From the Office of Prime Minister of England:
If I may be so blunt, the Czar is in no position to make demands. The English forces in the Norwegian Sea and Norway are simply protecting themselves from what has proven to be an overly militant Soviet Union, that seems hellbent on world domination. We have violated no peace agreements, nor failed to comply with any request that you have given us. However, should the Russians feel that they are entitled to make "demands" of the English people, the Commonwealth may have to take a more aggressive posture.
To the Kaiser of Germany and the Sultan of Turkey:
Her Majesty requests your diplomatic assistance in dealing with the Russians. They have clearly shown themselves to be hostile in nature, and should such hostility continue, the Commonwealth would like to humbly request your militaristic and diplomatic support in dealing with the matter.
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Now, it's the top of the hour, time for the top of the news.
I'm Michael McBride (Meta: Anyone get that reference?) with English Radio, your number one source for news.
Well, of course the story on everyone's minds is the situation in Scandinavia. As winter comes, the people of Norway are worried about starvation in their relatively barren land. Last winter was one of the worst for Norway, and their entire government collapsed over the food riot. In response, Prime Minister Joseph Chamberlin (Meta: I love playing historical games…) ordered English troops to land land in early September and begin distributing food and supplies in preparation for what some are predicting may be one of the coldest yet. Yet the situation with Russia may dampen English efforts to supply Norway with enough food for the winter. The latest from Moscow is that the Russians are demanding the English participate in joint military ventures in St. Petersburg. No word from Lord General Ruperts, in charge of the Norway division, on what orders are from command though.
Meanwhile, on the domestic front, English citizens across the country are gearing up for the 1902 parliament elections. We go now to Simon Tam (Meta: What about this reference?) for the story.
Simon: Thanks Michael. I'm here with Conservative Party Leader, Chuck Berry. Chuck, how optimistic are you about your party's chances in the upcoming election?
Chuck: Well Simon, I think we've got some pretty good candidates running in a lot of districts where we feel the voters want change. They're tired of the policy of appeasement that has been practiced by this administration.
Simon: Well, it seems pretty obvious that you're referring to the situation with Russia - how would your party do things differently?
Chuck: Simon, this is what we would do differently. We wouldn't expect anything from the Russians. Prime Minister Chamberlin has been foolish to let them walk all over him so far. He attempted to solve the situation diplomatically – and what did it get him? More demands. More threats. That’s not acceptable. Those blokes in Russia think they can play us. Our party wouldn’t let that happen.
Simon: Well, foreign policy is certainly your party’s strongest issue, but three out of four voters say they prefer Labour on domestic issues. How do you think this will effect the election.
Chuck: Well, Simon, I think it’s pretty simple. Domestic issues are relatively unimportant compared to the foreign issues our country faces. When the Russians move aggressively towards England, and you can bet they will, the English people will realize that they can’t have the same old failed policies of the last two years. And when they realize that, we are the logical choice.
Simon: What is your party’s stance on Germany and France?
Chuck: Germany is a bit of a touchy issue. They have been very supportive diplomatically, but their troops on the border of Belgium are worrisome, especially in light of the Italian troops on the opposite side of their border. We fully expect a retreat from Ruhr to Munich to cover the potential of an Italian invasion, which given their erratic and fickle diplomatic stances, is very possible. Despite the troops on our border however, they have been anti-Russian, which is a stance that is very pleasing to the Conservative party. Pending our election, our party would be very willing to work with them against Russia. We might even try to work on a deal with the Germans wherein they get Belgium, as it is a rather awkward extension of English lands.
France, I don’t think there is any question. We have had very good relations with them, and would continue to under a Conservative parliament. Both countries have respected the demilitarized zones established, and they’ve held for well over a year. We respect this, as, I’m sure, the French do.
Simon: Thanks for your time Chuck.
Chuck: God save the Queen.
Simon: God save the Queen. Back to you in London, Michael.
Michael: Thanks Simon. Well that’s about all the time we have for today, but be sure to check back tomorrow for our special on the War of 1812. And be sure to keep checking by in the coming months for more on the Parliament elections. No one really knows how the election is going to turn out, but stay tuned to 890 FM for all your news needs. From London, this is Michael McBride, signing off.
(Meta: Come on guys. Get into the game! Public press is all about roleplay!
Bite: They only hold 20 messages, and are thus not nearly sufficient. Furthermore, some people (Like myself) like to read the chats of other people's public press games, so that we can learn from them.)
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Sitter needed until the 4th
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