#3 If the Brits had any nerve, they'd do what the French did to Guinea:
... French President Charles de Gaulle made it clear on 08 August 1958 that France's colonies were to be given a stark choice between more autonomy in a new French Community and immediate independence in the referendum to be held on 28 September 1958. The other colonies chose the former but Guinea — under the leadership of Ahmed Sékou Touré whose Democratic Party of Guinea (PDG) had won 56 of 60 seats in 1957 territorial elections — voted overwhelmingly for independence. The French withdrew quickly, and on October 2, 1958, Guinea proclaimed itself a sovereign and independent republic, with Sékou Touré as president.... De Gaulle withdrew the French administration, with much of the French population following, which took much of the country’s infrastructure and large amounts of capital. Three thousand French left the country, taking all their property and destroying anything that could not be moved: schools, nurseries, and public administration buildings were crumbled; cars, books, medicine, research institute instruments, and tractors were crushed and sabotaged; horses and cows on farms were killed; food in warehouses was burned or poisoned. The purpose was to send a clear message to other colonies that the consequences for rejecting France were high. |
