Hi there, I am writing a short story about this purely for my own entertainment with a mercenary squad (made up primarily of British and Commonwealth ex-Soldiers) attempting a coup over the British government...obviously details aren't going to be wholly accurate, but if you were to stage a coup would Westminster be the focus of the action?
Thanks
2007-08-29 23:12:57 · 12 answers · asked by DaveyMcB 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
PS, I know the story is entirely far-fetched and probably an impossible scenario but a I say I am only writing it for entertainment- the whole idea is that they fail in their mission.
2007-08-29 23:15:49 · update #1
Why would it be far fetched?
There is pretty compelling evidence that a coup was organised against the Wilson Government by elements within MI5 which was only stymied when Mountbatten refused to become head of a government of national emergency.
You would need support of the security services, heads of the armed forces, and leading politicians ( Airy Neive has been constantly linked to the abortive coup, and was one of Margaret Thatchers closest allies until his murder by the IRA)
In a dry run for the coup, it is claimed that British soldiers occupied Heathrow airport under the cover of a training exercise, so that would be a possible focus as well as the seat of government. I think the Queen as head of state would need to be under control.
2007-08-30 00:26:13 · answer #1 · answered by Corneilius 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The british legal system is designed to stop coup from happening. we have two forms of military force in the uk the army which are paid by the government but swear alleigance to the queen and the police force to are paid by the government but are seperated into different forces around the UK this is done specifically to stop governments from overthrowing the ruling monarch and as the army are divided between queen and country this in theory provides no military force to control the government
bending the laws of reality to breaking point probably the only way to have a coup in this country is by a member of the royal family enlisting the army to overthrow the government. as they swear allegiance to the queen and the queen could afford to pay them though obviously this would never happen in the uk.
2007-08-30 08:40:48 · answer #2 · answered by jojo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should hijack a Royal Navy Trident sub and sail it up the Thames, target nuclear power stations in the UK and Faslane & Coulport nuclear basis on the Clyde and Aldermaston weapons factory and then make your demands to the government should be a peice of cake after that.
2007-08-31 11:45:51 · answer #3 · answered by Carl Marks 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If only it wasn't Fiction.!... it would be very easy to stage a coup in the UK.... our Government front bench is full of halfwits they would be easy to nobble... you could grab Ebeneezer Brooon next time he pops into his barbers for a £100 trim...and get a stand in to wear a Spitting Image latex mask - Brooon is soo ugly no one would know the difference The rest of the motley crew would not resist an invite onto some fake chat show - you could hold them to ransom live on air....
2007-08-30 06:23:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I'd make sure the leading aristocracy are behind me. Major-General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster would be a good one to start with.
2007-08-30 06:39:17 · answer #5 · answered by Part Time Cynic 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, you have to take over, and have the bigger part of the military to back up your actions, not just holding on to a bunch of politicians who nobody will really care about in West-minister.
Coups tend to work well in African states but I never heard of a success-full one in Europe in modern times.
2007-08-30 10:10:14 · answer #6 · answered by conranger1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah I think Westminster would be my place to start, probably strike at the Palace at the same time. The old strike off the snakes head thing....
2007-08-30 06:19:49 · answer #7 · answered by Manc Lush 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
very interesting, best thing to do would be to take the houses of parliment and lords on opening day, this means every official in the land in one building.
from here the worlds your oyster i would think as long as you didnt draw it out too long and did the necessary straight away rather than dilly dallying.
2007-08-30 06:31:10 · answer #8 · answered by francis f 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Invite the clerics mercenary squads - they'd be there by the million!
2007-08-30 08:56:12 · answer #9 · answered by Hollis 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NoThe tower of london get rid of the RAVENS and the BRITISH GOVERMENT will fall as The Saying Goes?
2007-08-30 06:19:41 · answer #10 · answered by colin050659 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