In the House of Lords, Mavey sat in the church seat, next to Archbishop Brandon. Even many bishops had to sit under him. This was not because of his high status in the church, but because he was this The important person who proposed the potion phase one bill for the first time needed to communicate with Archbishop Brandon, so he was placed here.
Speaker Lambert was talking about several bills to be discussed in this Congress. As the presiding officer of Congress, he had to maintain discipline at the scene. Which bill should be discussed first and which bill should be discussed in an orderly manner.
The first few bills involved the metropolitan subway, medicine, tariffs and many other aspects, which had nothing to do with Ma Wei. After listening for a while, Ma Wei lost interest and began to observe other congressmen.
Pope Umblay I and Archbishop Liviu did not attend this Congress, but the Archbishop of Camberley came, but in a bad mood, with a straight face, as hard as a stone sculpture; the eldest prince Charles sat in the House of Lords and was conservative. Next to the party whip, Earl Austin, the two people were communicating closely, muttering incessantly.
There are 1,100 members eligible to participate in this conference, of which 650 are members of the House of Commons and 500 are members of the House of Lords. Among these people, there are 382 Conservative members, 327 Liberal members, 32 Democratic members, and 182 neutral members. There are 37 people from the Welsh Party, 55 people from the West Island National Party, 3 people from the Independent Party and the Fine Gael Party.
Supporting the eldest prince, the conservative party headed by veteran nobles is evenly distributed in the upper and lower houses. On the other hand, although the number of the second prince is slightly smaller, most of them are members of the lower house. In terms of functions and powers alone, there is not much difference between the two. In recent years, they have their own The bill passed.
This is not the first time that Ma Wei has met Count Austin, the party whip sitting next to the eldest prince. At the villa banquet a few months ago, we all met once, but it was only that one time. It is no exaggeration. It is said that the Earl of Austin, as the leader of the Conservative Party, is no less important to the eldest prince Charles than the Marquis of Bracon. Without the support of Earl Austin, the eldest prince will lose everything.
The whip of the Liberal Party who supported the second prince was Baron Frederick. He was an old acquaintance. I think back then, thanks to Stuart, Mavey was able to quickly establish a foothold in London. The second prince had his sights set on Baron Frederick. Because of his status, he would choose to marry his daughter.
surprisingly
Freya also came, not only did she come, but she also sat in the Democratic Party seat.
Seeing this scene, Ma Wei frowned and asked: "What's wrong with Freya? Why is she sitting there?"
"do not you know?"
Archbishop Brandon was stunned, and then said: "The old Duke Chevalier was the former leader and whip of the Democratic Party. After his death, Andris took over the position of whip. But not long after, Andris also passed away. In the Democratic Party, With the unanimous recommendation of the party, it was decided to appoint Freya Chevali as the party whip.”
"She's the leader of the Democratic Party?"
"Yes, I thought you knew."
No one mentioned to Mavi that Freya was the leader of the Labor Party, not the second prince, not Baron Frederick, not Stull, not Archbishop Brandon.
It seems that everyone has forgotten this matter, and they will only say a few words when others mention it.
Party leader is not an ordinary position. Anyone who can become a party leader is a big shot. The so-called Democratic Party pursues the concept of economic equality and advocates shaping a large society, exporting technology to farmers, establishing a minimum wage, reducing child labor, and equality for women.
It can be said that the Democratic Party, where Freya serves as the party whip, has indeed done a lot of things that are beneficial to ordinary workers. Only then did Mavey understand why Freya had objected to him lowering the price of Hercules sticks.
but
The Democratic Party of the Kingdom of Windsor is mostly composed of wealthy people. They only use the banner of democracy to win over members of the House of Commons who are from civilian backgrounds in an attempt to strengthen their own power.
The original intention of the Democratic Party's ideology is different from that of the Church of Truth, and its routes are also different.
The political struggle in the Kingdom of Windsor is much more advanced than that of the Romanov Kingdom. This may be related to the slogan of the Church of the Three Destinies: What is destiny?
What is destined to happen is destiny!
Therefore, when various political parties sprout up, the church will not interfere, but will wait and see what happens and let nature take its course.
