the directors who’ll run the UK for the following five years. Unfortunately, due to the ridiculous inter-party bickering, almost half of those people sit in the boardroom – the Commons – making life difficult for the rest.

‘Evidence of mismanagement is visible in every village, town and city. Successive governments have failed to do their job. Debt has spiralled out of control, unemployment continues to grow, and institutions like the NHS are on their knees. All indicators point to a business in need of change, and the UKG will provide it.’

‘You plan to contest every electorate. When will you announce your team, and how will you select candidates?’

‘I’m going to use another business analogy, Sharon. When Petmit buys a company, our goal is to keep the best of the existing management. In the UK, there are sitting MPs we need on the UKG team, the men and women who give their all to the people they represent. The UKG will win the next election because the people of this great country need and demand change. To those committed and dedicated MPs, I say this: The UK needs you. Forget party political nonsense and get on board with us.’

‘Let me get this correct. You expect sitting MPs to leave their party and join the UKG?’

‘In many electorates, we have women and men who’ve served their constituents tirelessly. I’m certain these dedicated people are sick and tired of the confrontational politics holding this country back and driving decline in the regions. The UKG will give these politicians what they’ve always dreamt of – a government that’ll rebuild Britain and put it back on the industrial stage it once dominated.’

‘Voting for a new party is a risk. If you get into government, what happens if you don’t deliver on your promises?’

‘When a public company elects a board of directors, there’s an annual meeting during which the shareholders can vote on the board’s performance. I make this promise to the electorate: On the first anniversary of the general election, there’ll be a national referendum – I’ll pay for it, so there’s no cost to the taxpayer – and the people of the UK can have their say on our performance. If they believe we’ve failed in our duties, I’ll immediately call a general election so we can step aside.’

‘That’s quite a promise, Peter.’

‘You can make sure I stick to it, Sharon. Thank you for having me on your show.’

16 February 2029

The White House, Washington, DC

‘Who the hell is this guy? I’ve never heard of him before. And what’s with the dumb name UKG – the United Kingdom Group?’

The president’s chief of staff, Scott Rice, gave him the background on Smith.

‘Is he likely to win?’

‘I can’t see it, sir. The Brits aren’t big on change. Over the years, a grab bag of new parties has come and gone. This guy is all noise, nothing else.’

‘I want you to keep an eye on things, Scott. Put some people onto it full-time. If he starts to get traction, I want to know.’

‘Yes, sir.’

19 February 2029

London

Smith was travelling by car to the UKG headquarters in the centre of London. Sharing the spacious rear of the SUV were Conor Jenkison and Lynda Green. ‘How are things going setting up public meetings and media slots?’

Jenkison had selected a Birmingham-based marketing company to run the election campaign. His choice, 3 Greens, was a strange one. They had never managed a political campaign. The principals of the company were three sisters: Anne, Lynda and Sarah Green. They had enjoyed a lot of success in getting start-up companies up and running, many of which were now multimillion-pound enterprises. When Jenkison had proposed them, he told his boss, ‘They’re successful and creative. I looked at outfits with a lot more corporate presence, but they all think politics is about Red versus Blue. You’ll like these three; they’re sharp and get where you’re coming from and where you’re going.’

Lynda answered Smith’s question. ‘Every media outlet in the country is seeking an interview, and we’ve booked larger halls for your public meetings, based on the numbers Conor’s projecting. Don’t get too excited, Peter. It’s early days. You’re a six-legged horse; everyone wants to see you. What you have to do is sell them on the first meet and prove a horse with six legs is safe to ride and runs faster.’

‘When we get to headquarters, get everyone together. I want a chat with those who are leaving today.’

The UKG headquarters was a hive of activity, operating as if the government had already called an election. They had cleared all the partitions on one floor of the building and christened it the ideas room.

Smith faced the managers of his campaign team. ‘We have no date for a general election, but I want you to act as if we’re already on the campaign trail. Tomorrow, many of you’ll head to other cities and towns to take charge of your local office. All I’m going to say about that is goodbye, and I’ll see you soon. This morning I’d like you to tell me what you think I should be doing. Who wants to go first?’

‘Both Labour and Conservative MPs have been in the press blaming each other for, and I quote, people like Smith.’ A red-headed Irish girl who he was yet to meet had spoken up.

‘What’s your name, and where’s your office?’

‘Mary Maguire. I’ll manage the most difficult office in the UK – Belfast. My task is to convince Protestants and Catholics to walk away from 800 years of ingrained behaviour and vote for you.’ Maguire’s comments got a roar of laughter and shouts of encouragement.

‘You’ll get it done, Mary. And I look forward to a pint in the Crown when I come to see you. Now, back to your point.’

‘If they ask you to comment, Peter, you can say it’s good to see they can agree on something!’ Mary got another laugh from those around her.

Smith let the laughter die down. ‘Much as I’d like to say that, I