During the recent Informal Session, MC Miestra Schiva posed a Terpelaziun to the Minister of Propaganda, which was answered in his absence by the Seneschal. "Does the Minister now believe that Breneir Tzaracomprada, condemned unanimously by the last Ziu for sexual harassment, is now a fit and proper person for the Ministry of Propaganda to collaborate with?" The Seneschal's response was genuine, but one that we feel reveals a difference of standards between this Government and the Opposition.
Essentially, the Government's position is that it is improper for the Government to refuse to work with any Talossan, regardless of their conduct. Certainly, it would be inappropriate for the Government to refuse to work with someone due to a simple difference of politics, but this is not a difference of politics, this is a rehabilitation that has not yet been earned. The Seneschal himself has agreed that S:reu Tzaracomprada has yet to offer any apology for his conduct that appears genuine. His response went so far as to liken a refusal to publicize S:reu Tzaracomprada's media channel to a refusal to publicize newspapers published by members of the Opposition. The latter would indeed be inappropriate, as it would represent a stifling of the free press. The former, however, is not tied to what S:reu Tzaracomprada believes, or what he says, but the things he has done. It is his actions that have earned him his current status as a pariah, not his views.
The issue comes back around to what the URL has repeatedly identified as the Progressive Alliance's flaw: an inability -- or a refusal -- to separate the personal from the political. This is an important skill to cultivate in politics, and it would be in the interest of the country if more parties were capable of doing so. Criticism of one's actions and views are taken as criticism of character, and this has led to the sort of political atmosphere that is now unfortunately common in Talossa.
This may surprise some, but we feel it would actually be a good thing for Talossa in the long run if S:reu Tzaracomprada were able to rehabilitate his public image. But the first step must come from him -- a genuine apology to his victim. Perhaps a period of "laying low", so to speak, following his apology. Letting time heal wounds. Unfortunately, the usual responses in times like these are blatantly passive-aggressive in tone, complete with smiley emoticons to really drive home that he does not care to redeem himself. Doubling down, as he does, gives us little confidence in his prospects. Continuing to shun him until he considers his actions would be significantly more effective when it extends to government action. Unfortunately, this Government seems content to give him what he wants anyway. The URL recognizes that doing so minimizes the discomfort he has caused his victim, sweeping everything under the rug for the sake of false positivity yet again.