Local time – 8:55pm, Saturday 16th June, 2011.
Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Douglas felt a heavy wave of fatigue wash over him. The waiter removed his dinner plate and topped up his wine glass. He had never been a wine enthusiast, preferring a whisky or a cold beer at the end of a long day. But perhaps this was because he hadn’t tasted wine like this before. Leo, who was seated next to him, had insisted he try a glass.
‘You never forget your first Mouton Rothschild,’ Leo said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. Douglas agreed, adding, ‘At $3,000 a bottle, I’ll never forget my last one either!’
Douglas should have been enjoying the welcome dinner. He wasn’t out of his depth among the rich and powerful. At the pre-dinner drinks, he had met the director of the CIA who was much less secretive than he expected him to be. He then chatted with Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour opposition in the UK, about Keynesian monetary policy and how it affected the UK’s recovery from the GFC. He was also introduced to the president of the European Central Bank, Benoit Bertrand, who asked him his thoughts on the viability of extending the use of the Euro into non-European markets, such as the Middle East. Douglas was more than capable of holding his own in such conversations, and even felt he was able to give something back by providing a theoretical explanation for the possible outcomes of proposed economic models. He was impressed by the way everyone spoke with such confidence and optimism about their plans, and it was easy to see how they all found themselves in positions of leadership. They were leaders. They had come up with a solution that, though it might be unpopular to begin with, was going to revolutionise every economy in the world. But his fatigue, accentuated by the wine, was compounded by his nagging worry about the news they had heard earlier in the nuclear committee meeting.
‘Have you heard anything further from Adam?’ Douglas asked Leo.
‘Not really.’
Douglas thought Leo looked a bit evasive, so he pushed on. ‘Really not really, or really maybe?’
‘Maybe. Maybe some progress. He’s got the journalist on his radar.’
‘But nothing about the weapon?’
‘Not yet.’
Leo was slightly put out by his friend’s insistence that they talk about this again. The nuclear committee meeting had been congenial and respectful. Adam had to sort the problem out and he would do what he had to do. There was no point letting it ruin their night.
‘It doesn’t change anything if we are careful and make sure we get it back. Adam has a lot of experience in this sort of thing. He deals with threats like this all the time. It’s disappointing that there’s still this dilemma hanging over us, but it’s not the end of the world.’ Douglas didn’t respond, thinking to himself that Leo’s choice of words was particularly ill suited. He wanted to rely on his friend’s guidance in this situation, as everything was so new to him. But not being able to discuss what was happening with anyone close to him, especially his wife, felt like torture.
‘It’s not just this Pakistani weapon that’s worrying me.
‘I thought you were in agreement that we are following a brave and noble path?’
Douglas didn’t appreciate Leo’s accusing tone.
‘I am. As I said, it took me a little while to fully understand the motives, but once I understood, I’m positive it is the correct action.’
‘So, what are you worried about?’
‘The likelihood of a negative reaction from the masses. When, in history, have the citizens of a country been happy with such a radical decision forced upon them by their leaders? Without consultation. Without warning. When has that ever worked?’
Leo leaned back in his chair. ‘Governments force things on us all the time. It’s all in the sales pitch. If it doesn’t feel forced, it doesn’t hurt as much.’
‘Like what?’
‘Like the formation of the EU.’ He leaned forward again and glanced around at all his colleagues gathered there. ‘That idea sprang from this conference, and it was implemented efficiently and without protest. People accepted that it was in their best interest, so they let it happen.’
Douglas shifted uneasily. ‘That’s exactly what I’m worried about. How will people accept this is in their best interest? It’s not a peaceful and relatively low impact decision like forming the EU.’
‘They’ll be convinced fairly quickly when they realise their lives are at stake.’
‘But whole populations are going to disappear,’ Douglas persisted. ‘Families will be torn apart. How can people react well to that?’ He kept his voice low, not wanting to embarrass Leo in front of his powerful friends. But Leo wasn’t rattled. He took another sip of his wine.
‘The Lop Nur incident was a turning point for us. And for China of course. Russia felt it too. It helped us to redesign our plans. It made us realise that a more publicly acceptable path existed. But it didn’t change the end goal.’
‘Yes, but that still doesn’t tell me how you plan to manage the public response?’
‘People know that most countries in the world are either over-crowded now, or are well on their way. Population debates are raging in every civilised government in the Western world – and China and India of course. After the droughts and floods over the last couple of years, the number of refugees is nearing 100 million.’
Douglas shrugged. Leo knew his stuff. And Douglas could see that despite Leo’s genial exterior, he certainly had the toughness to run a media empire. Nevertheless he plugged on with his argument.
‘But even those who understand the importance of a sustainable population don’t want to be told they’re the ones causing the problem. They want the problem of overpopulation fixed without any tragedy. Without disruption in their comfortable lives.’
‘Can’t you see that’s the beauty of our plan?’ Leo’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Douglas waited for him to explain.
‘The ones with the comfortable lives are being given a solution that makes them more comfortable. The ones without comfortable lives are the ones who suffer. And they are suffering already, so much that they have no voice to complain. That’s why it works.’ Leo plonked his glass down on the table triumphantly. Douglas thought about his statement for a while and eventually said:
‘You’re right Leo. This does solve many problems at once.’ He sighed. ‘It’s just going to have to be very carefully communicated.’
‘Agreed. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who communicates with most of the western world on a daily basis?’
‘A couple of names spring to mind.’ Douglas laughed. Leo might not like his rivals in the media business, but they sure got on well at the Bilderberg conference.
‘Ah splendid, the quartet have started. Dessert will be here shortly.’ Leo rubbed his stomach in anticipation of the food. And Douglas closed his eyes, letting Mozart’s Divertimento No 1 calm his anxious mind.