"Tell me it isn't true." "Tell me it isn't true." "I love you, Daddy." "DaddyI" "Aaaagh!" "Francis!" "What is it?" "I..." "I had a bad dream." "I didn't call out, did I?" "It sounded as if you were in fear of your life." "It's all right, Corder." "It was just a dream." "Just a dream?" "All right." "Fine." "I'll leave you to it, then." "A lot of fuss about nothing!" "Time to get started, anyway." "Francis, why don't you stay down here at Chequers for the morning?" "Why?" "Far more interesting things to do." "Complete my reshuffle, for a start." "I'm making Geoffrey Booza Pitt my Foreign Secretary." " Little Geoffrey?" "Is that wise?" " Yes." "Why not?" "Capstick's too dithery, Bullock's too dense." "Rayner would like it, but he's too much of a thug." "He might as well have "I hate foreigners"" "tattooed on his forehead." "Geoffrey has brains and Geoffrey will do what I tell him." "He's one of us." "And best of all, it's humiliating for Makepeace - deposed from high office, the ritual clearing of the desk." "Too many knick-knacks for the briefcase, so a typist lends a Tesco's carrier bag." "In go the family photos." "The underlings avert their gaze." "A couple of awkward handshakes, then the ignominious exit by the tradesman's gate." "And in the morning, waking to the knowledge that it's true, all true." "No more red boxes, no more urgent calls." "No one wants your opinion about anything any more." "No interviews, no photographs, no ministerial car." "I could find it in my heart to pity the man if he weren't such a canting, high-minded, sanctimonious hypocrite." "He deserves everything he gets." "Where did you say you were going so early in the morning?" "Don't stop." "I said I was going to the gym." "Fair enough, I suppose." "Come on, then." "Work that body!" " What?" " Don't be flippant, Claire." "Please." "You're very sensitive this morning." "I still love you, you know." "Even though you're not Foreign Secretary any more, you still give a girl a hell of a good time in bed." "Oh, Tom, there's no need to look quite so tragic." "Tom?" "Tom!" "This is silly." "I know." "It's not your fault, it's my fault." "The thing is..." "I've decided we've got to stop." "It's him." " Francis?" " Yes, Francis." "You're not jealous of him?" "I don't do anything with Francis." "You're his PPS!" "Oh, Tom, we've been through all this." "I've told you." "It's not a problem for me." "I'm all for you." "Being his PPS is just a means to an end." "I told you I'd take his job!" "I know." "I can help you do that." " I can't work like that." " Oh, brilliant" "If I fight Francis Urquhart, it has to be a straight fight." "I have to be seen to be straight." " Family values?" " Yes, if you like." "So you're chucking me, are you?" " Believe me..." " But you wanted one for the road!" "Claire, please..." "I think..." "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do." "I've never known anything like... ..what we've had." "I've hurt you, haven't I?" "It should have been me who said when it was over." "Sorry." "Better now." "You're absolutely right, of course." "There isn't a perfect way to do these things." "I do understand you'll have to distance yourself for a while." "Politically as well." "But I want you to know I'm still here for you...when you need me." "In every way." "You're a wonderful woman." "I know." "What a waste, eh?" "All set, Francis?" "It won't be just a farewell performance." "I never imagined it would be." "These resignation statements so often turn into squalid recriminations." "So bad for the reputation of politics, don't you feel?" "I think you should take it seriously." "He's out to get you." "Well, let's see what he can do, shall we?" "I am proud to have served this country as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs." "And I'm proud of what I've achieved, most recently the historic Cyprus settlement." "But Cyprus has been one achievement amongst many lost opportunities." "I can no longer refrain from speaking out against an attitude to foreign policy which has made civilised nations of the world" "see Britain as the yob of Europe." "And I can no longer support a British prime minister whose idea of diplomacy is to demand that everyone else speaks English." "Is this not the politics of the football hooligan?" "Surely Britain has more to offer Europe than a two-fingered salute." "Yes, of course it has, but not, I fear, under its present leadership." "This became very clear to me when I read who my successor was to be." "In future, Britain's interests are to be defended in the international arena by a kind of..." "How shall I put this?" "A kind of glove