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Fixed Points in Time?
For those of you following my other blog – The Secret of Aldwych Strand – you will already know that I have a bit of a love affair with History.
In chapter 13 Lucy tells David Lloyd George – the creator of the British Welfare State – that Winston Churchill is a fixed point in History. That Time doesn’t like being messed about with! An interesting concept. Because if you think about it, such a concept means that Time Travel is impossible.
I don’t know about you but such a thought depresses me more than I can say…
As a child, I always wanted the TARDIS to turn up
As an adult I can hope, but I think we all know that the Doctor’s a busy chap and I’m well down his list.
So, let’s just assume that I can travel back and change the past? Where shall I go and what shall I do?
I think I shall return to London November 1605, and I think I’m going to allow Guy Fawkes to succeed.
Because what would happen?
Well let’s see:
Politically – James, King of England and Scotland is killed. His government is wiped out.
Financially – the Square Mile is wiped out as a consequence of the Fire following the explosion.
Geographically – 36 barrels of gunpowder that close to the Thames is going to create a Tsunami, so that’s the Thames Estuary destroyed
I’m not sure even Hollywood could make disaster movie that comes close to the carnage…
Who will pick up the pieces?
King James’ grieving widow is Danish. Her relatives aren’t going to sit quietly and let her children lose their birthright.
The French – long standing allies of Scotland are also going to wade in to the fray.
And as for Spain?
Well Philip had regarded this country with envious eyes and was unlikely to let a little thing like a defeated Armada stop him…
The Pope might play a pivotal role given that the Church hierarchy had been wiped out. The European Reformation would be in Jeopardy. And I don’t know about you… but even I can see that’s going to hack off the Netherlands, Switzerland and German States.
Ergo: a bloodbath as the states of Europe battle for control of that little ‘ole England.
And the consequences?
Well for starters… no one would be speaking English
If there was a Europe wide war, then there’d be no Enlightenment, there would be the time or the energy..
The sun would never have set on the British Empire because there never would have been a British Empire…
America would – possibly – be speaking Spanish. It certainly wouldn’t be a world power because Europe wouldn’t be in any state to colonise it…
I mean look at the chaos the First World War caused Europe…..
Well what language would we be speaking? The Other Half asked.
Easy… If the Tsar had any sense he would have let Western Europe destroy itself and then come westward, so Russian gets my vote!
Oh!
Great!
That means instead of teaching Shakespeare to bored year 9’s – we’re all going to be slitting our wrists – because guess what?
They’re cutting down another bloody cherry tree….
More than a Cat 