PART XI: THE ACHY
EIGHTIES
In
our review of the last century, the 1980s come in as the worst decade of the
Twentieth Century. Granted, the economic situation wasn’t quite as bad as in
other decades, but the Iran War coupled with the so-called “Second Depression”,
makes the 1980s worse than even the depths of the Great Depression of the
1930s. Starting with the murder of the First Lady-elect Coretta King in
December 1980 was a bad omen for the rest of the decade. In 1981, the British
government began to increase costs on oil exported to all non-commonwealth
nations or nations that weren’t allied with them in the conflict in Iran. And
since BNP was the largest controller of Middle Eastern oil, it meant that
nation’s like the United States were at the mercy of the new “Non-Empire Oil
Tariff”. By 1983, the price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States was
nearing $5, and there were
frequent shortages in many cities. These shortages would lead to a growing
sense of unrest that would ultimately spell the end of the King administration
in the 1984 election.
-“The Century In Review,” Time Magazine, February 21, 2000.
THE LEADER HAS DIED!
LONDON, JUNE 24- The Ministry of Information has announced
that Our Leader Sir Oswald passed away late last night of a heart attack. Her
Majesty the Queen has declared that the next 100 days shall be a time of
mourning for the nation. It is reported that, even less than 12 hours since the
death occurred, mourners have already started laying flowers in front of Number
10 Downing Street, and the London police believe that by noon today there will
be thousands upon thousands of flower in front of the Prime Minister’s
residence.
The
Prime Minister’s spokesperson stated that the funeral will be within one week,
and that an election to replace Leader Mosley will occur two days after that.
Although there is no official word as to who may replace Sir. Oswald, many
expect that his youngest son Michael Mosley will likely fill his father’s
shoes. In the last five years, the younger Mosley has been increasingly
included in the affairs of state by his father.
The
funeral will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Central Security officials
believe that nearly 1 million people will descend on the capital to pay their
final respects to what many in the BUF are calling one of Britain’s greatest
leaders.
-“The Leader Has Died,” The
Daily Mail, June 24, 1980.
Sir
Oswald Mosley’s funeral was one of the largest funerals ever held in London,
only dwarfed by the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 1993. On June 30, 1980,
Britons from all over the United Kingdom poured into the city to pay their
respects to the Leader. It was estimated by the Central Security Police that
approximately 1.2 million people were in London for the event, lining every
street that the funeral procession would go down, filling every park where
large television screens where erected, and filling every public stadium that
was also set up for people to view the funeral that was being broadcast live
via the BBC and the BNN. There wasn’t an empty hotel room in London, and the
transit systems of the British capital were taxed to their max.
In
attendance at St. Paul’s cathedral was the Queen and her family, every member
of Parliament, the Prime Minister of Russia, the Chancellor of Germany, the
Vice President of the United States, the President of France, the Prime
Minister of Canada, the Chancellor of South Africa, and Premier of Australia,
and Prime Minister of India, and many other heads of state and government.
Notably absent, however, was the Premier of Pakistan, who refused to attend in
protest to the Iran War.
The
Queen praised the departed Prime Minister for his wise leadership and his
ability to pull Great Britain out of the economic depression that had set in
after the London Treaty. “He put the ‘Great’ back in Great Britain.” Sir
Oswald’s son Michael reminisced about how good of a father the Leader had been,
and how he’d taught him to use good judgment and humility in anything he did.
Two
days following the funeral, the 100 members of the House of Commons met to
elect Sir Oswald’s successor. As predicted, Michael Mosley won the majority
vote (79), and was sworn in as Prime Minister.
-Hayes, Dr. Thomas. Rise
of Fascism in Britain. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS LAW!
WASHINGTON, OCT 1- President King’s broad ranging
Affirmative Action Bill was signed into law this morning by the President at a
special ceremony at the White House. The law, known also as the 1 to 4 Law,
will require all employers to hire 1 person of non-Caucasian descent for ever 4
persons of Caucasian descent. This also applies to university enrollment.
Leaders from the Republican Party, along with the newly formed States Rights
Party and even the American People’s Party, state that this is a step in the
wrong direction.
