The Island of Dreams

by Gregory James Clark

  With lunch over the sets made their way upstairs to the lecture theatre where a stocky seventy-three-year-old man of oriental appearance awaited their entrance.

  “Good afternoon,” he said, once they were all assembled.

  He was then silent for a while as if to invite a response.

  “Good afternoon,” returned the voices of the sets when they had sensed that this was what the man was waiting for.

  “My name is Mitsumoto-san,” he continued. “Grandson of Hiro Mitsumoto, friend of Japanese engineers Endo and Kai who were instrumental in establishing this wonderful historic Island, as well as our great company. Behind me you will see a screen on which I will show you some of our proud history.

  Kamchatskiy Auto was founded on the traditional excellence of Japanese engineering. Following the teaching of Deming and Juran Endo-san determined to set up world-beating car company to surpass all others. Bit by bit his company would build up a reputation for excellence of the highest order.

  In the following photograph from 2041 you can see a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost from 1910 which Queen Justine had purchased and given to my grandfather to use and re-engineer so as to design a new breed of car that would look and feel like no other. Later, in 2045, you can see the finished version, which looked nothing at all like the standard cars of that time. It was strictly for the connoisseur, and the collector. A couple were even built so that they could fly, and here you can see a photograph of one of them, which was built to order for a Russian billionaire’s daughter. It could take off and land on a small runway or an open field. Occasionally we still receive such bizarre requests, and, if it is at all possible, we will always honour the request, for a price, of course.

  The cars which we made before 2056 were not called Kamchatskiys, but Mitzies after our family name. In our car museum beside our original Island workshop, you will see three Mitzies, each with a unique design, and the original M logo with Samurai coat of arms, which has since been replaced with a K. Our Island workshops are now, of course, used purely for training purposes. By the fifties they had already become much too small for the scale of production we required, so we invested in new factories in Petropavlovsk Kamchatskiy, and in 2056 we renamed ourselves The Kamchatskiy Auto Company.

  Over the next twenty years we gradually expanded so that in addition to making special cars to order, like Ken had done with ships, we were also able to make high class vehicles for ourselves as well as for other markets.

  In 2076 we introduced a new idea, that of training all of our workers to skate. At first we had just forty-eight skaters, one for each of the Kamchatskiy companies, drawn from the families of the Kamchatskiy workers. This was at the joint suggestion of the newly crowned Queen Mary and Justine, The Queen Mother. Here you can see our first skating team, skating to their routine ‘Girl with the Sun in her Hair’, as requested by a certain blonde popstar for whom a special sports model had been built. Following this, in 2077, sports cars were added to our portfolio of designs, but not for racing. These were showpiece cars for those who did not just want style and elegance, but also speed and performance at the top of the range.

  In 2079 you see the more modern Kammie. These were small metallic blue bullet-shaped vehicles, slightly larger than the two-seater Kammies which you see on The Island today. The Kammie has become popular in a number of cities and towns around the world, and you will see plenty when you are in Kamchatka, not so much in the cities as in the small towns for which they are best suited. They are particularly suited to old towns with narrow streets, as in Italy, for example, and were our first mass-produced vehicles opposed to old-fashioned batch production, which was high quality but slow.

  Nowadays we have many more such designs, but unlike other auto manufacturers, we have still retained all of our batch production expertise and are determined to stay as the world leaders in batch production. Some cars are therefore just standard, whilst others are made to order. We also make buses, minibuses, vans and commercial vehicles, in fact any kind of vehicle that is built to be driven along a road or across country. We pride ourselves in making the stylish and the unusual, and are determined like all Island-owned companies that we will never be beaten when it comes to the price-quality combination. We will always be ahead of every capitalist producer. Any kind of vehicle may be your skating prop depending on the exhibition or fair, or purpose of the demonstration.

  So this explains a little about our background. I will now say something about our training programme, which will complement your skating tuition. I will begin with our management strategy, which, like all others on The Island, is a question of quality. Unlike in capitalist countries cost is not a factor in our production programme, although waste minimisation is. Our Government, with the backing of The Queen, has decreed that quality, not quantity, should be what drives us forward, with the teachings of W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran forming the managerial framework to which we all should work. We will therefore be teaching you the theory which they left to the world, along with our method of applying it.

  We benchmark quality in auto manufacture, as well as other industries, religiously, so that any example of good, better, or best practice, can be studied, refined, and, if appropriate, implemented. We benchmark internally with all Island owned organisations, both capitalist and non-capitalist, and with others that are keen to learn from us. This helps us to drive up standards everywhere in the interest of the whole world not just ourselves. We ensure that everything we do is of a win–win nature. Win–lose relationships are not acceptable, as they invariably degenerate into lose–lose. That is the first and most important of Deming’s laws.

