house of cards 1

Chapter 12

"I also feel," Mattie continued, "that in many people's eyes, the election results showed the need for fresh blood and new ideas. You lost too many seats. The voters' support for you was not so one-sided. Yes or no?"

"We have a clear majority and have won far more seats than the main opposition party. After all these years in power, that's not a bad result...you think so?"

"I'm here to ask for your opinion, not to express mine."

"Just listen to me and talk about it."

"But the next election won't be so optimistic, will it? If it stays the same, the ship will slowly sink to the bottom of the sea."

"That's a bit of an overstatement," said Urquhart, knowing he should have objected more strongly.

"I went to one of your campaign rallies."

"Have you ever been, Mattie? What an honor."

"You talk about new energy, new ideas, new groups. Overall, the center you're talking about is one, change, and getting some new 'athletes' involved." She paused, but Eck Te didn't seem to have the enthusiasm to respond. "Here's your own campaign speech, and here I have..." She found a smooth little flyer from among the wads of paper. "It said 'exciting challenges ahead.' Weekly papers are as exciting. I have too much to say."

He smiled, took a sip of wine, and remained silent.

"I'll just ask you straight, Mr Urquhart. Do you really think the Prime Minister is doing his best?"

Urquhart didn't answer directly, but raised his glass to his lips again and gazed at her through the crystal clear rim.

"Do you think Henry Collingridge is the best Prime Minister this country could have elected?" she asked persistently, her voice softer.

"What on earth are you thinking, Mattie? How do you expect me to answer that question you ask? I am the Chief Whip, and I am completely loyal to the Prime Minister—and his reorganization, or lack of reorganization." There was that faint sarcasm in his voice again.

"Yes, but what about Francis Urquhart? A man with great aspirations for his party, who is desperate for great success for his party, does he support this decision?"

no answer.

"Mr. Urquhart, your public support and defense of the Prime Minister will be dutifully mentioned in my report tomorrow. But..."

"but?"

"We're following parliamentary interview rules, so don't be so careful. All my instincts tell me you're not happy with the situation. I want to know more. You don't want your private thoughts to be overshadowed by mine. Colleagues or your peers know and don't want this to get all the buzz in Westminster. I assure you it's not going to happen. That's just what I wanted to ask, because in the coming months, this information may be Very important. And by the way, no one knows that I'm coming to see you tonight."

"Are you making a deal with me?" he muttered softly.

"Yes, I think you want to do the deal. I'll be your voice, your mouthpiece."

"Why do you think I will agree?"

"Because you let me in."

His blue eyes gazed deeply at her, as if he wanted to see into the depths of her heart.Agitation surged inside her.

"You want to be a functional commander, not a simple pawn," she said.

"It's better for a person to have a good reputation or a bad reputation than to be forgotten, huh?"

"I think it's right," she said, continuing to look directly at him, catching his gaze, and smiling.

"Let's put it this way, Mattie. I'll tell you a simple story. A Prime Minister surrounded by ambitions, not his own, but someone else's. Since the election, these ambitions have grown .He needs to control them, contain them. Otherwise, if left unchecked, these ambitions will eat him alive."

"Are you saying that there are many contradictions and disputes in the cabinet?"

He paused to choose his words carefully, and then continued in a slow, thoughtful tone, "A great tree is sitting waiting to die, about to rot and fall. As long as the rot holds the tree, its death is nothing but A question of timing. So, you might think, some people are wondering where they want to be in eighteen months, or two years, if -- when -- the tree comes crashing down? Of course everyone They will all go to God in the end.”

"So why doesn't the Prime Minister get rid of those troublesome people?"

"Because he only has a majority of 24 seats, maybe a small mistake in Parliament will wipe out that majority advantage. He dare not take that risk, watching the former cabinet officials jump up and down in anger on the backbench. He has to keep everything as quiet and low-key as possible. He doesn't even dare to transfer the people who should be transferred to new positions, because every time an official goes to a new department, they will start a few fires and want to keep their own. Traces. They will become the new favorites of media dignitaries like you. So, we find that these officials are not only performing their duties, but also promoting themselves for the inevitable future supreme leadership election. It’s a cancer. The government is in disarray, everyone is aiming too high, there’s confusion and confusion, there’s dissonance, there’s accusations that the Prime Minister isn’t managing well — all of a sudden we’re dealing with a leadership crisis.”

