I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 792 Ticket
Russia is not only the most friendly country to ordinary people, but it is even more attractive to elites like Banting.

Maslow believed that after humans have met their most basic physiological and safety needs, they will pursue respect and self-realization.

In the minds of some people, self-actualization can be quantified by money and status.

For some people, self-realization is the stars and the sea.

In 1926, Russia was the country in the world that best met the definition of modernity. The freedom touted by Americans, the democracy advocated by the French, and the order that the British valued most were all shattered by Russia's "benefit of all mankind."

That’s right, Russia’s current slogan is not to become the European gendarme, nor to dominate the Eurasian continent, but to benefit all mankind in an unprecedented way.

Banting was a professor at the University of Toronto Medical School before accepting an invitation from St. Petersburg University.

St. Petersburg University wrote a letter to Banting, telling him that if he wanted his research to benefit more people, St. Petersburg University could make his dream come true.

Russia is not only Banting’s dream place, but also an ideal utopia for many ordinary people.

During the economic crisis in 1920, the Russian Embassy in the United States received more than 350 immigration applications every day. To date, more than people have immigrated to Russia from the United States.

So the current situation is that Europeans are scrambling to immigrate to the United States, while Americans are trying every means to go to Russia.

On March 3, Thomas Grant, a reporter for The Times, published an article titled "Beware of Russia's Temptation," which attracted widespread attention.

Thomas Grant's purpose was to remind Britain to pay attention to the loss of talent, but objectively it allowed more people to increase their understanding of Russia.

After the Labour cabinet stepped down, Britain increased its control over the media and imposed a complete blockade on positive news about Russia, with only negative reports about Russia appearing in newspapers.

British media workers are quite capable and it is difficult to discern the stance of some reports.

For example, Russia's exclusion of the Hebrews.

The exclusion of minorities is definitely negative news in the UK, after all, there are many Hebrews in the UK.

The reputation of the Hebrews in Britain is not much better than that in Germany. Many British people keep their distance from the Hebrews, otherwise Balfour would not have singled out the Hebrews as the Middle East.

If Balfour really cared about the Hebrews, Britain had so many colonies around the world that there would be plenty of places to settle the Hebrews.

Therefore, reports of Russia's exclusion of the Hebrews seemed justified to some British people.

So too is the lure of Russia.

Let’s not talk about whether Russia’s protection policy for ordinary people is malicious.

What matters most is whether Russian workers benefit from this.

Why did the British miners strike?
Not only are the salaries low, but the jobs are insecure and people can lose their jobs at any time. Who can stand that?

Thomas Grant said sourly in his article that there had not been a single strike in Russia since the overthrow of the monarchy.

There were not even small-scale strikes, let alone nationwide strikes like those in the UK.

Although compared with Russia, the UK mainland is indeed a bit small.

But this also proves from another perspective that Russian workers are very satisfied with their living conditions.

During the Imperial era, strikes in Russia often made headlines.

After Thomas Grant's article was published, Lewis, who had worked at the Birmingham Small Arms Company for 30 years, took the Times of that day to the Russian Embassy in London and asked the embassy staff whether the report in the Times was true.

"Some are, some aren't." The embassy staff were patient and kind, and there were snacks such as fruit candies and chocolates prepared for the guests in the reception room.

In 1926, things like fruit candies and chocolates were still luxury items for many British families.

The British media are quick to mock Russian extravagance and wastefulness.

Judging from the snacks prepared for the guests, sometimes extravagance is not necessarily a bad thing.

During the economic crisis, British farmers poured unsold milk into the river, which is a real waste.

The Grand Duke of Russia could drink 250 bottles of champagne a day.

The Grand Duchesses would also buy up unsold milk and send it to orphanages and nursing homes in Russia.

The queen and princesses of the United Kingdom only do a show of waving on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Lewis looked at the fruit candy on the table and swallowed subconsciously.

The Birmingham Small Arms Company was founded in 1861, and both Lewis' grandfather and father worked for the company.

After the end of World War II, Britain's demand for weapons and equipment dropped rapidly. Lewis, a senior technician, was unemployed and had to find a job as a miner.

Now I can’t keep my job as a miner.

"All the parts about workers' protection are true, as are compulsory education and health insurance, and a Russian worker who works hard can earn enough to support his wife and four children."

The staff’s explanation was very detailed, and Lewis opened his mouth in disbelief.

There is no such thing as security in the UK. Workers' salaries are barely enough to feed themselves, let alone support their families.

This time the miners went on strike because some mining companies were preparing to hire cheaper workers from India to work in the UK.

"The newspapers say that you use cheap workers from Korea and Japan to exploit Russian workers. Is this true?"

Lewis' biggest worry is that after going to Russia, he will become a cheap laborer.

"This is all nonsense. We hired Korean and Japanese workers because no one wants to do the hard physical work. To be honest, if I didn't miss the convenient life in the city, I would also like to grow potatoes in Siberia."

According to the embassy staff, growing potatoes in Siberia seems to be a good job.

In the British media, going to Siberia to grow potatoes is often associated with exile.

"It's too late to go to Siberia now. Ten years ago, if you went to Siberia to farm, you would get 10 acres for free - Russian acres, which is equivalent to about 100 acres, which is about -"

The staff member was not very good at math, so he took out a pen and paper and started calculating.

"270——"

Lewis was good at mathematics.

"Yes, that's 270 acres. It was a paradise for farmers back then. Unfortunately, this policy has been cancelled now. We have to blame those damn politicians. They privately changed the decision of Grand Duke Yuriev. The Grand Duke is the little daddy of us Russians—"

As the staff chattered away, Lewis decided to buy a boat ticket next week.

(End of this chapter)