  We will train you to work as teams and in how to adopt and practice different team roles according to your ability. In short, we will be training you to make the most of your skills, and to become self-motivating. All motivation is intrinsic. Joy and pride in your work is essential to us. This is the second of Deming’s important laws. There can be no such thing as a discontented workforce. It never happens at Kamchatskiy.

  As a policy we engineer our designs so that they have the very highest possible standards of reliability. We do not, for example, use cheap components or materials to cut costs. Only the very highest standards of quality input and processing is acceptable. Our reputation stands by it. Equally, we do not subject our workforce to unnecessary controls, bureaucracy or competitive measures that otherwise would be likely to cause suboptimisation of performance, and we certainly do not practice the performance appraisals that so much damage the employee satisfaction of other organisations. There are no targets, no quotas, just a very high degree of trust both within and between the sets that work for us.

  In our design shop you will learn all about our design philosophy, which is based very much on individual innovation and creativity. King Ken was adamant that anyone and everyone who comes to The Island would be driven by the need to innovate, otherwise they should not remain. We have kept to this principle and therefore we will be looking for each and every one of you to supply a constant input of suggestions for improvement as a matter of course. Continual improvement and Breakthrough improvement should both be considered, with Juran’s Law of Managerial Breakthrough applied throughout.

  Once you have begun working for us it is expected that you will continue indefinitely. Even retired people, such as myself, are expected, but not demanded, to continue to have an influence and a role in the future development of our company. We do have retirement, but not apathy. Apathy is not acceptable either on The Island or in any organisation that works for it.

  There are no examinations or marked assignments for your studies here, and nobody ever fails. As W. Edwards Deming recommended, we will always spare time for the beginner, and offer special help to anyone who needs it or feels that they do. I am therefore instructing you to ask myself or one of my staff if you feel that there is anything in this course that gives you difficulty. It is in everyone’s interest to make sure that everything is r
ight first time, even if it means taking a short while longer to complete.

  So, this is our company, which is as of now also your company. There are no wages, but also no taxes, just a way of life from which you will draw contentment. We are certain that you will all fit well into our organisation and are committed to your ongoing success. Our society and our company need you. That is why you are here. We are giving you a chance because we feel that you deserve it, where others have turned their backs on you. So I ask you to work with us and for us in the name of Kamchatskiy, The Island, and the whole of the non-capitalist principle. Viva Kamchatskiy.”

  The lecture had now finished, but, as at the beginning, he stood and continued to face the audience to invite a response.

  “Viva Kamchatskiy,” he repeated, raising his right arm in the air.

  This time the audience knew that he was waiting for them all to repeat the company motto.

  “Viva Kamchatskiy.”

  Chapter Nine

  By Royal Command

  The ninth of May. Gary’s set had just had breakfast and Connie was reading extracts from Leo’s book ‘The Sovereignty of Nations’ which had been provided for all sets to study during their time on The Island.

  “What does Leo’s book tell us?” asked Lars.

  “Leo states quite clearly that in the late 21st century the concept of the sovereignty of nations was going to undergo substantial change, and I quote ‘As the 22nd Century approaches it is quite to be expected that a New Game will emerge whereby the sovereignty of nations will become a notable trading commodity to the extent that governments and entire nations may be bought out by the bidding powers of wealthier nations and other parties, such that weak and poor governments that have no idea how to manage may rapidly become replaced without recourse to war or conflict’.

  Now this is something about which I had no knowledge until I arrived here and began to delve into this book. In his Blueprint for the World, Leo clearly states that it shall become a matter of fact eventually that wars and conflict shall one day be ended on the floors of stock exchanges, with The Island providing a crucial lead. He also envisaged that during this same period there would become an ever-decreasing distinction between organisations and nation states to the effect that the distinction will become ever more blurred until eventually a point will be reached when there will be no distinction at all”.

  Connie passed the book to Claudia who then read out the relevant paragraph.

  “The Island, in time, shall develop the potential to instigate major change to the sovereignty of nations, proving that it is both possible and desirable, as well as in everyone’s interests, to operate a nation state as if it were a well run and sensibly managed organisation. Indeed it shall be demonstrated that in the long-term this is a far more sustainable manner in which to manage nation states and to maintain the sovereignty of nations. Lines on maps shall not be set in stone, but shall be entirely negotiable between governments, landowners, and major players in each respective region of the earth.”

  “Leo speaks throughout of management by consensus using the Deming principles,” Michael added. “ Systems, including his own conception, must grow according to popular demand. If it proves to be a success then it should be allowed to expand at a controlled rate, by the consent of the people who are affected or who desire to be affected. Leo’s message was simply that the world deserves a choice. He said that communism was no longer a viable alternative to capitalism, and then goes on to present his case for an alternative to both communism and capitalism to be made available to the world so that people still have the chance to choose something other than capitalism. He then refers the reader to his other book ‘Non-Capitalist Economics’”.

  “But ‘The Sovereignty of Nations’ is all about how Non-Capitalist Economics is to be implemented, rather than the theory itself,” added Yvonne.

