Chapter 468 Ending the Rationing System

"Alan, are you talking about the independence of British India?" Norman Brooke smiled.

"The cost of British India was too high. We should have created a divide between North and South India, instead of connecting the entire subcontinent with railways. As time went by, nationalists spread to all parts of India. But Honorable Norman Sir, the role of British India can be replaced. The subcontinent has a huge number of people, but it cannot exert its true strength. In fact, I think that as long as Malaya develops all its potential, it can completely replace India's role."

"If we change another place, we can completely merge colonies in Africa and create a huge colony. However, I do not recommend this. African colonies should follow the example of the partition of India and Pakistan and carry out separate management."

Norman Brooke nodded inconspicuously and said, "This time we have summoned the commissioners from each colony to come up with a response plan for the sake of the real British Empire. We will formulate a plan that is beneficial to us."

The true British Empire in Norman Brooke's words naturally included all existing colonies. As for the UK that the cabinet talks about, it is just the British Isles controlled by party parties.

As for the plan that is good for us, it is of course a plan that is good for the civil service. Although Norman Brooke did not say it clearly, Alan Wilson understood it, and that was what he meant.

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"Wait until they all return to London and come up with a feasible plan. You also need to be seated. Although the work in Newfoundland has been completed, the performance of 400 million pounds plundered from British India in the last two years will be enough. Let you have the right to speak." Norman Brook said this and encouraged, "Go back and prepare, and I hope that you can come up with something eye-catching at the meeting."

"I'll try my best, Sir Norman." Alan Wilson nodded, looking forward to this meeting in his heart.

How to safeguard the interests of the current British Empire, Alan Wilson made a general statement in the colonial assessment report to Prime Minister Attlee, but this time the meeting faced the same group of imperial civil servants, so we could do something practical Something to help with some suggestions.

In fact, before World War I, a global market had been initially established. After World War II, due to changes in the global landscape, the cost of plundering raw materials was even higher than the normal procurement cost from the international market. This was simply unnecessary. Maintain the original colonial system.

But this is not a reason to abandon the colonies, because the current industrialization is not just a country of Britain itself. There are still many competitors, so of course the imperial preferential system must be maintained as much as possible.

France is actually very different from Britain in its approach to colonies. Compared with other powers, France's colonial policy is very assimilated. French civil servants are used in government agencies, and the official language is French, which completely copies French politics. system.

In education, children have the same textbooks as children in France. The textbooks all include "My ancestors are Gauls". This sentence is used verbatim in colonial textbooks.

This is also the main reason why Alan Wilson said that if France occupied Ireland, maybe Ireland would now be an integral part of France. After all, Ireland is also a white ethnic group with Catholic beliefs. The ethnic and religious problems faced by France will disappear, and assimilation can be said to be very easy.

However, in fact, this is a double-edged sword for France to maintain its colonies. Although before World War II, this policy played a role in enhancing the aboriginal people in French colonies’ sense of identity with France. It can even be said that they think that they are French. , and most French people regard their colonies as provinces with the same status as mainland France, the most representative of which is Algeria.

The state machine is cruel in one aspect, that is, the more it targets its own people, the more ruthless it is.

China, which is also a mainland country, loses half of its population every time it changes dynasties.

Therefore, after resistance occurs in some colonies, the native French people often show their truest side. The first choice is to suppress them, and they will never allow these places to become independent unless they have to.

However, France's current attitude of strong suppression is not necessarily a bad thing for Britain, because there are still many overlaps between British and French colonies. The facts in Vietnam can be used to warn the people in Malaya.

The behavior of the French army in Algeria was used to cover the behavior of the British army in British Africa. In the final analysis, every country must consider its own interests. Britain and France must be united in the general direction, but Britain itself must be more united.

Christmas in 1948 had a different meaning to the citizens of London, because on this day, Prime Minister Attlee announced the abolition of the rationing system. This was originally to be announced on New Year's Day in 1949. It was considered a special day. The third year after the war brought an end to the impact of the World War on Britain.

The UK is currently the first country in Europe to make rationing a thing of the past, a few months earlier than the Soviet Union.

It's a few days in advance, which can be regarded as providing a good mood for British citizens. Alan Wilson was also in a good mood, holding Hepburn's hand while strolling through Hyde Park, wearing a mask of course.

"How do you like the magazine that Lord Sheffield helped find? Are you satisfied?" Alan Wilson asked gently, wanting to know what Hepburn thought about appearing in the public eye.

