Chapter 355

"We express our deep regret and apologies for the losses in Britain. This was not the intention of the United States. We are friendly allies with Great Britain and have always had an unbreakable alliance. We would never wantonly bomb the territory of an ally."

"This was a mistake, and even more likely a carefully prepared conspiracy to destroy the friendly relations between the United States and Great Britain. We are still investigating the specific matters, but there are some signs that some terrorist organizations and hostile countries participated in this incident."

The host turned off the video on the television and looked at Patrick Duncan, who was sitting opposite him. "Mr. Duncan, this is the speech by the U. S. President from a few hours ago regarding the bombing of Parliament. What are your thoughts on this?"

Patrick sighed.

"I sincerely hope that what he said is true, but unfortunately, I only see hypocritical excuses, like a child who has made a mistake desperately looking for excuses for himself."

"However, I am not surprised. The arrogance of this country makes them always like this. They are never willing to bow their heads to second-rate countries like us."

"You were previously the main advocate of the U. S. threat theory. The bombing incident seems to confirm this inference. Did you foresee this?" the host asked.

"Foresee that a military ally would use a Tomahawk missile to blow up Parliament?" Patrick shook his head. "I am not a prophet. Moreover, I also far underestimated the shamelessness and barbarism of the other side."

"First of all, I need to clarify that I have never advocated the so-called U. S. threat theory. My view is that we should defend our own rights and interests, rather than treating other countries as enemies. That is not what I like to see; that is the way of the Americans, and it should not be ours."

"Secondly, the threat I mentioned was only in terms of economic interests and national rights. I saw the U. S. squeezing and bloodsucking us, trying to force us to give up our own interests to support it. But to be honest, in the past, I did not deeply realize that the root cause of all this lies in the fact that our national sovereignty is also deeply held hostage by the United States."

"Today's event has made me thoroughly wake up. The so-called ally is actually just a relationship between a superior and a subordinate. It is precisely because our national sovereignty and national security are deeply restrained by the other side that we cannot be free in various fields such as economy and people's livelihood."

"The bombing of Parliament has aroused strong indignation among the British public. We see large parades everywhere protesting the violent acts of the United States. There are even many voices among the citizens wanting to launch a retaliatory war against the United States. What do you think about this?" the host asked.

"I personally sympathize with the behavior of the public, because I also feel strong humiliation and anger. Parliament is the symbol of British democracy, the symbol of the political achievements we have achieved since the Glorious Revolution, and even more so the center of national power and the hub of operation, just like a person's brain."

"The United States attacking Parliament is no different from shooting at our heads. We must make the United States recognize its crimes, repent deeply for them, and make compensation for our huge losses."

"Do you support the call for war?" the host asked. "Do you think we should strive for our rights through war?"

"On the contrary," Patrick said. "I support peace, and I love peace even more. However, the peace I want, the peace Britain wants, cannot be a peace begged for on our knees, but must be an equal, truly mutually respectful peace!"

"You mentioned just now that we are a second-rate country." the host asked. "Is this your true thought?"

"This is the Americans' view of us." Patrick said. "I love my motherland. We have a long history, rich culture, and we were once extremely developed and prosperous, standing at the top of this world... I am proud of my motherland."

"But this is not the reason why I love it. I grew up on this land. My parents and grandparents spent their lives here. They paid a lot, and they hoped that we could live happily. This expectation was passed on to me, and now I have my own children, and I will pass this hope on to them."

"This passing down of blood, kinship, culture, and time from generation to generation is our civilization's context. Without it, I would no longer be me, the British would no longer be British, and we are inseparable from our country. This unity makes me love my country as I love myself."

"Therefore, I will not say that we are a second-rate country, nor do I think we are a second-rate country. But we must admit that we have declined from our former peak. We are indeed much weaker than in the past, whether in economy, military, culture, etc., we are no longer the leaders of this world."

"This will not affect my love for my motherland, but at the same time, I also hope that people can face this point squarely."

"Then what do you think led to this decline?" the host asked.

"This is a very big proposition," Patrick said. "It involves the changes in the world pattern, the development of economy and technology, and geopolitics. There are many factors that we cannot stop, but of course, part of this is our internal reason. As a politician, I can say some views on our political system."

"Our rise also had various factors, but internally, it was because from the Magna Carta in 1215 to the Glorious Revolution, we carried out a series of legislation and reforms, broadened and supported the rights of capitalism, and used a more advanced capitalist system to gradually replace the backward monarchical autocracy. This allowed us to catch up with the trend of economic and social development at that time and untie the shackles on productivity."

"It can be said that the rise and fall of any country lies in its degree of adaptation to the process of human civilization. The process of human civilization has its inevitable laws of development. Following it can ride the wind, while those who go against the trend will inevitably perish."

"Our rise was because we followed the tide of the rise of global capitalism, and our decline was also because we were conservative, strangled our own path of reform, and made ourselves increasingly out of touch with the historical tide."

"After the Glorious Revolution, although our political landscape has had many improvements, since the 20th century, the rivalry between the two parties has almost caused our politics to fall into a situation of infighting. Whether it is the Conservative Party or the Labour Party, if one side comes to power, the other side will inevitably try its best to hold them back. The two sides restrain each other and dismantle each other, which has caused our political system to fall into endless internal friction, putting energy into dealing with political enemies instead of real affairs beneficial to national interests."

"Therefore, our process of self-improvement was cut off. We began to gradually no longer adapt to this increasingly rapidly changing world. We became old antiques in the eyes of other countries, stubborn, holding onto the past, and not making progress. We went from the Empire on which the sun never sets to a sunset country."

"Your tone sounds like Redism." the host reminded.

"What ism doesn't matter," Patrick said. "Capitalism, Redism, whoever can better adapt to the changes in the world is the good ism. Perhaps we should reconsider what is more suitable for us."

"Thank you for accepting our interview, Mr. Duncan," the host said. "Finally, is there anything else you would like to say to the audience in front of the TV?"

"Thank you also for the invitation from Sky News," Patrick said. "Taking this opportunity, I want to say to all the British people. We are a prosperous nation, we created and nurtured a brilliant civilization, and our country was once extremely powerful."

"Please love your motherland and make it great again."

(End of chapter)