God's Crusade

Part Thirty-Five

"Charles said he spoke to you, Rob?" Kieran Radcliffe asked, cupping his hands as he lit his cigar on the terrace. It was a little chilly outside but an after dinner smoke was a good excuse for a chat in private.

"Several times...and I appreciate the point he makes about working inside the castle." Rob Sullivan replied, preferring one of his cigarettes. He felt the visit to Meadvale was going quite well in the circumstances. Radcliffe was taking him seriously as the spokesman for the liberal wing of the party and Charles Buckingham had given him quite a bit of time. In truth he had expected more twisting of arms but nothing had been mentioned at all, and he was starting to feel much more at home. "And I never intended to rock the boat...but this is the first time in fifteen years we have all had a chance to discuss an alternative path...I am not leading a revolt, Kieran...I am promoting an alternative point of view."

He was telling the truth, from his point of view. He was not exactly a reluctant Reformist but like many Conservatives at the time he had taken a pragmatic decision to choose power over the end of his career. At the time, as Buckingham cleverly rode his luck through two quick elections, no one was sure what would happen. Reformism was certainly based on the strong doctrine proposed by Michael Winstanley, but Buckingham clearly avoided legislating to force people into God's love. And no one knew what the new party would grow into or how politics would develop. Rob Sullivan had been young and idealistic, and his primary agreement with Charles Buckingham revolved around the inevitable death of the old political parties. Neither side of the fence was fit for purpose in the twenty-first century. So jumping ship as the Tory party died was sensible, and he had not necessarily seen the Christian Democratic Party as a permanent home. But as history unfolded, and Charles Buckingham proved to be a master manipulator of both public opinion and election results, he found himself on the winning side, a victorious tidal wave of social change which brooked no real opposition. So it was only natural that, in what was effectively a one-party state, as the Social Democrats had no meaningful power at all, the younger generation within the CDP would see themselves as being responsible for the future direction of the movement.

Radcliffe was right; Charles Buckingham had stuck with his original trusted lieutenants since 2020, because without serious opposition at the polls since 2026 there was no need to change, and the new politics was all about consistency and competence. In the old days, ministers were changed regularly, rarely staying in position for one parliament, and thus few ever truly commanded their briefs or stayed around long enough to see their work through. It had made for efficient government, and for continuous improvement, with real accountability at the top of the tree, but it had also caused frustration beneath the top layer of ministers. People like Robin, who were genuinely competent, had risen to the level of junior minister, but even if he had turned into an ardent Reformist, as some of his colleagues had, there was no room for him in the Cabinet under Buckingham. That in itself had caused factions to form, little more than Westminster dining clubs at first, the sort of groups who had existed for years, but Robin had found many like minds.

Moderation was a unifying clarion call to any member of the CDP without a strong Christian belief. They had all watched the Reformists take a firm hold of the country and whilst they could all see the benefits, there was also a clear downside. No one wanted to undo the good but the questions were being asked about the future. Whilst Radcliffe and his side of the debate were promoting their ideas for further reform, Sullivan and his friends were arguing for a lighter touch. But they were also arguing against men with incredible power and influence.

"Good, so tomorrow perhaps we can meet and discuss how we can work together? I am quite prepared to soften our stance on some issues, for the sake of presenting a unified front to the electorate. But my Cabinet will work on a consensus basis, and I will not tolerate any blurring of the lines...if you accept my offer I expect you to clean up your act, Rob."