puppet." "A cuddly creature who'll use his master's voice because he has none of his own!" " Order!" " Sooty!" "It's Sooty!" "Let's hear it from Sooty!" "Order!" "Order!" "Order!" "Let me remind the House that personal statements are listened to in silence." "Thank you." "Mr Tom Makepeace." "Madam Speaker." "It has become clear to me, as it has to many in this House and throughout the country, that all is not well in Britain." "I became a Member of Parliament because I wanted to uphold those traditions which made England great." "I wanted to serve my country, not lay waste to it in the name of asset-stripping." "I'm sure that only a change of leadership will put us back on the right track." " Join the opposition!" " Hear, hear!" "Order!" "A number of my colleagues have approached me and asked if I would offer myself as a candidate for party leadership." "I have decided that I must accept the challenge." "Until that matter is resolved, I find myself so much at odds with what is being done in the name of my party and my country that I can no longer in conscience take my seat on the government benches." "Excuse me." "Prime Minister!" "I'm grateful for this opportunity to thank the Right Honourable Gentleman for his loyal service over the years." "On these occasions, a certain amount of petulance is expected... ..and forgiven, and indeed forgotten." "May I assure the Right Honourable Gentleman that he has my very best wishes for his future career, whatever that may be?" "Just right, FU." "Made him look very silly." "All the same, FU, you need to take this very seriously." " Yes." "Thank you, Geoffrey." "Later." " Yes." "Come on in, Claire." "Well, now, and what are we to make of that?" "I did warn you." "I didn't know he'd cross the House!" "A piece of histrionic buffoonery!" "It won't be reported that way." "It won't be the last we've heard of Sooty!" "You should have savaged him and humiliated him publicly!" "I didn't want to dignify him with my anger." "You have a lot to learn, Claire." "The worst humiliation is not to be taken seriously." "One doesn't froth at the mouth when dismissing the jobbing gardener." "Yes, but people read it as weakness." " You didn't, did you?" " Of course not, but I think he did." "Didn't you see his face?" "You let him think he'd won." "That makes me furious!" "As well as being tactically risky in my view." "Other people might have read it as weakness and Tom Makepeace has more support than you think!" "But not from you?" "Not any more." "He's chucked you, hasn't he?" "Other way round, as a matter of fact." "What a shame!" "Well, I'll hurt him for you, Claire, before this game is over, and that's a promise." "Thank you." " Hi!" " Hello!" "Saw you on the news." "Very good, I thought." " Thank you." " You're really going for it this time." "He's left me no option." "No, it's more than that." "I really want it now and I know I'm ready for it." "Good for you." "I hope you wipe the floor with the old bastard." "I think you'll make a brilliant prime minister." " Really?" " Yes." "Really." "I thought we might go out for dinner tonight." "Lovely, except I've got a dinner date." "Sorry." "John Collins, my new editor." " Oh, fine." " He's only 35." "He thinks my work is wonderful." "Well, I think your work's wonderful." "What is it, Tom?" "Nothing." "Just wanted to talk." "You know..." "What did you want to talk about?" "Well, you know..." "Everything, really." "Going for the leadership, you and me, where we're headed." "I think it would be good to get things straightened out." "Well, you know." "You've broken up with Claire Carlsen, haven't you?" "Well, yes, I have, as a matter of fact." "Was it rough?" "It wasn't easy." "What I feel now is a strong sense of relief that I've done the right thing." "Oh." "Jolly good." "I only hope she feels the same." "Tom, hasn't it occurred to you that you might have left all this a bit too late?" "I'm sorry it's such disappointing news." "Your uncles' death involved certain security elements and the information is subject to the 50 years' ban." "The truth is known, but my father can't be told and neither can I?" "I understand how you feel." "I'm just the bearer of the message." "It's just one of those things." "No, when I spoke to Mr Urquhart, he seemed very keen to talk about Cyprus." "Really?" "Then I mentioned the village, Spilia, below the mountains of Troodos." "I could tell he knew it, but he didn't want to talk about it." "I'm just doing this for my father." "We just want to locate my uncles' graves and give them a proper memorial." "I don't understand what the mystery is." "I'm sorry, but I'm not in a