Chapter 21

January, the following year.

The Telegraph. 1st January.

MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED.

Late last night Mike Thomas, the Transport minister, announced that due to the ongoing excessive rises in the price of crude oil, a number of movement restrictions are to be put in place to reduce unnecessary use of oil. All non British citizens are required to get permission to travel more than 15 miles from their home address. Anyone who wishes to travel more than 50 miles from their home will likewise be required to obtain permission. Permission must be obtained from the nearest Patrol station, and will be in the form of a travel pass. This travel pass must be produced on demand.

In a related, joint, statement, Brenda Howell, the Media minister, and Danny Evans, the new Security minister, announced the banning of three more messaging apps and two more social media sites. In addition, everyone outside their own home is now required to carry formal identification at all times.

Daily Express. 5th January.

HOARDERS ARRESTED.

Three men and two women were arrested yesterday morning for hoarding. In their shed members of the Safety Patrol found 270lb of potatoes, 150lb of carrots, and 400lb of other assorted fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables. Claims by the family that they had grown it themselves were dismissed by the Patrol as pure fabrication. “No one grows that amount of food just for themselves,” the officer in charge stated. “We believe this food is to be sold on the black market. Hoarding and profiteering will be punished harshly.”

The Mirror. 7th January.

ARMY DEPLOYED.

One of the last active regiments in the army is being moved to Northern Ireland later this month. The Para’s Second Battalion will now be permanently based in Ulster, from where they will not be able to cause any trouble here on the mainland. 2nd Battalion the Regiment Of Rifles has been disbanded earlier than originally planned, due to the criminal acts of the 1st Battalion in October of last year, when elements of 3 Commando HQ attempted a counter-revolution.

The Telegraph. 8th January.

A STEP TOO FAR?

The Irish military forces now number, amongst all its branches, some 31,000 men and women. Just ten years ago it had less than half this number. Given the permanent state of hatred shown by the Irish state to Britain, should we have disbanded our own forces quite as much as we have done? The new Security Patrol still numbers only 7000 patriotic men and women, and until that number can be raised, we believe it is important that no more of the army is disbanded.

The Mirror. 12th January.

BRITISH NAVY 2, SPANISH ARMADA 0.

An invading Spanish fishing fleet was forcibly removed from British waters by ‘Royal’ Navy vessels when they tried to fish in our waters. The frigates Kent and Westminster, supported by the destroyer Dragon and a larger number of smaller vessels, drove the invaders away, sinking 2 and damaging 8 others. No one was injured, but a number of Spanish trawlermen got wet. The Navy did their job, but it’s about time the Patrol had its own naval arm, then we wouldn’t have to rely on a relic from another era.

Washington Post. 14th January.

AMBASSADOR REFUSES COMMENT.

British Ambassador Colin Berkley refused to answer reporters’ questions when questioned about the accusations of heavy censorship, and retribution toward the press, after allegations raised by the first night of BBC America’s much delayed documentary claiming that Britain’s Truth and Freedom Party has systematically limited the rights of people under their rule.

Ambassador Berkley buckled at the podium and was escorted away by aides when asked by a reporter from Wired Magazine about investigations by hacker groups into the so called ‘Woollen Wall’, that monitors the flow of internet data in and out of Britain. Their analysis supports the claims of heavy censorship in the BBC America’s documentary ‘Truth and Freedom: Lies of the Lion.’

The Sun. 15th January.

SPURS BOSS DEPORTED.

Popular Spurs manager Andrey Zaitsev has been deported. This leaves the club in a desperate situation just one point above the relegation zone. Local fans, who didn’t want to be named, hung around for a while outside the north London White Hart Lane stadium ground in stunned disbelief. Some were angry at the Russian’s deportation, but most were merely disappointed over the timing, saying that it was bound to happen sooner or later. Larry Spears, the club’s head coach, will take over for the remainder of the season. Club management are now in talks with ex-Spurs captain Stephen Hoag, currently the highly successful manager of Burton Albion, as a more permanent replacement.