Khartoum (II) - Politica: west story

O sedinta de guvern de "gasire a unor solutii"

Plot: O conversatie la guvern despre criza din Sudan unde rebelii aveau acum armele a 10.000 de soldati anglo-egipteni infranti: pusti Remington, baterii de artilerie si milioane de cartuse munitie.

Protagonisti

- Gladstone - prim-ministru

-Granville -ministru de externe

- Stewart - colonel in armata britanica

Granville: We are discussing Egypt. We have a moral responsibility to Egypt. 

Gladstone: A moral responsibility. We have the Suez Canal. Say it. Egypt protects Suez. We protect Egypt. Why in heaven's name can't Egypt protect herself? 

Aveau deci o problema morala...fata de interesele lor in Canalul Suez!

Grandville: 
Send Gordon to Khartoum. 

Gladstone: [...] I shall suggest to Her Majesty in Scotland tomorrow  that we shall discharge our obligations to Egypt by evacuating all the Egyptians from Khartoum.  How, without either a British army  or loss of British honour?

Granville: I shall entertain suggestions as to just how. Gordon. Chinese Gordon.

[...] Send Gordon to Khartoum. The man who led the Chinese emperor's armies to victory carrying only a cane. Send him to Khartoum.

Gladstone:  Without an army?

Granville:  He doesn't need one. Without a single British soldier he ended slavery in the Sudan. He's a hero - to the Sudanese, to the English, to the anti-slavery people, to the churchmen. Send him to Khartoum and you'll be applauded from Land's End to Inverness. And Her Majesty.

Practic prim-mistrul ar fi vrut sa evacueze toti egiptenii din Khartom fara sa foloseasca nici un soldat britanic...NU! De fapt, nu voiau sa-i evacueze, ci sa gaseasca o solutie sa-i scuteasca de obligatia de a evacua acesti egipteni. Extraordinare solutii gaseste politica, nu? 

Din pacate (pentru Gordon) solutia aceasta era Gordon, omul care deja facuse ceva pentru Sudan, si era cunoscut pentru abilitatea de a se descurca fara ajutor si resurse.

Col. Stewart:  
If you send him to Khartoum on his own now,
he'll simply fail.

Gladstone:  Granville, the man's a mystic. He's an idealist with ideals strictly his own. Give him an instruction? He treats a military order as if it were a birthday greeting. Besides, I trust no man who consults God before he consults me.

Colonel Stewart :  May I speak, sir? In my opinion, General Gordon would refuse. When he went to the Sudan as governor general and put down the slave trade with nothing but his audacity and a few loyal lieutenants, sir, he didn't face the Mahdi, he didn't face a holy war, and he didn't face 10,000 Remington rifles. If you send him to Khartoum on his own now, he'll simply fail.

Gladstone:  What a pity.

Colonel Stewart :  Sir, if General Gordon accepted your proposal in the conditions of today, my respect for him would end. He'd be the vainest man alive.

Primul ministru nu are incredere in Gordon pentru ca acesta " consults God before he consults me.".  si pe de alta parte, chiar daca este o solutie pentru a scapa guvernul de responsabilitate, nu este o solutie pentru a si rezolva problema din punct de vedere militar: colonelul Stewart spune clar asta "If you send him to Khartoum on his own now, he'll simply fail."

Gladstone:  
I dislike everything about this...But..

Gladstone:  [...] Did I understand you correctly?  If we send Gordon to Khartoum - Gordon, a national hero - and he fails, then the blame will fall on him, not on the government?

Granville:  It could happen that way.

Gladstone:  It's the most abominable proposal I have ever entertained.  Granville, the colonel had a point.

Just why would Gordon do it?

Granville:  Because he's a patriot and a man of conscience. Or perhaps the vainest man alive.

Gladstone:  I dislike everything about this. Worse... I distrust it. I know nothing about this conversation.

But let me know in Balmoral what Gordon says. Her Majesty would be so pleased.

Prim-ministrul intelege foarte bine: daca il trimite pe Gordon, acesta va esua, dar esecul , in ochii lumii, i se va reprosa atunci doar eroului national Gordon. si apoi spune explicit "It's the most abominable proposal I have ever entertained", "I dislike everything about this. Worse... I distrust it. ". Dar... accepta sa fie anuntat Gordon si e incantat ca regina va fi multumita.

Deci... o propunere abonimabila, in care nu are incredere, din care nu ii place nimic si care mai ales NU rezolva problema reala...Totusi maiestatea sa si primul ministru vor fi multumiti pentru ca scuteste guvernul de raspundere.

Mandatul

Oficial primul ministru nu il cheama pe Gordon, ci doar ii spune explicit ca ii cere asta in mod privat.

Gladstone: Gordon, I cannot and will not send military forces up the Nile. But I admit Khartoum cannot be left to its fate without some gesture.

Gordon: Am I the gesture?

Gladstone: The country knows your capacities. You've done before alone what an army of blunderers can't do.

Gordon: What's the proposal?

Gladstone: That you go to the Sudan, supervise the evacuation of Khartoum

and do what you can to leave peace and order behind.

Gordon: With what powers?

Gladstone: None. But I cannot and will not back you up. This must be understood. No British troops will come up the Nile. I will not assume a British obligation to police the world. If you can help the Sudan, your country will be grateful.  If you can't...

Gordon: My country will understand. ... I'll go.

Realitatea 

Veti spune poate cat e adevarat in realitate. In realitate a fost mai rau... cateva trupe britanice patrunse in Sudan si care au avut cateva sucese la inceputul ultimei sederi a lui Gordon, au fost retrase si drept urmare Kharthom-ul a fost complet incojurat. Urmarea.. asediul..si restul