"Peter F. Hamilton - Footvote" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Peter F)

"'Footvote' for me was a way of capturing what seemed to be the general mood of the time,"
Peter Hamilton said when he sent us this story. "Dramatizing the dilemma which so many people
were living through was simply too good an opportunity to ignore." For a science fiction writer
who normally sets his stories in the far future, it was clearly enjoyable to do something both
topical and set in the real world… with just one slight twist. "But the real fun part," Peter went
on, "was getting to parody the European Constitution which was also being published at the same
time—and doing it in true If-I-Ruled-The-World style."

Footvote
Peter F. Hamilton
A short story published in 'Postscripts', Spring 2004 Number 01.

v1.0 by the N.E.R.D's. Scanned, page numbers removed, paragraphs joined, formatted, common OCR
errors have been removed and a full spell check is complete. Full read-through still required.

v1.1 Full read through completed by N.E.R.D's.

I Bradley Ethan Murray pledge that starting from this day the First Of January 2003, and
extending for a period of two years, I will hold open a wormhole to the planet New Suffolk in
order that all decent people from this United Kingdom can freely travel through to build
themselves a new life on a fresh world. I do this in the sad knowledge that our old country's
leaders and institutions have failed us completely.

Those who seek release from the oppression and terminal malaise which now afflict the United
Kingdom are welcome to do so under the following strictures.

1. With citizenship comes responsibility.

2. The monoculture of New Suffolk will be derived from current English ethnicity.

3. Government will be a democratic republic.

4. It is the job of Government to provide the following statutory services to the citizenship to be
paid for through taxation.

a. The enforcement of Law and Order; consisting of a police force and independent
judiciary. All citizens have the right to trial by jury for major crimes.

b. A socialized health service delivered equally to all. No private hospitals or medical clinics
will be permitted, with the exception of 'vanity' medicine.

c. Universal education, to be provided from primary to higher levels. No private schools are
permitted. Parents of primary and secondary school pupils are to be given a majority stake
in governorship of the school, including its finances. All citizens have the right to be
educated to their highest capability.

d. Provision and maintenance of a basic civil infrastructure, including road, rail, and
domestic utilities.

5. It is not the job of Government to interfere with, and over-regulate the life of the individual