God's Country

Part Fifty-Nine

'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.'

Philippians 4:13

Peter Munroe ran through the campaign strategy. It was mostly the work of Alistair Forbes but he was not a presenter, quite content to remain in the background, and in any case Peter was the precise, focussed, logical sort of man needed for a war plan and he made it all sound simple and sensible. Charles Buckingham listened, but let his eyes roam around the room looking at the men who would, if all went well, form his first Cabinet team, the men he would solemnly task with putting Reformism into practise. They had a busy three weeks ahead of them, and the polls were neck and neck, but they had a chance. It looked like a good young team to Charles. He had offered important roles to Henderson and one or two of his senior people, but he would have his men in the crucial positions. Robinson-Smythe, despite some misgivings, was a natural Foreign Secretary. He had been in and around the diplomatic service all his life, spoke several languages and had a seemingly endless network of contacts throughout Europe. Peter Munroe would be Home Secretary. He was steady, reliable and committed, and whilst not the sort of man to ever sparkle in front of the cameras, he would deliver. Harry Trevor would be the Minister for Health and Education, with a good junior minister beneath him to cover each individual brief, with the major responsibility of putting the National Service programme into operation as quickly as possible.

That program was important to the modern renaissance. Not only would it deliver real savings in both sectors, by replacing expensive labour, by far the biggest cost, with cheap recruits, but the youngsters going through the system would benefit immensely from the training they would receive. The sensitive roll out of the programme was vital, because there were elements of it that might not meet with full public approval, and he needed someone to concentrate on it. Harry was the best candidate as he passionately believed in helping the poor, but was well aware that they also needed to be encouraged to help themselves. He had worked at the sharp end of welfare delivery and he could see both sides of the issue. He was also photogenic, charismatic and confident in public; a heartthrob as Alistair Forbes icily described him, the pin up boy of the modern renaissance.

Henderson would be chancellor. He had been the firm hand on the tiller behind George Osborn until he fell out with Cameron, and he had credibility in the city. It was a sound team and the campaign would make them all household names by the time Alistair Forbes had finished with them, or die in the attempt. But first they had to win the election, and win it well with a large enough majority that they could force their policies through the House. The House of Lords had been reformed in the dog days of Cameron's first administration, so they could not stop anything more than once anymore. They could send bills back to the House with recommended amendments, but they could not stop anything twice. The next Prime Minister with a large enough majority could change society forever.

Peter Munroe finished his presentation and sat back, half-listening to his colleagues but mostly lost in his own thoughts. Being Home Secretary was a dream, a culmination of most of his ambitions in life. But it would come at a price. Charles Buckingham had made it clear that he had to stop dithering and commit himself to the cause. He could be a backbencher and carry on the way that he was, but Charles was bowing to pressure from Michael Winstanley and his paymasters. And they had a point, of course. In joining the Christian Democrats there was an implied commitment to Christianity. He had started going to church every week like all of the CDP, but it was so much easier for most of them. Robinson-Smythe was divorced and his daughter lived with her mother in France, well out of the way. Having married very young his son, his only other child, was grown up and serving in the army. Harry Trevor was not married but he seemed to have convinced his mother and sister to support him without any trouble. Kieran Radcliffe, who would be number two to Harry Trevor, was not married either and did not have to do anything at all, and even Philip Henderson had taken the plunge with Catherine, a decision made easier for him by his daughter's indiscretions. Charles had told Munroe all the details. It had been a pointed chat about personal intentions, almost like an interview. They were good friends and Buckingham was sympathetic, but he was also a strong leader. He simply had to make the tough calls.