Thank you so much, Free Democrats of Talossa!
(https://wiki.talossa.com/images/7/70/FreeDemsLogo2018.jpeg)
I don't think it's too much to argue that we brought our Party back from the dead this election. Thank you to Antaglha, our Party Secretary; thank you to our other candidates Eðo, Lüc and Txoteu. And thank you to every single member of the Free Democrats, who turned out to vote, and gave us (in terms of seats) our third-best election result ever, coming after the shellacking we got last time.
Thank you also to the new citizens who responded to my appeal, and voted for a party that would set a curb against Government power grabs. I urge all the new citizens who voted for the Free Democrats (and I might mention Koray from Atatürk and Tamás from Cezembre, who did so publicly) to consider joining our party, in time for our upcoming Convention, regularly scheduled for January.
Although we defied the odds and the best predictions by dragging our party back into contention, you may have noticed that we still didn't "win" the election. I put it to you that if we want to win the election, we need to have a credible Alternative Government Team, and we need a Party Culture which can offer something to get new citizens (and old-timers, for that matter) actively involved, and enthusiastic about our message of liberty and democracy first.
I should note, finally, that I have contacted Bråneu Excelsio to congratulate his party on their first-place finished, and suggested ways in which we can dial down the partisan nastiness which has long bedeviled Talossa, and make the 59th Cosă a scene of real cross-party collaboration.
¡Så vivadra Talossa! Så vivadra Talossa democrätic!
Congratulations to the FreeDems.