1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: Gavin Gray are UK correspondents with us. Hey, Gevin, Hi, 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: there any idea what this hostile state is? No. I 3 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: think there's all sorts of potential rumors, of course, pointing 4 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: the finger at different groups, including the recent arrests we've 5 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:18,159 Speaker 1: had in connection with activities said to be spying on 6 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:21,759 Speaker 1: behalf of Iran. So I guess that country must be 7 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: high up the list. But these are three incidents that 8 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: have been linked to property that either Kirstarmer owns or 9 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: has owned, so our own prime ministers are former car 10 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:33,919 Speaker 1: which he sold to a neighbor that's been set on 11 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 1: fire in North London near to a property that he 12 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: used to live in that was a converted house into 13 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: a number of flats. He used to live there he 14 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 1: doesn't anymore that have a fire. One person had to 15 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: be rescued. And now the house that he owns but 16 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: rents out because he's living in Downing Street that have 17 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: a fire outside the front door. Again nobody injured, thankfully, 18 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: but there was damage to the entrance way. So three 19 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: fires connect to two ski stama within three or four 20 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: days and police believe the culprit is intending to endanger life. 21 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: They have now arrested a twenty one year old man. 22 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: But the question is what is the motive and it's 23 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: being investigated by counter terrorism police. So is this some 24 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: sort of a hostile foreign state that's looking at this 25 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: or not At the moment, lots of unanswered questions, investigations continue. Devin, 26 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 1: tell me about this King of Germany. I mean, was 27 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: the sky serious? Yeah? He is in his own way, 28 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,960 Speaker 1: shall I say, fifty nine year old Peter fitzg He's 29 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: among a number of people arrested in some raids involving 30 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: eight hundred security personnel and across seven states of Germany. 31 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: Now he is the leader of what's called the Reichsberger 32 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: or the citizens of the Reich. They seek to establish 33 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: what they call koenig Kraich Deutschland or Kingdom of Germany. 34 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: And he is quite a character and in the past 35 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: has called him self king. He says, Peter, he referred 36 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: himself to an au earlier court case. And Reichberger's had 37 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: their own currency, flag and ID cards. They want to 38 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: set up a separate banking and health system. And they 39 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: believe the current German state is sick and satanic. And yeah, 40 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: he has around about twenty five thousand members of this group, 41 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,519 Speaker 1: of which he is their sort of self fulfilled king 42 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,640 Speaker 1: and they are his subjects. But there does appear to 43 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: be some right wing extremist element to this. They pedal racist, 44 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: anti Semitic conspiracy theories. At least that's what the prosecutors 45 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: are saying. And in the past, although they've often been 46 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: dismissed as eccentric cranks because of these outlandish ideas, the 47 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: far right has grown considerably in strength politically in Germany 48 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: over the last decade. Okay, now, when these civil servants 49 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: that are being moved out of London, where are they going, Well, 50 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: to Manchester in the northwest of England, Dean in Scotland. 51 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: And the government says it's going to save roughly two 52 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 1: hundred million New Zealand dollars a year, aiming to take 53 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: twelve thousand posts out of London and close eleven offices 54 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: in London. Now, this is all meant to sort of, 55 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: you know, get the government closer to the people that 56 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: it's serving, etc. It's also about saving money. This is 57 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: not the first government to have pledged to do this. Indeed, 58 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: you know, I think of every single successive government that 59 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: we've had in the last few years said we're going 60 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: to do this, but of course civil servants who have 61 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: families in London are very reluctant to move, and already 62 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: the unions are saying we need to look at the 63 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: fine print of this and what it'll mean for our members. 64 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: But this is something that this government is absolutely desperate 65 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: to crack down on. The number of civil servants since 66 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: the pandemic has absolutely just rocketed and now tops over 67 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: half a million civil servants, increasing considerably since twenty sixteen. Hi, 68 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: thank you, Gevin, always appreciate it, given great UK correspondent. 69 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: For more from Hither Duplessy, Allen Drive, listen live to 70 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: News Talks at b from four pm weekdays, or follow 71 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.