Before the revolution, the Romanov Kingdom had no emerging parties like the Democratic Party. All it had was the power controlled by the boyar nobles. Once the idea of the Church of Truth emerged, it had a huge impact on the Romanov Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Windsor is different. Similar variations of the philosophy of the Church of Truth can be found in the Kingdom of Windsor. For example, the bills promoted by the Democratic Party are all beneficial to people's livelihood, calling on the kingdom to improve the treatment of women and requiring them to enjoy the same rights as men.
With the development of productivity, women's liberation is inevitable. Ma Wei also started planning to change the law to improve the status of women as early as six months ago. He planned to start with inheritance rights, allowing women to enjoy the same inheritance rights as men, and allowing women to enter all walks of life. professional jobs and allow women to receive education.
Freya also has these thoughts. As the leader of the Democratic Party, she has been proposing a bill to change the inheritance law. However, due to the fact that the Democratic Party currently has few members and does not have enough voice, the bill has not been passed.
The Democratic Party, which has only 32 members, does not have a high status in Congress and has little influence. Neither the first prince nor the second prince takes the Democratic Party to heart.
Only Ma Wei knows in his heart that the Democratic Party where Freya belongs will be his biggest enemy in the future!
No.
Maybe not an enemy
Ma Wei suddenly thought that he did not need to regard Freya as his imaginary enemy. Although the Democratic Party was composed of a group of wealthy people and its purpose was to fight for power, the bill proposed by the other party had indeed brought benefits to the people. , in terms of performance and heart, Freya did a great job.
According to the pre-made plan, after winning the bid, Ma Wei will participate in the parliamentary election next, become a member of the House of Commons, enter politics, secretly join forces with the fourth prince Arthur to establish the Labor Party, establish the Labor Party, unite trade unions, and lower-level workers to increase their influence At the same time, we should promote new ideas and spread the truth to the people at the bottom.
Once this plan is successful, Mavey will be able to bring the truth to the people of the Kingdom of Windsor without the church's knowledge, even if he is not under the banner of the Church of Truth.
This is another truth that Ma Wei wants to teach Yunia: the church is only the carrier of ideas, not all of them.
If the Labor Party is to be established, then Freya should be roped in and supported by the Democratic Party. The two parties have the same initial ideas and interests, and can definitely reach cooperation!
While Ma Wei was deep in thought, Archbishop Brandon suddenly sat up straight and whispered: "It's our turn."
Looking up, the bill regarding the pharmaceutical industry has been discussed, and the next step is to discuss the first phase of the potion bill.
It was the cabinet that proposed the bill. As early as two months ago, preparations for the first phase of the potion bill began. Prime Minister Winston came to the stage, took out a document, first bowed his head to the king, and then said loudly: " Dear Members, in view of the importance of potions and supernatural beings, on behalf of the Cabinet, I formally introduce the Magical Items Control Bill to Parliament."
“First, magic potions and extraordinary creatures are extremely important assets of the Kingdom of Windsor. In this regard, we must impose an additional corporate tax on companies that sell magic potions. According to unanimous discussions between the Cabinet and the Congressional Budget Office, it is believed that the tax amount should not be less than 15%. .”
"In order to protect domestic enterprises, an additional 18% tariff, 3.5% declaration tax and 2.5% stamp duty should be levied on imported magic potions."
“Second, all shops selling potion-related products should obtain a business certificate jointly issued by the church and the kingdom, and the kingdom and the church should inspect the potion products sold by each company. For some extremely dangerous products, fines should be imposed Restrictions are set as prescription potions, which must be purchased under the guidance of a potion doctor."
"Third, establish a magic medicine appraisal department and set up relevant majors in universities to allow ordinary people to obtain the magic medicine doctor qualification certificate."
"Fourth, vehicles transporting potion-related items must be marked with dangerous goods symbols."
"Fifth, planting magic potions must be permitted by the relevant departments and obtain a license."
"six"
Listening to the bills proposed by Prime Minister Winston, Archbishop Brandon couldn't help but frown. Although he had long known that the kingdom would introduce potions-related bills, he did not expect that the treaty inside would be so harsh.
The tax to be levied alone has reached a terrifying 39%, which is equivalent to a significant reduction in the profits of the Manstein Potion Company!
The taxes are so high. In addition to the terrifying profits from the potion, I am afraid that Rhodes IV is also wary of Ma Wei being a spy from another country.
