Party Resignation & Pending Inactive Status

[Þon Txoteu É. Davinescu, O.SPM]

Azul,
As my beloved Ministry position was stripped from me during a time of difficultly in my own life, I feel that there is a disconnect from my Party which cannot... in good conscience... be ignored. I truly loved the Defence Ministry, as it was the one place in Talossa that I felt I could make a difference. Clearly, my Party leadership disagrees... removing me without speaking a single word to me directly. In light of this, I hereby resign from the Free Democrats, effective immediately.

Further, I sadly wish to inform the Kingdom and the Crown that... at the end of my term as Senator representing the good people of Maricopa... I currently plan on stepping down from all government roles, including Commandant of the Royal Talossan Marine Corps... a position I have held honorably for nearly a decade, and moving to inactive status.

While I have no intention of renouncing my citizenship at this time, I have over the last year, become incredibly disillusioned with the Kingdom and the political in-fighting that has become a great deal of the entirety of my interactions with Talossa... from my own term as PM becoming so toxic and depressing I had to seek professional help to cope with the mental anguish just being involved was doing to me.

I fully understand, after a single term as Seneschal, what @KingJohn said in his own piece earlier. For me, Talossa has lost its magic and fun. I no longer feel that it is a home, for neither my fun nor energy. I can't say that it wasn't a good experience, because I have enjoyed my time in Talossa and fully intend to represent Maricopa well in the Senate this term. However, I feel it best to begin sundowning my time in the Kingdom. It's been an incredible 7+ years but when it's not fun anymore and you see your own colleagues & Party turn their backs on you, it's time to call it a day. When you no longer feel wanted, why stay when others trust you and respect you elsewhere.

Respectfully,
Gen. Txoteu É. Davinescu, O.SPM
Senator for Maricopa

[Ian Plätschisch]

I recognize that anything I say in response to this will be taken as further evidence of people being mean to you, but I just want to make a few points:
-During the first few months of the term, you repeatedly promised deadlines that you didn't meet, and didn't make a lot of progress toward meeting.
-When Sir Alexandreu asked a Terp about why you weren't doing much, you very publicly promised to complete certain projects in a certain timeframe. I then very publicly announced that if you did not perform as promised, I would dismiss you.
-A few days before the deadline you set, I messaged you to remind you of your commitment.

Please don't act like you didn't see this coming.

I wish you the best.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

A few very brief comments:

1) I am very sorry to see that General Davinescù no longer considers himself a Free Democrat and I urge him to reconsider.

2) The Free Democrats party leadership (Txec dal Nordselva and myself) had nothing to do with the decision to replace the Minister of Defence. That decision was taken by the Seneschal alone.

3) The Seneschal made this statement as a response to a Terpelaziun on July 20th:

Honorable Tuischac'h,

The Minister of Defense has made this declaration:

The Honours System will be posted in the Defence Section for review on August 1st along with the Ranks. I will have the spelling corrections completed and ready for the Ziu in a month from today, if not before. The Request for Arms is almost finished and will be submitted this week. And lastly, the Captain will have a rank structure and org table for approval by August 1.

If any of these projects are not completed by the promised time, the Honorable Minister will be dismissed and replaced immediately.

Ian Plätschisch,
Seneschal

I'm afraid I can't see he had much a choice in that situation. It is terrible to have to choose between the duties of an elected head of state and the responsibilities towards party colleagues and friends :(

[Þon Txoteu É. Davinescu, O.SPM]

While I will take the Dame's request regarding party affiliation under serious consideration, the Seneschal's response is precisely the reason why I'm not only wanting to step away from the party but Talossa itself. I believe that if someone's contributions were important, the Seneschal would have taken more consideration before dismissing someone that literally brought an entire Department back to Ministry level. I had many plans that I had already started developing, time completely wasted now... on the Honors System and formal structuring... only to be replaced for someone currently unable to even do the job thanks to real life commitments.

Davinescu

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

I had many plans that I had already started developing, time completely wasted now... on the Honors System and formal structuring...

I mean, not necessarily? We're all friends here, you can share your plans with the incoming Minister and still participate in helping bring them about. I think one of the reasons the Seneschal lost his patience and acceded to Opposition pressure for a replacement is that we in Cabinet kept hearing that these plans were coming but never seeing them.

This is reminding me more and more of the breakdown in communication which led to the TNC quitting the 56th Cosa Government.