position to give you more information." "I see." "Thanks for your time." "Wait a minute." "Try this number." "Tom Makepeace." "I think you'll find you'll get some help." "What's the line on Tom Makepeace?" "He's digging his own grave." "Hm." "We don't think so." "We think he might be just what the doctor ordered." "We shall be saying so in tomorrow's paper." "This country is crying out for change." "And I don't care who hears me say that." "Oh, Lord!" "Ah!" "Claire, excellent." "Miss Passolides, I am so sorry, but rules are rules." "We'll have another chat one day soon." "I did enjoy meeting you so much." "Excuse me now." " I've got to go now." "I'll be in touch." " Thank you." "Bruce!" "How very good to see you!" "I had a feeling that this is where the action would be." " Prime Minister, you're looking well." " So are you." "Sir Bruce was just extolling the virtues of Tom Makepeace." "Well..." "Was he?" "Well, he's quite right, a very talented chap, but so self-destructive - such a shame!" "They do say he falls in love every time he passes a mirror." "What do you think, Claire?" "I think the feeling on the back benches is that he lacks substance." "He doesn't really believe in himself." "Well, if that's the woman's angle, you have nothing to fear, FU." "I must get on." "Been grand to see you, Bruce." "We need more chaps of your calibre in the Upper House." "After the smiles, after the handshakes, after the arms round shoulders and the merry, hollow laughter, after the conditional promise and the purchased friendship, after the elusive, dangling reward, the nagging threat." "After all that, the calculation of the odds, the sifting of the probabilities." "And then the fear." "Fear in the smell of damp newsprint and the crackle of the radio." "Fear that this might be the day we wake to find the magic gone." ""Tom Makepeace has brought a fresh breeze of principle and idealism" ""into British politics." ""There is a middle ground of decency" ""where people of goodwill from every class and race can stand together," ""and Tom Makepeace has claimed that middle ground." ""People of decency will wish him well."" " That's Bruce Bullerby?" " I'm afraid so." "Whatever happened to gratitude?" "You could walk away and leave them to it, then they'd realise what they owe you." " There is a world elsewhere." " He's thrown down the gauntlet." "If I take it up, I have to win and I shall." "And fight and win another election." "Then I'll have beaten that bloody woman's record!" "You look pale, Francis." "Didn't you sleep well?" "I slept very well, thank you." "I am very well." "Yes?" " The car's here." " Right." " Let me take that for you, sir." " Thank you." "Hi!" "Claire!" "Geoffrey." "Hello." "I say, this is a bit of all right, isn't it?" "It's quiet." "We won't be disturbed." "We use it to put up executives from Sweden and the States." "It's only five minutes from the House." "Just right if you fancied a quick er...cuppa, put your feet up." "Quite." "It's good for work too." "Right, shall we go through the names in alphabetical order?" "Starting with the definites for FU." "Any way you like, Claire." "You know I'm easy." " Hello." " I'm Maria Passolides." " I phoned." " Oh, yes." "I'm sorry." "Do come in." "You answer the door yourself?" "Yes." "What did you expect?" "A butler?" "I'm sorry, but I can only give you about ten minutes." "Things are hectic, as you can imagine." "Yes, I can." "It's good of you to see..." "If you have a message..." "But I'm all yours for ten minutes." "So how can I help you?" "I think Francis Urquhart might have murdered my uncles." "It's all right, really." "I'm not mad." "I might be mistaken, but I'm not deluded." "That looks safe enough." "Somewhere between a 50- and 60-vote majority." " If everybody told the truth." " If everybody told the truth." "It's not as wide a margin as I'd thought." "The thing is, Francis has roughed up quite a lot of chaps in the last ten years." "Quite a lot of sore bottles on the government benches." "It's not that they think Makepeace is so wonderful." "More that they want to say "Yah, boo, sucks"" "to the boss!" "In a secret ballot." " You don't think he could lose?" " No, impossible." "I'm not one of Francis Urquhart's greatest admirers, but I can't quite see him as a murderer." "I'm not saying you're fantasising, but there may be another explanation." "But you believe me that he wants to conceal something?" "He's suppressing evidence and for what other reason than it's damaging to him?" "I wish you'd come to see me sooner." "As Foreign Secretary," "I had access to any documents I wanted to see." "But I can raise this