Disaster planning

[bunn]

If Great Cthulhu devours the Houses of Parliament during, say the State Opening of Parliament, and removes at a stroke all Members of Parliament, all members of the House of Lords, the Privy Council, the Monarch and all the senior Royals...

Who is left in charge?

Comments

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

There would be a demise of the crown and the nearest heir proclaimed by what remains of the privy council (they wouldn't all be in parliament); the civil service would survive and enable the continuance of government; writs would be called for a series of by-elections covering presumably every parliamentary constituency, in effect a new general election; devolved and local administrations would also endure.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

How many of the Privy Council are outside London, I wonder? I imagine Great Cthulhu as creating a certain amount of collateral damage. Probably not the neatest of catastrophes.

Likewise I feel a great deal of the Civil Service might get Tentacled. The Welsh Office and DEFRA would survive, but I imagine might take a little while to get to grips with their new situation.

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

And, of course, the Scottish civil service in Edinburgh, still part of the British civil service.

[torkell]

Perhaps the MP who's being held hostage (against the Queen's safe return from Parliament) at Buckingham Palace?

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten about that MP; and not all lords are present either, so parliament would continue even if the Commons was incapable of deliberating.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Probably not at peak efficiency, however.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! It might take him some time to work out who would be needed to appoint him acting prime minister.

Although, he is not very far away, so we'd be relying on Great Cthulhu staying in the river and not getting out to stomp about.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

so we'd be relying on Great Cthulhu staying in the river

A. Can the Great Cthulhu fit in the Thames?

B. If yes, how did he get past the Thames Barrier and under all the bridges?

If we're very lucky, he's working from out-of-date maps of the Thames, and finds his evil apocalypse thwarted by modern flood defences.

[timetiger.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking it would be Cthulhu.

*runs*

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Too true! :-D Hence the need for rapid defence!

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

That's what I thought too.

Running won't help. Pray to be eaten first.

[timetiger.livejournal.com]

You make an excellent point.

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

I'd guess at the declaration of martial law by the senior-most military authority surviving, and a nuclear strike on London (not necessarily by the UK).

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Damnit! you are right, I bet either the US or Russia, and just possibly also the French, would nuke Cthulhu and not worry about taking out London. Probably both!

I wonder how long it would take them to make their minds up to do that.

[hano.livejournal.com]

If memory serves, the heir to the throne doesn't attend the State Opening. Hence Prince Charles would immediately become King and Head of State. After that it's kinda up to him. Assuming that His Tentacleness had only eaten Parliament, we'd till have a functioning State, just no elected representatives. In other words government would continue, until such time as elections could be called, a new Parliament elected, and and Government formed.
If you really want to look into the abyss, read Peter Hennesey's 'The Secret State' (2nd edition) which looks in detail at Whitehall's planning for a major nuclear attack on the UK. Truly the stuff of real nightmares.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

You may be right, I was vaguely thinking of some event I walked past once where I unexpectedly saw the whole Royal family going in, but now I think of it, that wasn't the State Opening and ISTR it may have been Westminster abbey...

Although, as with the hostage MP, it might be rash to assume that Cthulhu will confine his activities entirely to the River...

Ooh! There's a book! Thank you! I've never read 'When the Wind Blows' or seen the movie because I don't think I'm up for quite that much heartbreak, but a factual account sounds interesting.

[carmarthen.livejournal.com]

I don't know what sparked this line of inquiry, but it's pretty amazing.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Arthuriana...

If you are going to have a Once King who actually becomes a Future king, then I feel there is going to need to be a lot of clearance to free up a vacancy. And an enormous number of awkward constitutional and bureaucratic obstacles to deal with.

:-D

[redbird]

There are online lists of heirs to the British throne, so someone could check on whether the king of Norway had just inherited, and if so contact him.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

*someone* could. But in a scenario where Cthulu has taken out most of the British administrative system, who would that person be?

[torkell]

Do you mind if I metaquotes this post?

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Feel free!

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised autopope hasn't already toyed with this scenario for one of his 'Laundry' novels.

[pellegrina.livejournal.com]

Yes please!

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I'm reminded of Deep Secret, when the entire ruling elite of the Koryfonic Empire is wiped out, and government is being held together by a few very junior officials, while they desperately try to find the Lost Heir who can take over and rescue them from the scary situation.