"Very good. I heard that this magazine sells 1.5 million copies per year. I also went back to the Netherlands to shoot an advertisement, and it looks good now." Audrey Hepburn said with a smile on her face, "Thanks to It’s you.”

"With a girl like you, any man can't help but help." Alan Wilson said flatteringly, "I'm just an ordinary member of a large group of men, but seeing that you have gotten out of trouble, it's really Delightful."

"Thanks to you for Mr. Alim's help, but my mother is still a little concerned about his skin color." Audrey Hepburn sighed, "Actually, I think it's okay, I don't know why my mother is like this. "

"Individually speaking, people everywhere have similar ratios of good and evil, but when South Asians gather together, it is surprising. I worked in British India and have some understanding of this." Alan Wilson thought for a while and explained, "Studying the issue of national character is destined to be useless. If you see a book that evaluates others from a national perspective, don't waste your money. It's all a lie. I've only seen one I have never seen any people..."

Hearing Hepburn's words, Alan Wilson remembered something that existed in Chinese history but also happened in India. Starting in 1856, Hindu Brahmins and Peace Cult mullahs joined forces to spread prophecies throughout North India: The British rule would end in 1857, a hundred years after the Battle of Placer. Villages were making pancakes to communicate with each other in preparation for an uprising. There was a rumor among the Indian soldiers that their bullets were greased with lard and butter. past rumors. Finally, in 1857, a massive Indian national uprising broke out.

Of course, this resistance failed, and the British's eternal destiny obviously did not become a reality.

So if similar things happen, it does not mean that similar results will occur. Otherwise, France would be better than Britain in terms of any hardware. Why didn't the industrial revolution break out in France?

Alan Wilson has always avoided mentioning political issues when getting along with Hepburn. He only said from the perspective of Arim that he is good, but it does not mean that Indians are good. Every time you get to know someone, you need to slowly get in touch to build trust, and the relationship of interest will be established faster.

His fiancée is not in London, so Alan Wilson spent this Christmas with the Hepburn family. In fact, given Hepburn's current environment, Alan Wilson could have cooked the rice and used his connections to silence Hepburn.

It’s just that there is absolutely no need for him to do this, and he doesn’t even want to use the method of throwing money at other women, and just wants to get along with him in a relaxed manner. Hepburn’s mother knew that Alan Wilson’s parents were gone, and her attitude towards this young man was quite different. For tolerance.

On Christmas Eve in 1948, Alan Wilson spent time at the home of Hepburn and her daughter. After dinner, he stood up and left, and declined Hepburn's farewell, saying, "Have a good rest. I will come over to see you when I have time." "

Before New Year's Day, Alan Wilson still followed the old habit of having a drink with his colleagues in Whitehall, as if nothing had happened. It was just Lord Sheffield who would ask in private, "That person who seems very innocent." Whether the little girl has been captured or not, it is better to do this as soon as possible."

Seeing that everyone is a man, Lord Sheffield, I understand, Alan Wilson nodded with deep understanding, it doesn't matter even if he didn't listen to a word, nodding first is not a bad thing.

Finally, Gerald Edward, the British Commissioner for Malaya, arrived in London, ending Alan Wilson's days of idleness, and there was one more person at the Whitehall civil servants' gathering.

"Has there been any response to my suggestion?" Alan Wilson asked secretly, regarding the Healthy Malaya Movement.

"The effect is very good, Alan, you know the mentality of the Malayan people so well." Gerald Edward sighed greatly, "I wonder what the hell the respected cabinet secretary is asking us to come back to?"

"It has something to do with the development of the colony, I don't know the details." Alan Wilson told the truth, he really didn't know.

In the following days, commissioners from various colonies in British Africa arrived one after another and were notified that the meeting was scheduled for January 2, so that the commissioners of each colony could prepare their own colonial information to facilitate discussion during the meeting.

All the commissioners who dominate the colonies are facing great enemies. Ministers generally do not pay attention to what officials in a certain colony are doing, but in the Cabinet Secretariat, they can be replaced.

At eight o'clock in the morning on January 2, the commissioners who had returned from the colonies in Asia and Africa arrived at the Foreign Office Building in Whitehall, together with Ismay, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign Office, waiting for the arrival of Norman Brooke.

Alan Wilson diligently showed his kindness to his old boss Sir Barron and proved himself to be a reliable person until Norman Brooke came in.