Chris Beckett's vision of North America a century on is unrelentingly grim, and depressingly plausible. Whilst the years of the 'Tyranny' are over, climate change has wrought havoc on both the east coast and on the arid southwest. Hordes of the USA's very own brand of Mexicans (storm trash from the battered East-coast and dust trash from the drought ravaged southwest) are flooding north, now housed into those great American institutions, the ubiquitous Trailer Parks, now repurposed as refugee camps. Real Mexicans are held back by the famous 'wall'. Those USAians resident in the northern regions are none too pleased to host their unfortunate fellow citizens. Why, property prices might fall, and they'd likely have to pay higher taxes to assist their countrymen. And as fine upstanding citizens, they have a sneaking suspicion that the refugees are somehow to blame for their own misfortune.
Cometh the hour then, cometh the man. Senator Steve Slaymaker, a self made billionaire trucking magnate has a dream to build a new America, in the northern states. New cities, new jobs, new opportunities. He is to run for the presidency (for the current iteration of the GOP) on this grand new deal. How to sell a notion so antithetical to his traditional constituency? Enter Holly Peacock, West coast liberal, PR maven and purveyor of 'fake news'. Slaymaker offers her the job of selling 'Reconfigure America' to the great unwashed masses. Whilst conflicted, it is an offer that Holly just cannot refuse.
The campaign she develops has at its heart the tried and true distraction 'Look Over There!' Divert your supporters from the things they dislike about your policy with someone else to blame. And the cunning plan? Blame Canada!
And so we remember how 'Lebensraum' came about, how the Sudetenland was absorbed, how Israel came to be, how Tibet became Han and how Crimea became once more Russian. All the time, history tells us that the strong will take what they wish from the weak.
Well written, and with many difficult questions to ask of the reader. Nobody gets off lightly. No matter what your views, you will find something in here to be ashamed about.
Cometh the hour then, cometh the man. Senator Steve Slaymaker, a self made billionaire trucking magnate has a dream to build a new America, in the northern states. New cities, new jobs, new opportunities. He is to run for the presidency (for the current iteration of the GOP) on this grand new deal. How to sell a notion so antithetical to his traditional constituency? Enter Holly Peacock, West coast liberal, PR maven and purveyor of 'fake news'. Slaymaker offers her the job of selling 'Reconfigure America' to the great unwashed masses. Whilst conflicted, it is an offer that Holly just cannot refuse.
The campaign she develops has at its heart the tried and true distraction 'Look Over There!' Divert your supporters from the things they dislike about your policy with someone else to blame. And the cunning plan? Blame Canada!
And so we remember how 'Lebensraum' came about, how the Sudetenland was absorbed, how Israel came to be, how Tibet became Han and how Crimea became once more Russian. All the time, history tells us that the strong will take what they wish from the weak.
Well written, and with many difficult questions to ask of the reader. Nobody gets off lightly. No matter what your views, you will find something in here to be ashamed about.