Republican
Senator George Bush stated that, “While I support efforts to bring about
greater equality in this nation, I fear that the 1 to 4 Law will only bring
about greater racial tensions and hostility across the country.” APP Congressmen
William Clinton echoed these sentiments, saying “the American People’s Party is
committed to full equality for all Americans, but we believe this law will do
more harm than good, creating more rifts between the races instead of healing
the ones that already exist.”
-“Affirmative Action is Law!” The Washington Post, October 2, 1981.
GAS RIOTS STRIKE ACROSS THE COUNTRY
ST. LOUIS, AUG 1- From coast to coast, people have taken to
the streets to protest the high prices of gas, and demanding that President
King and Congress fix the situation. Republicans are calling for the United
States to enter the Iran War so that Britain will drop the oil tariff. Here in
St. Louis, there were numerous drive offs at city gas stations, and impromptu
riots at several others. One gas station was actually set on fire.
In
California, there were multiple reports of people with weapons taking control
of gas stations and allowing people to fill up without paying. At the moment,
the highest gas in the country is over $4 a gallon, and even in places like
Oklahoma and Texas, where there are gas production facilities, fuel prices are
hovering around $3. President King is urging the American people to be patient
and that fuel prices will come down soon. Protestors have been picketing in
front of the White House for weeks, chanting “Fix the Gas Crisis!” “Invade
Iran!” “Help out the Brits!” and “Lets Join Mosley!”.
This
year’s mid-term elections are expected to bring numerous victories to
Republicans across the country, and it is likely that the Republicans could
gain control of both houses of Congress. And if the gas crisis keeps up, King’s
chances for reelection in 1984 do not look good.
-“Gas Riots Strike Across the Country,” The New York Times, August 1, 1982.
PROJECT LUNA TEAM LANDS ON MOON!
CAPE CANAVRERAL, SEP 2- The ASEA has confirmed that the team that launched from Cape
Canaveral last week has successfully landed on the surface of the Moon. In a
statement issued soon after the ASEA confirmed the landing, President King
said, “Today is a great day in the history of not only our nation, but in the
history of all mankind. For today, for the first time since Adam and Eve first
walked this Earth, there is a permanent settlement of man that is not on the
surface of our beloved home planet. I congratulate the ASEA and it’s engineers,
scientists, and our brave cosmonauts for this great feat, and wish them luck
and wisdom in their future expansion of this base on the Moon.”
Project
Luna’s 27 cosmonauts will be setting up a small 3,000 square foot base facility
that is to be expanded over the coming years and decades. The facility has been
named Liberty Base by the ASEA.
-“Project Luna Team Lands on Moon!” The New York Times, September 2, 1982.
In
the mid-term election of 1982, the Liberty Party lost it’s control of both
houses of Congress, resulting in Republican control of the Senate and a
plurality in the House of Representatives where the Republicans had the largest
number of seats. This resulted in one of the worst political deadlocks in U.S.
History, with President King blocking much of the Republican’s legislation
while they blocked his agenda. For two whole years, very little got done in
Washington. Senator George HW Bush of Massachusetts announced his intent to run
in late 1983, and immediately began campaigning. Voter frustration at the
skyrocketing gas prices and the worsening economy ultimately doomed the King
campaign, and with it the Liberty and APP congressional elections, since the
APP again backed King for the presidency.
George
H.W. Bush received nearly 60% of the vote in November of 1984, bringing to a
close 12 years of Democrat/Liberty rule from the White House. Having won their
first Presidential election since 1968 and only the second Presidential
election since the 1930s, the Republicans were exuberant, and the Liberty Party
was in shock. Party leaders immediately began asking themselves, “How did we
get so disconnected from the people of this country?”
-Johnson, Dr. Kyle. The
King Presidency, 1981-1985. New York, American Press Company: 2000.
BUSH: WE ARE AT WAR
WASHINGTON, FEB 1- President Bush, in a special address this
evening before both houses of Congress, called on the legislators to declare a
state of war to exist between the United States and the so-called Islamic
Republic of Iran. Congress has since approved this request, and now the US
finds itself at war. President Bush said he would be going to London within the
next month to visit with Prime Minister Michael Mosley to “heal wounds caused
by past administrations and to work with Premier Mosley to plan America and
Britain’s join war effort to put down the rebels in Iran and to secure the oil
fields in that country for the West.”