question in the House." "There's a broader issue." "There must be people who have lost relatives and still don't know the truth." " Yes, there are." " We talk about open government." "Has there been any public discussion of this issue?" "A little in the Greek Cypriot papers, and we hope to go on local radio." "I think we should be on national radio and TV." "Why not?" "I'd like to help you." "Let's get this whole thing out in the open." "Right?" "Right." "Claire Carlsen said she thought you'd be keen." "Did she?" "Well, I'll have to try not to disappoint you." "Yes, indeed." "No, it's not bad at all." "Yes." "Thank you, Claire." "175 of my honourable colleagues firmly intend to vote for me." "123 are almost certainly against me." "How dare they!" "They owe me everything." "Half of them wouldn't even have jobs, let alone seats." "As if I hadn't won three elections in a row and kept their noses in the gravy!" "And these lumps of lobby fodder dare to vote against me?" "Not enough of them to damage you." "No, not yet." "They'll break." "Makepeace will break if you stand firm." "They want strong leadership, the smack of firm government." "And they resent that in themselves, that weakness." "They're big strong men." "Why should they still be frightened of Daddy?" "They are, Francis." "They are!" "I know." "Makepeace too." "In his heart of hearts, he knows you're twice the man he is or ever will be!" "He's frightened of Daddy too." "I owe so much to you, my darling." "Time to meet the baying hordes." "Lofty indifference of the world statesman?" "I think so." "Let others play politics while you make history." "I am happy to announce that the last obstacle to permanent peace in Cyprus" "has been cleared away." "The disputed sea boundaries have been agreed by a panel of judges, chaired by our own Sir Clive Watling." "Next week, the Greek and Turkish presidents of Cyprus will sign the treaty at a special European summit here in Great Britain." "We've done itI We are home and dryI" "What about the leadership challenge, Mr Urquhart?" "Far more important things to think about than petty politics." "I've got a job to do and I intend to do it." "These are great days." "We are redrawing the map of Europe." "And Britain is showing the wayI Thank you all very much indeed." " He's such an old bastard." " Clever old bastard, though!" "It's going to take something very special to break him." "I think I might just have it." "Do you?" "Such a grimy business, politics, isn't it?" "That'll be John." "We're going to the Everyman." "Do you remember the "Gorky Trilogy"?" " Yes, I do." " Those were the days, eh?" "Don't wait up." "The Greek and Turkish Cypriot presidents shake hands at last at this special European summit meeting." "Apart from the signing of the treaty, there's no formal agenda to this exclusive gathering." "It's an opportunity for some of the key international players to share their thinking on an informal basis." "President Arteau of France joking with Francis Urquhart." "Not much sign of international tension." "Tedious but necessary." "In fact, Arteau and I dislike each other and each other's politics, but we have to be there, to be seen strutting about." "All the world's a photo opportunity." "There's Nicolaou, the Greek Cypriot President." "Nice chap, but out of his depth here." " Mr Nicolaou!" " Mr Urquhart!" "Very happy day." "I'm very happy." "You must be very happy." "I'm very happy we have this agreement, but I think we gave away a little bit too much." "Some of my people aren't happy." "The Turks are saying the same thing." "I think you've both been understanding of each other's views." "Yes, but it's very important that nothing should go wrong." "I've had to overcome so much bad feeling about the Turks, the British, about your bases, the way your soldiers conduct themselves in our country." "Some of my people feel very sore about these things." "I understand." "We are very keen to do all we can to defuse any tension." "So why is a British-Turkish consortium test-drilling for oil again?" "Are they?" "I understand there's very little hope of finding any." "But if they were to find oil now in the disputed area, in the Watling waters, it would make the situation very difficult for me especially." "I'm quite sure there's no cause for concern, but..." "Let's walk over here a moment." "Some things are better said in private, man to man." "We're not about to let you down, Mr Nicolaou." "Britain is backing this agreement up to the hilt, including military support if necessary." "You have my personal word of honour on that." "Thank you, Mr Urquhart." "You're a good