The Journeymen is fiction, a figment of my imagination, but elements of it provide some sort of explanation for events around us. Let's take a fanciful look at some of the real people in real life and speculate where they should fit in with the Journeyman concept. I'll start with the UK first, apologies to North American readers, you may have to Google some of these characters.
The Royal Family, the late Queen, the current King and the future King(s). Absolutely the epitome of Colonists and protected, you might say insulated, from real life. In the Journeymen story their sole purpose is to preserve and provide the DNA needed for the home planet. In Journeymen II: Days of Reckoning this provides food for thought at the epilogue.
Now lets take a look at recent Prime Ministers of the UK, and to be fair we've had a few in a short term. Let's start with David Cameron, a shoo-in for a Journeyman by most measures. Privileged background, over-promoted to way beyond his natural capability in my opinion, he's the perfect example of someone who overtook better qualified candidates which, in my books, is one of the hallmarks of a Journeyman.
His successor, Theresa May, would appear to be more likely to be an IB. That shouldn't be a surprise because although Prime Minister is one of the highest political positions, as we've experienced it's also one of the most fragile ones, too. May was succeeded by Boris Johnson who has and had the aura of a Journeyman and definitely promoted above his ability. His sense of entitlement would be consistent with the group.
I'm afraid my jury of one is out on Liz Truss. Over-promoted? Absolutely. Sense of entitlement? In spades. Journeyman? Possibly, but I suspect she is an over-ambitious IB who got the top job over Rishi Sunak in major part because the group who voted her in is notoriously prejudiced. Sunak, I suspect, is an ambitious IB who probably chose the wrong time to make his bid.
What about Keir Starmer? His father was a tool-maker, by the way. I feel Starmer is pure IB.
The point is that the position of Prime Minister, powerful a position it is, is held by people guided by senior Civil Servants and hundreds of years of precedent. Those senior Civil Servants not only exert enormous influence on the PM but crucially provide the continuity for the Journeyman project. The Senior Civil Servants are the puppeteers, not the puppets. Many, probably not all, will be Journeymen.
What about the US? Are there any Colonists in the US? Officially not in power, the Constitution was clear on that, but the US has long been a safe haven for people who would qualify as Colonists - exiled Kings, for example. The UK might have an example or two living there now, although the bloodline might not be pure Colonist anymore.
The current President would appear to be a perfect candidate as a Journeyman, fulfilling the role but I suspect he has the ambition to be a Colonist. Unfortunately, the way my story is written, you can't just 'become' a Colonist.
What about other World leaders? Putin, for example? Possibly Journeyman, possibly a Son. Although he appears more interested in consolidating his own power, he could either be using force to promote the project or to disrupt it. To make your mind up you will need to read both Journeymen books, and even then I would probably have to agree to disagree.
To end this short series of discussions on the background to the Journeymen I'd like to reiterate it is fiction, made up by me. I'm not suggesting it is 'really real', or that my evaluation of where the characters above should sit in the fictional hierarchy should be taken as fact. Far from it, but if you immerse yourself in the story then you may well find yourself looking at bosses, colleagues and politicians and wondering where they fit in the scheme of things.
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Follow me on Twitter: @RayASullivan
email me at raysullivan.novels@yahoo.com
Check out my comedic ramblings as Throngsman on www.newsbiscuit.com
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