Many
across the country have started to celebrate the long-awaited declaration of
war, burning flags of the Islamic Republic, and effigies of the Ayatollah. A
rally is planned for tomorrow night on the steps of the capital to show support
for the decision. At the same time, opposition protests have also started to
break out, and there are several protest rallies planned for tomorrow night.
The most fervent opposition is coming from the West Coast, where the American
People’s Party enjoys a majority in all three states. In a dramatic scene of
protest, the California Congressional Delegation got up and walked out of the
joint session after war was officially declared.
Mobilization
of the Armed Forces will begin soon, and it is expected that U.S. troops will
be in Iran before the end of March.
-“Bush: We Are At War,” The
Washington Post, February 2, 1985.
1 TO 4 LAW REPEALED
WASHINGTON, APR 9- The Republican-controlled Congress has
repealed the highly unpopular “1 to 4 Law”, officially known as the
“Affirmative Action Law”. Passed under the King Administration, the law forced
all employers to higher one non-white citizen for ever four whites they had
employed, and required all universities to enroll one non-white student for
every four white students. The high rate of unemployment, which peaked at 12.5%
in 1985, is blamed on the law.
President
Bush promised during the 1984 campaign that if elected, he and his party would
do all they could to repeal the law as part of their efforts to pull America
out of the “Second Depression”. The president told reporters this afternoon
that, “Today is a great victory for the American people, and for the cause of
true racial equality. It is my hope, and the hope of millions of Americans,
that someday our society will truly be color-blind, and it will not matter
whether your skin is white, black, red, yellow or brown. We are all Americans,
and it is time the law represented this future we hope to build.”
It
is expected that tougher anti-discrimination laws will be passed in the next
few months, to replace the 1 to 4 Law.
-“1 To 4 Law Repealed,” The
Washington Post, April 10, 1986
President
Bush went to London aboard the newly launched GZ-305, the USS Eagle II, which replaced the largely
antiquated GZ-9 that had sat in it’s hangar for nearly a decade, unofficially
retired following the assassination of President Humphrey. The plans for the Eagle II had been on the drawing board
for several years, but Presidents Kennedy and King would not give them the go
ahead. When Bush was elected, he had the ship put under construction the day
after the inauguration, and it was launched in July of 1986, and President Bush
took the craft on it’s maiden voyage to a conference in London with Prime
Minister Michael Mosley and several leaders of the Commonwealth. By this time,
American forces had already been deployed to Iran for over a year, and were
fighting side-by-side with Commonwealth troops. The republican capital of
Tehran was still in enemy hands, but was being bombarded daily by US and UK
forces. Many experts figured that most of Iran would by under US-UK control by
the end of 1987, and so Prime Minister Mosley wanted to try and nail down a
preliminary post-war plan for Iran. There were two main plans that were put
forth, the Division Plan and the Dominion Plan. The first, suggested by Mosley
and supported by Bush and the Australians, called for the division of Iran
between Iraq and the Dominion of Pakistan. Pakistan, which didn’t support the
war and did not want the extra territory once it finished, was against this
plan. Britain’s ally, Iraq, supported the idea, however. Pakistan and the
Dominion of South Africa both supported the idea of making Iran a dominion of
the Empire, which they believed would be the best way to avoid post war
violence. In the end, the Division Plan was chosen, but was to be kept secret
until the end of the war.
-Flemmings, Dr. Samuel. The
Black Hole that was Iran. British Press House, London: 2002.
PAKISTANI’S REVEAL SECRET OF LONDON CONFERENCE
ISLAMABAD, DEC 11-
Several anti-war members of the Pakistani government that were recently
dismissed for their strong opinions against the Iran War have released
information to the world press that reveals the post-war plans decided upon by
the British Commonwealth and the United States. It appears that the hopeful
victors plan on dividing Iran between the Dominion of Pakistan and Iraq, essentially
dissolving the Iranian state. This news has been met with wide-spread protests
throughout the Dominion of Pakistan, where protesters gathered outside
Parliament and chanted “Down with the Queen,” “Islamic Solidarity for Iran,”
“Say No to London!” and even a few “Islamic Revolution Now.”
