The Weegies
12-06-2004, 00:09
Weegies Press Network
Chian-Flai'iadich, Easter House Island -
The beginning of modern Weegie history seems ever more distant now, with the last of the original thirteen council members of the Weegie Socialist Labour Party, Mary McKelvie, passing away in her sleep last night aged 112. The youngest council member at the time, aged just 20 at the beginning of The Weegies' long struggle against colonial occupation, was revered as one of the "Thirteen", known throughout the islands for what is considered the germination of socialist rebellion.
The Thirteen - Alexander Martinus, James McLeod, Laura Rannoch, Thomas and Jane Persson, David Hendriksson, John Johansson, Terry McKay, Katy Burns, Tony Craig, Jean Ogilvie, Alan Urquhart, and Mary McKelvie - organised years of protest against colonial rule, but were best known for what is now known as the Siege of Buchanan; where the Thirteen, along with the other members of the Socialist Labour Party, decided to rebel against Svea Rigan rule whilst the Rigans were tied up in the war with Imperial Outside, and siezed control of the city of Buchanan. Alarmed by the development, the Rigans had to focus some attention onto the islands, and the resulting struggle by the Socialist Labour Party to keep control of Buchanan against the Rigan forces has gone down in the annals of Weegie history as a great leap forward for the cause of socialism in the islands, despite the eventual failure of the fight, with Rigans removing the last Socialist Labour Party remnants after 120 days of bitter street fighting.
Not all of the Thirteen survived - Burns, Urquhart, Jane Persson, and MacLeod all perished in the fighting, whilst Johansson and Hendriksson both died after being captured by the Svea Rigans and sentenced to death for treason, both being executed in Svea Riga. The rest managed to escape, although the SLP was decimated and demoralised after the siege, with different factions emerging, shifting the blame to one another, and splitting apart to form the Democratic Socialist Party, the Marxist-Leninist Proletariat Party, and the Social Liberal Party not long after, when the stabilising influence of Alexander Martinus ended when he succumbed to tuberculosis. But it is still viewed by many Weegies as a heroic stand against colonialist imperialism, and the death of the last surviving council member will undoubtedly affect many people.
After hearing the news, the Parliament almost unanimously voted to declare the day of the funeral - a week from now - a national day of mourning. The funeral wake will take place in Buchanan, and everyone is invited to attend, as Mary McKelvie wished it to be.
Chian-Flai'iadich, Easter House Island -
The beginning of modern Weegie history seems ever more distant now, with the last of the original thirteen council members of the Weegie Socialist Labour Party, Mary McKelvie, passing away in her sleep last night aged 112. The youngest council member at the time, aged just 20 at the beginning of The Weegies' long struggle against colonial occupation, was revered as one of the "Thirteen", known throughout the islands for what is considered the germination of socialist rebellion.
The Thirteen - Alexander Martinus, James McLeod, Laura Rannoch, Thomas and Jane Persson, David Hendriksson, John Johansson, Terry McKay, Katy Burns, Tony Craig, Jean Ogilvie, Alan Urquhart, and Mary McKelvie - organised years of protest against colonial rule, but were best known for what is now known as the Siege of Buchanan; where the Thirteen, along with the other members of the Socialist Labour Party, decided to rebel against Svea Rigan rule whilst the Rigans were tied up in the war with Imperial Outside, and siezed control of the city of Buchanan. Alarmed by the development, the Rigans had to focus some attention onto the islands, and the resulting struggle by the Socialist Labour Party to keep control of Buchanan against the Rigan forces has gone down in the annals of Weegie history as a great leap forward for the cause of socialism in the islands, despite the eventual failure of the fight, with Rigans removing the last Socialist Labour Party remnants after 120 days of bitter street fighting.
Not all of the Thirteen survived - Burns, Urquhart, Jane Persson, and MacLeod all perished in the fighting, whilst Johansson and Hendriksson both died after being captured by the Svea Rigans and sentenced to death for treason, both being executed in Svea Riga. The rest managed to escape, although the SLP was decimated and demoralised after the siege, with different factions emerging, shifting the blame to one another, and splitting apart to form the Democratic Socialist Party, the Marxist-Leninist Proletariat Party, and the Social Liberal Party not long after, when the stabilising influence of Alexander Martinus ended when he succumbed to tuberculosis. But it is still viewed by many Weegies as a heroic stand against colonialist imperialism, and the death of the last surviving council member will undoubtedly affect many people.
After hearing the news, the Parliament almost unanimously voted to declare the day of the funeral - a week from now - a national day of mourning. The funeral wake will take place in Buchanan, and everyone is invited to attend, as Mary McKelvie wished it to be.