  “Here,” said Michael, “turn to page 273”.

  Yvonne then read from the book.

  “The world deserves a choice, not just between communism and capitalism, but also between good management and bad, between competition and cooperation, between improvement and stagnation, between construction and destruction, and between conflict and peace. Our revolution shall be slow, but sustained, and we shall not be afraid to spit in the eye of those who seek to ruin the world with sham incentives and political dogma.”

  In the sanctuary of her Dome Joanie listened with interest to the discussion as she focused briefly on this set, satisfied that the set was making good use of the materials that had been provided. She then watched the courier as he delivered three packages to them.

  Anne answered the door.

  “Special delivery sign here,” said the courier.

  Anne duly signed on behalf of the set for three packages.

  “Gary, these are for you,” she said, handing Gary two of the packages. “One is from England, the other is from us.”

  “And the third?”

  “The third is our weekly shopping requisition.”

  Gary proceeded to open the overseas packet which contained a birthday card and letter from his parents along with two gifts of a wine goblet with a small bottle of red wine and a wristwatch. He read his father’s message on the card which said ‘Many Happy Returns, here’s so you can tell the time and have a drink on us’.

  Memories of home flooded back, but he was encouraged by the letter in which his parents clearly stated they felt that he had made the right choice by accepting Queen Katie’s invitation to go to The Island. ‘There is no doubt you will be on a winning team there’ his father wrote.

  Gary then turned to the other package which contained five luxury gifts and a large birthday card which had been signed by each of his setmates. Gary opened these one by one, starting with aftershave, then luxury chocolates, a new shirt and tie, a gold plated pen set, and a blue jersey with The Island logo embossed.

  “I don’t know what to say. I have never had a birthday like this before,” Gary remarked.

  “Joanie has also sent you something,” said Anne. “It’s in the kitchen. I will now go and fetch it.”

  Anne returned a few moments later with a birthday cake and a letter marked ‘private’.

  “Georgina’s Finest Birthday Cake,” said Gary, reading the words on the box.

  He then opened the cake upon which there were twenty-five candles.

  “We must light these,” said Elena.

  They then sang ‘Happy Birthday’, after which Gary extinguished the candles, opened the letter and read the words aloud.

  “What does it say?” asked Connie.

  “Her Majesty Queen Katie kindly requests the pleasure of the company of Gary Loman and set at The Royal Palace at 1 pm today, the ninth day of May, signed H.M. The Queen.”

  “We obviously aren’t going skating then,” said Terry.

  “Obviously not,” said Connie.

  “How do we get to the Royal Palace?” asked Gary. “The letter says nothing about being taken there.”

  “We must have to go on the noon train,” Elena suggested.

  *

  At half past eleven a twelve seater Kammie arrived which duly took the set to the railway station to connect with the twelve o’clock train. At the station another set was waiting to board the same train. They had also been summoned to the Royal Palace as a certain Scottish gent, otherwise known as Hamish, also happened to have a birthday on May 9.

  The set boarded the train along with one extra person, a fair-haired lady in her early thirties.

  “Who is that strange lady with the laptop?” asked the French girl from the other set.

  “I don’t know,” replied Connie. “I guess all we can do is ask her.”

  After they had boarded the train the two sets sat with the lady.

  “Excuse me,” said the French girl. “but who are you? It’s not your birthday is it?”

  “No, not at all,” said the lady in a softly spoken English accent as the whistle blew
and the engine hissed. “I am actually a reporter, Sylvia Smith, and very privileged I have to say, to have been granted permission by your Queen and Prime Minister to compile a documentary for British television about The Island, its people, its territories and its strategy. Ms. Carmichael kindly gave me an interview yesterday and Her Majesty has kindly granted me an interview this evening. I can’t wait to meet her, but I am also keen to talk to people like yourselves. I understand that you are among a group of 240 people who have been fortunate enough to receive the coveted invitation to experience life in this truly fascinating place, which anyone and everyone just simply falls in love with the minute they get here. My job is to somehow present a true and accurate picture to the world of just exactly what is going on here without being too conspicuous. In coming here I have sworn my allegiance to The Queen and I shall only present to the world information that The Island is happy for me to release. The Island is happy because they are keen that their philosophy is shown to be good for the world in the eyes of the world’s media. Information can be released in controlled amounts, but you have been here how long?”

  “Just over a month,” replied the French girl. “And you are right there is an intake of 240 most years at the end of March.”

  “And how do you all find life here?”

  “We are all very happy,” answered Jose. “None of us were doing too well in life before we came here. We are pleased that we have been given a rare chance to live happy and fulfilling lives that otherwise we would not have had. We are therefore all very grateful to the people, whoever they are, that nominated us”.

  “Indeed,” said Sylvia. “And you are right to be. But I have to show you something, and I am perfectly entitled to show it to you, as Joanie Carmichael has already agreed. Tell me, have you ever thought that a place and a system could in fact be too good?”