British
Prime Minister Michael Mosley has denied these allegations, saying that “Iran
will not be divided after the war. The London Conference decided we’d give the
Iranians a few choices to vote on once the Islamic Republic has been defeated
in the north.” However, the Pakistani’s who released the information have
distributed official papers with Mosley’s signature that seem to indicate
otherwise. These documents very clearly state that Mosley, along with President
Bush, approved of the so-called “Division Plan,” and that it was approved at
the London Conference this past summer. So far, the White House has yet to make
any sort of statement about the validity of these allegations.
In
Iran, the British Military announced this morning a ban on all large public
gatherings, seemingly to stem the chance of any major rioting like what has
occurred in Pakistan, although the British commanders in Iran say that the
order is unrelated.
-“Pakistani’s Reveal Secret of London Conference,” The New York Times, December 11, 1986.
The
“Division Plan Crisis” during the winter of 1986-1987 led to a lot of anti-war
support in the United States and in several of the Dominions that put
increasing pressure on all the Coalition governments to bring an end to the
war. And, it forced the British to abandon the Division Plan, when President
Bush announced that he was in full support of “any plan that left pro-Western
Iranian independence intact.” In April of 1987, all the allied nations agreed
to the Dominion Plan, including the rump Iranian government that had been
largely a puppet since the British invasion in 1979. This seemed to settle
things down considerably in the United States, where support for the war
increased.
Things
in Pakistan, however, were not as peaceful. In October of 1987, the “Pakistani
Islamic Party” was formed, calling for a thorough “Islamification” of the
country. The more radical PIP members called for an end of Dominion, since it
was improper for Pakistan to have a Christian Queen. In February of 1988, the
British Central Security Police “discovered” a link between the PIP and the
Islamic Republic of Iran, and forced the Dominion’s government to ban the
party. This led to major unrest in that country that would sow the seeds of
future revolt.
-Flemmings, Dr. Samuel. The
Black Hole that was Iran. British Press House, London: 2002.
TEHRAN FALLS!!
TEHRAN, OCT 1- Her Majesty’s Armed Forces have confirmed
that the rebel forces in Tehran have fled to the countryside, and that the
nation’s former capital has been mostly secured. There have still been sporadic
firefights in some parts of the city where random clusters of holdouts evaded
the initial British and American troops that stormed the city yesterday
morning. Coalition commanders believe that these pockets of resistance will be routed out in due course.
Prime
Minister Mosley declared tomorrow, October 2, as a national holiday in
celebration of this great victory. “We have been fighting the good fight for 9
long years now, and our determination and perseverance has been rewarded. Great
Britain, the Commonwealth, and our allies are triumphant. It is my promise to
the British people that our troops will begin to come home within a year! This
war shall be over soon!”
Iran’s
former capital lies in ruins, a sign of nearly a decade of fighting. For more
than a year, the city has been under nearly constant siege by Coalition forces,
and thousands of rebel
non-combatants are believed to have been killed in the run-up to the final push
on the city. Initial estimates by commonwealth engineers is that it will take
up to ten years to get the city to about where it was before the war, and at
the costs of close to a billion pounds.
-“Tehran Falls!” The
Daily Mail, October 1, 1988.
BUSH WINS REELECTION!
WASHINGTON, NOV 5- President George HW Bush has been
reelected as President of the United States, beating out Socialist candidate
William Clinton and Liberty Party candidate Joseph Lieberman. Many political
analysts believe that the Socialists and the Liberty Party hurt their chances
of getting their candidate into office since they decided to field separate
candidates instead of both backing the same person. This divided their support
base and gave the Republicans the chance to keep Bush in office for four more
years. However, this might still be optimistic, since the President received
56% of last night’s vote.
Bush
has been given a lot of credit for pulling the United States out of the “Second
Depression” that started during the King Presidency, caused mostly by high oil
tariffs imposed by the United Kingdom. Since Bush was elected and the United
States entered the Iran War, oil prices have plummeted down to their lowest in
over 15 years, and there has been a flood of new jobs on the market that have put
the economy on a high note.
