The Shadow of Great Britain

Dalmo sneered, ”Vickley is asking the obvious.”

Arthur smiled helplessly, ”Yes, asking the obvious, he is speaking out on your behalf.”

”And how did Russell respond?”

Arthur rubbed his brow, ”Lord Russell’s face had gone pale as the walls of St. James’s Palace, but he forced himself to stand. He said...”

Arthur slowed his speech, almost reciting word for word, ”Before the new Governor arrives in Montreal to take office, Earl of Dalmo remains the government-appointed Governor of Lower Canada. Since he is the Governor of Lower Canada, how could the government not support him? Furthermore, Dalmo’s departure is unrelated to government support or opposition. Your Excellency’s mission has successfully fulfilled the tasks assigned by the Cabinet, so the government believes that at this stage, it is more in line with the long-term interests of the colony to have the new Governor take over. As for the Earl himself, now is the time for him to return to London to shine brightly.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Dalmo slammed his teacup onto the table, ”Successfully completed? How could he dare use the word ’successful’ to summarize this!”

Arthur seemed to have anticipated this scene, not even blinking.

”It wasn’t just you who was angry; Mr. Vickley was furious at the time too.” He continued, ”He challenged Russell, asking why, if it was successful, the Home Office and the Department of Colonial Affairs still refused to adopt Earl of Dalmo’s plan. If the task was completed, why does Your Excellency still refuse to explain which parts of Dalmo’s suggestions the government has adopted?”

Dalmo crossed his legs and scoffed, ”He was asking Russell to dig deep.”

Arthur nodded with a smile, ”Russell certainly couldn’t dig deep, and he even tried to recover some face, using the phrases you usually hate, like ’we are carefully considering,’ ’the situation doesn’t allow hasty decisions,’ and ’the Cabinet is waiting for more complete information.’ But Vickley wasn’t going to let him off so easily; he stood up, banged the chairs of the Lower House loudly, and asked Russell whether the government still believed Earl of Dalmo was the best choice to handle the Canadian issue?”

”How did Russell answer?”

”Russell was stunned.” Arthur replied, ”I know his mouth likely wanted to say yes, but he couldn’t say it. His heart likely wanted to say no, but he knew if he said it, Fleet Street would publish ’Whig Government Admits Canadian Policy Failure’ the next day.”

Dalmo chuckled, ”Not surprising, he thinks he’s a political salmon, but every time he encounters adversity, he loses the courage to swim upstream.”

Arthur responded, ”Your assessment, though a bit harsh, is not without fairness. Because Lord Russell ultimately chose the most cowardly answer. He said, ’Earl of Dalmo’s contribution is undeniable, but the current situation in Canada is different from during the Earl’s tenure. The government must devise new schemes based on new circumstances. The departure of Earl of Dalmo should not be interpreted as support or opposition.’”

”Bullshit!” Dalmo was furious, ”One whole sentence, one whole paragraph, all just bedtime stories for children!”

”Does he think the entire nation is full of idiots?” He sat straight up from the sofa, ”These hypocrites... They know the truth, they’re determined to be blindfolded mules at the mill. What is the Whig Party now? Since coming to power, they’ve become a bunch of cowards afraid to take responsibility, a group of clerks who only dare to calculate political costs, not national interests! Britain’s political tradition is not like this; what kept the Whig Party grounded in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries? It was daring to speak the truth, daring to act, and being pragmatic with a liberal spirit! But now, they’ve all learned to play dead, each one more conservative and pusillanimous than the old Tories!”

Arthur saw he was upset and gently comforted him, ”Your Excellency, Lord Russell’s behavior these days... has indeed chilled many hearts.”

”Chilled?” Dalmo shook with anger, ”Arthur, that’s not chilled, that’s nauseating, like having a dead rat stuck in your throat.”

He suddenly stood up and walked back and forth in front of the fireplace, ”The Whig Party is no longer the Whig Party I joined back then. The current Whig Party has only two skills left: one is shirking responsibility, the other is covering up the facts. The former is used to evade responsibility, the latter to deceive votes. Is this politics? This isn’t politics, this is profiteering!”

After a few seconds, Dalmo stopped walking, his voice suddenly darkened, ”Arthur, I’ve made up my mind.”

Arthur looked up, ”Your Excellency?”

Dalmo took a deep breath, ”I won’t be a scapegoat for the Whig Party anymore, nor will I clean up their cowardice. The Whig Party is beyond recovery. They are no longer trustworthy. Tomorrow—no, tonight, I’ll go see Brougham, and then I’ll go see Vickley. The Whig Party is finished, Arthur. Staying tied to them will only mean sinking with this broken ship.”

Arthur sensed something amiss and quickly stood up to dissuade, ”Your Excellency, you’re currently upset, maybe sleep on it first before...”

However, Dalmo did not give him a chance to finish, ”I’ve decided to leave the party.”

Arthur immediately felt a chill from head to toe, his body went numb.

”Leave the Whig Party?” Arthur paused, then slowly asked, ”So where do you intend to go?”

Dalmo looked at the fireplace, the firelight illuminating his face, making it appear even more rebellious than usual, ”Go where? Go somewhere that truly thinks about the country’s future. Remember two years ago, when Brougham and you mentioned that matter?”

”I was hesitant before, but now I’ve made my decision.” Dalmo turned back around, his voice resolute, ”I will, together with Brougham, Vickley, and these gentlemen unafraid of speaking the truth, form a new party, a party that genuinely embodies the spirit of liberalism.”