The high taxes were levied to prevent Mawei from secretly taking away too much money, ensuring that at least half of the funds would remain in the Kingdom of Windsor.
Ma Wei's equity only accounts for 51% of the Manstein Potion Company, and the dividends are also the same. For potions imported from abroad, you must first pay customs duties and then corporate tax. When Ma Wei hands it, you will also have to pay a sum. After federal taxes are deducted piecemeal, I am afraid that only 30 gold pounds will be left out of the original profit of 100 gold pounds!
Ma Wei felt uncomfortable with such a high tax, and Archbishop Brandon also felt uncomfortable.
As the church's financial officer, his first priority is to make money for the church, and potions will be his key business in consolidating his position in the future, so he can't be careless!
After patiently waiting for the Prime Minister to finish reading, Archbishop Brandon stood up and raised objections to the bill: "The taxes levied in the Potions Bill are too high! Such high taxes will force companies to increase product prices, and ultimately their interests will be harmed. It’s the ordinary people!”
"How many ordinary people can buy expensive potions?" Prime Minister Winston said with a cigar in his mouth: "As far as I know, the price of a bottle of mercury blood is as high as 50 gold pounds! A pound of sleeping toast It has to be sold for 20 gold pounds! Is this a price that ordinary people can afford?"
"The price of mercury blood and sleep toast is high because their raw materials are expensive! What's more, these potions are not sold to ordinary people!" Archbishop Brandon said loudly: "Magic potions sold to ordinary people, There are sticks of Hercules, each bottle sells for only 4 shillings! And considering the purchasing power of ordinary people, Manstein even specially cooperated with banks to open small loans and insurance businesses!"
"It's just like eating. Some high-end restaurants are expensive because their raw materials are good, but small restaurants on the street use the most common ingredients, so the prices are naturally lower!"
"The original intention of establishing Manstein's Potion Company was not to make money, but to balance the potion market!"
Archbishop Brandon's words made Ma Wei feel a little embarrassed. He did not set up the potion company to make money, but planned to use the potion company to sneak into London's upper class. Making money was only secondary, but Archbishop Brandon opened his mouth, his face not red, his heart not beating. He was obviously a veteran at deceiving people.
"We have brought the price list of potion materials, please take a look."
Archbishop Brandon winked, and Mawei opened the suitcase with understanding and handed the price list of potions prepared by Dino to Archbishop Brandon. Archbishop Brandon read it in front of everyone, although everyone couldn't understand it. , but still have to pretend to be thoughtful.
After reading, Archbishop Brandon continued: "I admit that there are indeed many dangerous potion materials. In this regard, the church will take responsibility and strictly control the materials, but please understand that potions are beneficial to the country. For the people! We should use the properties of potions to fight against the dangerous extraordinary creatures in the outside world! Instead of levying high taxes and hiding the swords in the treasury!"
"That's right!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a group of clergy members who supported Archbishop Brandon waved the handkerchiefs placed on their knees. The second prince nodded and the Liberal Party members immediately waved their handkerchiefs in agreement. Even Freya, who was sitting not far away, He picked up the handkerchief and wiped his forehead.
Seeing Freya picking up a handkerchief to wipe her forehead, the Democratic MPs also raised their handkerchiefs in response. After a brief hesitation, Prince Charles also picked up the handkerchief and led the Conservative MPs to agree with Archbishop Brandon's speech. .
For a moment, there was a roar in the big chamber, and the ceiling was almost lifted by the sound of approval. Seeing this scene, Speaker Lambert silently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and even Prime Minister Winston, who proposed the bill, became solemn. .
More than 80% of MPs choose to support the church, including two princes. What does this mean?
The royal power is gone!
The cabinet, after all, became a vassal of the church.
The king is still a king, and the church will not abolish the royal power, but the crown symbolizing secular power has been put on the head of the pope. The power in the king's hands is just like the gem that was later set in the crown on his head, neither fish nor fowl.
Rhodes IV's eyes were slightly gloomy, but he soon regained his composure, calmly pressed his hands, and everyone gradually became quiet.
"According to the vote, the first phase of the potion bill will not be passed. Winston, you should seek more opinions from the church regarding the content of the bill."
Your Majesty, why are you even here?
Winston looked at Rhodes IV who seemed to be completely compromised, sighed in his heart, and said in a hoarse voice:
"As commanded."
(End of chapter)