man." "I'm a plain man, Mr Nicolaou." "I like to think that I'm an honest man." "I keep my promises." "Mrs Urquhart!" "Vision of loveliness as usual." "You know you're driving me crazy." "What can I say?" "Don't say anything else along that line." "I'm not sure we should be seen together." " You're worried about your reputation?" " You know what I'm worried about." "I'm not sure you should be here at all." "Couldn't resist." "These people don't know anything about our business connection." "They probably think I'm just under your spell - bewitched and bewildered." "And maybe they're right." "Preliminary drillings confirm our earlier hypothesis completely." "There is a geological fault which has tilted the geology of the sea bed." "All the oil is concentrated in one area." "A big puddle of it..." "under Watling water." ""Puddle" doesn't sound awfully big." "We calculate at least a billion barrels." "I'm not frightfully up on the price of oil." "Say 20 dollars a barrel, cost of extraction 5." "So in round terms, 15 billion dollars." "Your consultancy fee would be 0.005%." "Doesn't sound very big." " Seven and a half million?" " Ah." "The first instalment is already in your Zurich account." "How nice." " What do you think I have here?" " I'm not sure I care to know." "A little gift to celebrate good fortune." "For the Urquhart Library, perhaps." "Or maybe just to read at home on long winter evenings." ""The Prince"." "Niccolò Machiavelli." "What a lovely thought!" "This is one of Francis's particular favourites." "Thank you very much, Mr Nures." "We really should be getting back." "Now that the Cyprus peace deal is complete, will the Prime Minster release papers about the unmarked graves of Greek Cypriot freedom fighters killed by the British army in the '50s?" "I refer in particular to the deaths of Georgios and Eurypides Passolides, of which the Prime Minister is well aware, but also to all those unpublished deaths which still cause distress to surviving relatives who have never properly mourned them." "Prime Minister?" "I am surprised to find the Right Honourable Gentleman so out of touch so soon." "The documentation that has survived, such as it is, is in the public domain." "With certain exceptions." "The particular case to which the Right Honourable Gentleman refers is still covered by the 50-year rule and is therefore not available for scrutiny." "Mr Tom Makepeace." "Will the Prime Minister deny that this incident involved the killing of two defenceless boys by a member of the British army known personally to him who was a serving officer on the island at the time?" "Prime Minister?" "I have no idea what the Right Honourable Gentleman is talking about." "Here we are, celebrating a great achievement, guaranteeing not only peace for Cyprus, but enormous opportunities for investment and development involving British aid and expertise." "Everyone except, it seems, the Right Honourable Gentleman is happy." "Hear, hear!" "Is this the moment to start opening old wounds?" "Madam Speaker, I think not." "What's Sooty got to say about it?" "Mr Tom Makepeace." "Is the Prime Minister not opening up new wounds, presiding over a carve-up?" "Who will benefit from the opportunities?" "Not the ordinary people of Cyprus!" "Just as the people of Britain have seen little benefit from the economic recovery." "It is no longer acceptable that this country is run for the sole benefit of British business, which has come to mean a small and cynical club of cronies in the know and on the make - the friends of Francis Urquhart!" "Order!" "Order!" "Order!" "Order!" "Prime Minister." "The Right Honourable Gentleman has made accusations under parliamentary privilege." "Is he prepared to face personal ruin by repeating them outside parliament where he will be subject to the law of the land?" "If not, then there is no more to be said." "We can treat his words with contempt." "As for the rest of his intemperate remarks, might I remind the House that until a few weeks ago, the Right Honourable Gentleman was a government minister?" "If he thought things were so dreadful, why didn't he say so then?" "And why didn't he do something about it?" "He's got it right now." "And he's got you right an' all!" "Order!" "Makepeace knows something." "A lot of it was hot air and guesswork, but he knows something." "Something about Cyprus." " You think he knows about the oil?" " Not that." "But that girl was in the public gallery again." "She came to me first." "She must have gone to Makepeace." "He mentioned unmarked EOKA graves." "What girl, Francis?" "Her name is Maria Passolides." "She thinks I know something