Also
giving a boost to President Bush’s reelection was the recent fall of Tehran to
Coalition forces, and the prospect of the successful end to the Iran War within
the next year.
-“Bush Wins Reelection!” The
Washington Post, November 6, 1988.
REBELS SIEZE PAKISTANI CAPITAL
ISLAMABAD, JAN 12- Her Majesty’s Government has confirmed
that rebels belonging to the anti-Commonwealth “Pakistani Islamic Party” have
seized control over the government sector of the Pakistani capital. Radio
reports coming from the rebels state that they have executed the leaders of the
Dominion government. This cannot be independently confirmed. The rebels have
apparently proclaimed the birth of the “Islamic Republic of Pakistan”, and are
calling on all “good Muslims” to overthrow the British regime that has
“oppressed” the Pakistanis.
So
far, there has been no official response from the Royal Government as to what
sort of action will be taken against the rebels, if any. The Dominion of India
has placed their military on high alert, fearing that the violence could spread
into it’s territory. There are reports of violence in every major city in
Pakistan, and the British Foreign Office is urging all British citizens in
Pakistan to evacuate as soon as possible, and has suspended all civilian travel
to the country until further notice.
-“Rebels Seize Pakistani Capital,” The London Times, January 13, 1989.
The
Islamic Revolution in Pakistan in 1989 was a game changer for the whole Iran
War. On January 20, the British government announced that they would be
invading Pakistan to “put down the anti-Commonwealth, anti-Western” rebellion
that had engulfed the Dominion of Pakistan. British troops stationed in
Pakistan rolled out to secure the areas near their bases, and troops in Iran
rolled across the boarder into Pakistan on January 31st. The
Dominion of India ordered in troops on February 2.
Initially,
the British Government stated publically that their invasion would crush the
rebellion in just a few short months. Most of their armed forces remained in
Iran, to mop up the resistance there. This turned out to be a hopeful fantasy,
however. A vast majority of the Pakistani population supported the rebellion,
and guerrilla fighting was much more fierce than it had been in Iran. The
United Kingdom began to drain more and more troops from the first theater of
war and into the new one, leaving the United States with an increasing burden
in Iran, where the rebels renewed their efforts to drive out the invaders.
In
Great Britain, many British-born Pakistani’s, along with those who were
citizens of the Dominion, began to protest the invasion, saying that this was a
popular revolution that the British had no right to interfere in. On May 1,
1989, 100,000 people gathered in front of Parliament to protest the war. The
Central Security Police was called in to disperse the protest, which soon after
devolved into a riot. 300 people were arrested, and several hundred more were
wounded, with 2 being killed. A far larger rally was held in November of that
year, in front of Buckingham Palace. This became known as the Buckingham Palace
Riots, where the nearly 250,000 people turned to violence after the CSP showed
up and began beating the protestors. When one CSP officer opened fire and
killed three people, all hell broke loose, and in the end, the CSP arrested
nearly 700 people, and it was estimated that 5,000 were injured. Nearly 200
rioters were killed, along with 90 CSP officers.
On
November 15th, the Queen made an address from the Palace, condemning
the rioters use of violence and called on the nation to remain calm. This would
turn those who had been out in protest more radical, and did nothing more than
add fuel to the fire. A mere ten
days later, the Pakistani Solidarity Coalition was formed, and quickly become
one of the most feared terror organizations in the UK throughout the 1990s. On
December 1st, the PSC bombed three Tube stations in London, killing
340 people. The violence would only get worse from there.
In
the United States, there was a very mixed reaction from the public about the
early stages of the operations in Pakistan. The United States was not formally
involved, but their responsibilities in Iran (and with them, casualties) began
to increase, and the population began to get extremely war-weary. A major
anti-war rally was held in Washington with around 150,000 people on July 1,
1989, calling for an end to hostilities and calling on the US to pressure the
British into pulling out of Pakistan. It wouldn’t be until the 1990s that the
situation in America would become more violent, and this would lead to a major
political shift in Washington.
-Gordman, Dr. Jacob. Pakistan:
A revolution that changed the world. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press. 2009.
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