2084

In 1977, a TV play entitled ‘The None Optional Extra’ was submitted to the BBC. Nothing happened for weeks, but suddenly the young unknown playwright received a surprising letter. The quotes were encouraging: ‘Kept your play a long time… Not for lack of interest - The reverse actually! Thought well enough of it to send it to two different producers with a strong recommendation that they consider it seriously for production’ etc. What went wrong later the unknown writer does not know. He suspects, but has no proof, that eventually it was considered too politically and morally hot for the BBC of those days. Anyway it saw not the light of the cathode tube and the disappointed, but not surprised, author decided to shelve it. (It was offered to no other media’s or agents) until England edged nearer to the situation imagined and foretold in his play. He believes that time is fast approaching and has rewritten and rearranged the standard plot into a modern book. Its new title is ‘2084’, and the seriously disgruntled population of England have, in a fit of frustration, elected the super radical Reality Party to power. Billy Billington is a student at the RP’s college. Religion is the party’s bête noir and Billy is its blue eyed boy favourite. He meets Anna, the Russian girl, who is a regular at London’s last and only just allowed Orthodox Church. They jovially vow not to attempt to convert each other but, of course, their Montague-Capulet BG’s intrude to violent effect. The book’s essential question is: will England, like Nazi Germany of old and Stalin Russia, survive its sudden brainstorm? When ‘the Genii,’ the Reality leader that looks like something out of Alladin’s lamp, reads a book by ‘some bloke named Mackivelli’ and decides to try some great statesman-like, world changing moves, the world begins to really worry. The first masterstroke is a brotherly ‘also seen the none light’ pact with Africa’s self-proclaimed “First Democratic – Atheist” State. Oh dear. It really is an interesting read.