about her uncles who were killed in the Troodos Mountains in 1956." " Do you know something about it?" " Yes." "I killed them myself, as a matter of fact." "It wasn't a war crime or anything like that." "It was an act of mercy." "Francis...can this harm us?" "I don't see how it can." "After all, nobody knows what really happened now." "It was a military operation." "They were terrorists and these things happen." "Of course they do." "But it's strange that it should come back now." "I had a peculiar feeling in the House this afternoon, as if I couldn't quite... ..smell the mood." "You were superb." "You made Makepeace look a complete fool." "You silenced him." "He had no comeback." "Yes, but I had the odd impression that they didn't like it." "They didn't want to see him savaged and he sat there looking at me as if there was something he sensed going on" "that I couldn't sense." "I couldn't tell what was going on." "Nobody wins the party leadership on a sympathy vote, Francis." "Tom Makepeace is a weak, philandering renegade." "He can't win." "We simply won't permit it." "He's putting a very brave face on it, but his support's dropping off like a guardsman's britches." " I thought he had over 100 in the bag." " The chaps are taking a second look." "I don't like a man who rubbishes what he said the day before yesterday." "Exactly." "Massive credibility cleavage." "And FU is as straight as a die." "Never wavers." "People respect him for that." "But can we stomach another five years of the old bastard?" "Frankly, I'd back Donald Duck if he got the voters out and kept my seat safe." "Failing the duck, FU is still your best bet, Clive." " Hello." " Hello." "I thought you were terrific today." "Those things needed saying." "This is going to sound silly, but I felt proud of you." "Proud to have..." "Well, you know." " Thank you." " That's it, really." "Good luck, Tom." "I mean that." "Does one normally pay for that sort of thing?" "Sooty!" "Over here!" "How's it looking, Sooty?" ""Geoffrey", if you don't mind!" "Anyway, it's not at all clear." "FU will win, but it won't be by a huge margin." "I think what the people really want is a savage lurch to the right." "Some of these backwoodsmen have been coming on like the Ku Klux Klan." "If that's what they want, tomorrow belongs to John Rayner." "We could even sing the song at the party conference." "Yeah, yeah, all right, all right." "Seriously, I wouldn't be so bashful about my most deeply-held beliefs." "I think there will be a second ballot." "Right." "Thanks, Geoff." "I won't forget this." "OK." "Yeah." "I'll see you in the House tomorrow." "Thanks a lot." "Bye." "Well...nothing more we can do." "I've given my all tonight." " Lovely wine, this, Claire." " That's your last glass of it." "He'll pull through the first ballot." "Sure." "But then what?" "If he doesn't get the margin, he should fight on." "Why do you think that?" "Because there's no one fit to take his place." "Not yet." "You used to be a Makepeace girl." "Till I got to know him too well." "He's..." "No, you wouldn't understand because you're like that too." " Like what?" " Soft." "Weak." "In the nicest possible way, of course." "Now I've offended you." "You want it for yourself, don't you?" "You want to be Prime Minister." "Geoffrey, you're being ridiculous." "You want to be Prime Minister next time round." " You've covered your bets both ways." " Nonsense." "Look, don't get me wrong, darling." "I think it's wonderful." "I think YOU'RE wonderful." "You're such a ruffian." "My tough, brilliant little sister." " I'm not your sister, Geoffrey." " Yes, you are." "We're the clever ones." "Most of that bunch, they're like dinosaurs in suits." "They have no idea we're playing with their little brains." "I want to help you." "You have." "You've been brilliant." "No, I mean all the way." "You can make it." "I can't." "Though I am perceived, you know, a Sooty, chorus boy, all that..." "What I want to say is..." "I think you're wonderful." "I'm yours, Claire." "All the way." "Thank you, Geoffrey." "Seal the pact, huh?" "In there, I mean." "We'd be wonderful." "What do you say?" "No, thank you, Geoffrey." "I don't think it would be appropriate." " Anyway, I have to go now." " Where?" "Home to my husband, of course." "In the first ballot for the leadership of the party, the votes cast were as follows." "The Prime Minister - 202." "Tom Makepeace - 145." "Neither of the candidates secured a sufficient majority under the rules." "There'll be a second ballot next week open to any other nominated candidates." "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen." "But surely