"So everybody has to stay where they are. Do you think that's a good strategy?"

He took a swig of whiskey, "If I were the captain of the Titanic and I saw a huge iceberg that was deadly ahead, I think I might change course."

"Did you tell the Prime Minister this afternoon?"

"Marty," he reproached, "you've taken me too far. I enjoyed our conversation very much, but I'm afraid it would be too much not to divulge the details of a private conversation. It's going to be shot."

"Then I'll ask you again about Lord Williams. Did he spend so much time with the Prime Minister this afternoon that they decided to do nothing?"

"This person is a loyal minister of our party, and he grows old with this party. Have you ever heard the saying, 'When the old man is in a hurry, you have to be careful'?"

"It is impossible for him to think that he can become the leader of the party. The leader of the party cannot be chosen from the Lord!"

"No, no, of course not. Even if he were dear Teddy, he's not that self-willed and conceited. But he's a political veteran, and he certainly wants to make sure that the power to run the party is in the right hands."

"Whose hand."

"If it's not him, it's one of his young disciples."

"Like who?"

"Don't you know it yourself?"

"Samuel. You mean Michael Samuel." She bit her lip excitedly.

"You can think of it that way, Mattie."

"How do you know?"

"I have nothing to say about that." Urquhart laughed, and drank his whiskey. "I think I've kept you guessing enough. That's all for tonight's talk."

Mattie nodded reluctantly. "Thank you, Mr. Urquhart."

"Thank me for what? I didn't say anything." He stood up as he spoke.

All sorts of theories popped up in her mind, and she had to put each scattered piece of the "puzzle" together.Before she could speak again, the two had already shaken hands at the door and said goodbye.

"Mrs. Urquhart."

"Not at home. She's gone to the country."

The two were still holding hands.

"Please send her my best wishes."

"I will, Mattie, I will."

She let go of his hand and was about to leave, but asked hesitantly, "One more question. If you say, just if you say, there is a party leader election, will you participate?"

"Good night, Mattie," said Urquhart, closing the door behind him.

The Daily Chronicle, Monday, June [-] Front Page
Yesterday, the prime minister surprised many observers by announcing that there would be no cabinet changes.After hours of deliberation with party chairman Lord Williams and party whip Francis Urquhart, Henry Collingridge delivered a "careful sailing" message to his party.

However, senior officials within Westminster last night expressed shock at its decision.Some saw the move as revealing the prime minister's frailty after a lackluster election campaign.

More and more people estimate that Collingridge will not be able to survive the next election, and some senior officials also show their eyes on the position and want to hold a leadership election early.A cabinet official compared the Prime Minister to "the captain of the Titanic heading towards an iceberg".

The decision not to change the cabinet was the first since the war, with each previous election accompanied by some high-level reshuffle.This move has been interpreted as Collingridge's most effective way to restrain and control cabinet careerists who are about to move.The chief whip last night strongly supported the decision, arguing it was "the best way to get on with the job", but there was already speculation about who would be strong candidates for the next party leadership election.

Late yesterday night, our reporter contacted Lord Williams again. He believed that the statement that the leadership election will be held in the near future is "nonsense".He said: "The prime minister has won the party an unprecedented fourth national election. We are in a good position." If there is a leadership contest, Williams will be very important as party chairman.He is known to be close friends with Secretary of the Environmental Protection Department Michael Samuel, one of the top contenders.

Opponents were quick to seize on what they saw as the prime minister's indecision.The Leader of the Opposition said: "There are flames of discontent burning all over the government. I don't think Mr. Collingridge has the capacity or strong support to put out those fires. I'm already looking forward to the next election."

A senior figure in the government described the current situation as "a towering tree that is about to rot".

(End of this chapter)