FU will win the second ballot." "No one will vote twice for a loser." "On the contrary..." "I think he's buggered, Wolf." "202 votes is almost exactly what Maggie got in the first ballot and look what happened to her." " Tom!" " Hello." "How are you?" "What's all this?" "How do you feel after the first ballot?" "Is this the beginning of the end for Francis Urquhart?" "That's not for me to say." "I'm keenly looking forward to the second ballot." "It's Prime Minister or bust, eh, Tom?" "No, I'm keen to serve my country in any way I can." "If the people want me as Prime Minister, I'll give it my best shot." "Thanks." "Goodbye." "Hilary!" "I'm in here, Tom." "Congratulations." "Is it congratulations?" "I rather think it is." "Nobody thought I could beat him." "Now they do." "I think he's on the way out." "Well, bully for you!" "I mean it." "You've worked so hard for it." " Are you going out?" " Yes, I am." "I'm going round to John's." "Oh, yes." "Yes, of course." "I'll probably stay the night." "You didn't need me for anything in particular?" "What do you mean?" "I don't suppose there can be a good time to say this." "I've decided to leave you, Tom." "I'm sorry." "I realise that this has come at a very inconvenient time for you and I'll try to fit in with your plans as far as I can, but I feel that I have to do this." "Well, for me, if you see what I mean." " You know I'd never leave you." " Yes, I know." "But you don't really want very much from me these days, and John does." "I..." "I'm very fond of you." "You know that." "Not quite the same thing." "You'll be all right, Tom." "You're a bit of a baby emotionally and lots of women love that." " You could get Claire back." "I'm sure..." " Don't you console me!" "Sorry." "Look, I think I'd better go now." "I promise I won't do anything in a hurry and I'll try not to embarrass you." "I will not give way." "I will never give way." "Earlier this evening, I had the opportunity to canvass..." " Prime MinisterI Hywell Harris, BBC." " Hello, Mr Harris." "Yes, I've heard the news and I'm greatly encouraged." "I will fight, fight and fight again and lead my party to victory as I've always done." "Thank you all for waiting up so patiently." "Goodnight." " Tell me it isn't true." " What isn't true?" "That you were the one who killed Roger O'Neill." "We shouldn't be too pessimistic, Francis." "You did win the ballot." "I should have routed him." "Now he smells blood." "He will draw more support, now they see it's possible, but you can still beat him." "Where the hell is Geoffrey?" "He had to go into hospital." "An old groin injury flared up." "How very convenient And, Claire, isn't it time YOU deserted the sinking ship?" " Not at all." " Too late, is it?" "Francis, you should know I'm with you all the way." "What we need now is a new initiative." "A diversion, something that can win us time and reminds them of your strength and leadership." "So only a miracle can save me now." "..fight, fight and fight again and lead my party to victory..." "I'm keen to serve my country in any way I can." "If the people want me as Prime Minister..." "When I was a boy, I was once taken to a badger baiting." "It's an experience you don't easily forget." "The badger is tremendously strong and utterly fearless." "One bite can take off a dog's leg, crush its skull, even." "They put the badger in with several dogs." "At first, the dogs' task seems hopeless." "They get horribly damaged." "And then one dog... ..gets in a lucky snap and draws blood." "And the rest take heart." "But, Francis, you're secure now." "The Urquhart Trust is assured, our financial future guaranteed." "You know you could simply walk away." "No. "I have set my life upon a cast and I will stand the hazard of the die."" "I have to go on, Elizabeth." "It's as simple as that." "I can do no other." "I know." "But, Francis, I don't think I could bear to see you wounded." "Claire Carlsen implied that what we need now is a miracle, as if she thought me capable of splitting the Earth's crust." "The Earth's crust." "Francis?" "Suppose we leak information to the Greeks and the French that they have been cynically conned." "There are massive oil deposits off the coast of Cyprus." "The British and the Turks are now exploiting it to enrich themselves." " It's too dangerous." " Provoking an international incident." "A small war, perhaps, to which we can react with moral outrage, uniting behind a strong Prime Minister!" "But we'd risk losing everything." "Better to do that than to slink away." "One way or the other, I'll be remembered." "This could be our Falklands, Elizabeth." "Our Falklands!"