[Þon Txoteu É. Davinescu, O.SPM]

However, I didn't quit. I was fired during a terribly busy period in my life. It was a slap in the face and I have the tendency not to trust nor want to have *anything* to do with leaders that conduct themselves in such a way. I didn't in my term and you certainly didn't in yours Dame

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

Well, I caused myself, and the Free Democrats, quite a lot of political damage last term by accepting excuses from Ministers who weren't doing their jobs (whether those excuses were reasonable or not) and covering them. The incumbent Seneschal has decided to take a different approach; we'll see if it works out better for all of us. If we're too busy to have Cabinet jobs and to do the stuff we promised to do, best we not have that Cabinet job and thereby lead an easier life. Nevertheless, I do hope you'll be able to continue to contribute to Defence initiatives as well as to the Free Democrats.

[Sir Lüc]

I truly loved the Defence Ministry

Let me rephrase that for you, Txoteu - MinDef was your personal fiefdom and was literally brought back to Cabinet level because of you. If you actually loved it and what it oversees and stands for, then you'd realise letting it go when you're overwhelmed by external factors is the best course of action. Then, someone else could take care of its agenda, say, with you as their deputy, as Miestră very rightfully pointed out.

But no, you don't "love" MinDef and you never particularly cared about getting things done, you "love" your posts and your honours and your postnominals and your medals and your hats, and you just happened to be around at the right time with the right people in charge to get all of those.

You and Nouacastra were very happy to do jack during your MRPT membership, but equally happy to insist you'd run for leader and PM - one of the two got his wish, we know how that went, and it baffles me that the FreeDems didn't see it coming. Unless of course they did and they simply were desperate for bodies. Either works. (I know, Miestră, you would take a permanent holiday from the levers of power if you could, sipping your drink of choice and stroking your (fake) retirement beard. Been there done that, except I actually did, while you care too much to let it all go to mieida.)

I realise this may sound incredibly harsh, so let me be clear - it's very commendable of you to have personal projects and pet peeves you care about, especially when they fall in a niche that not many others care about. I respect the hell out of that.

Look at what Marcel is doing with the language, Breneir and cooking, Audrada and archery, Glüc and turning TCAT into a 7-people effort when hardly any mention of competitive cycling was made on Witt ever. We had people quasi-singlehandedly carry Talossan journalism (AD then Ian and now Mic'haglh), conduct talk shows, organise musical contests, political events and cultural endeavors (anyone remember Tim Asmourescu and the Lorentzio Arts Festival? It's been 6 years since he left and 10 years since the last edition...) Not good enough because it's not government posts? Anglatzara did almost four years at immigration, mum like a worker ant. People may rightfully think it's kinda past its due date, but MPF did build the database all by himself, and we're still using it.

But at some point you have got to realise holding a post is no good if you're just a benchwarmer. A post is held for a reason -- to carry out an agenda and get stuff done. All the more reason if it's a cabinet post and you're bound by collective responsibility to support and defend each other. A post with nothing to do is not an office, it's just a title. That stuff does exist elsewhere, granted! The Brits are chock full of sinecurae that are only used to have a salary or sit in Cabinet. But we don't have salaries and the latter hasn't applied since the Cabinet Refinishing Act was passed, so again, it's all empty titles and fancy postnominals.

Mental health is serious stuff, I myself didn't think I'd ever be back because the high of being relieved of your burdens felt so good. And trust me, I loved being Mençei and wielding my imaginary comically large gavel, building this very Witt you're using, taking care of our web backend, filling the Wiki with pointless facts I scraped from who knows where, and all Good Stuff I Used To Do Before(tm). And yet I let it all go, not entirely painlessly, but I did. And yet I came back, eventually.

You're a good and honorable person, Txoteu. Do the honorable thing. Let people continue your projects until you're not busy anymore, and take care of yourself first and foremost. It will all still be here when you return and I assure you, nobody is going to think any worse of you for doing that.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

You and Nouacastra were very happy to do jack during your MRPT membership, but equally happy to insist you'd run for leader and PM - one of the two got his wish, we know how that went, and it baffles me that the FreeDems didn't see it coming.

When Eðo Grischün had to suddenly quit as FreeDems President, Txoteu put his hand up. He seemed keen. The Free Democrats had no other offers, as you say, but also no reason to doubt that he would do what he said he would.

(I know, Miestră, you would take a permanent holiday from the levers of power if you could, sipping your drink of choice and stroking your (fake) retirement beard. Been there done that, except I actually did, while you care too much to let it all go to mieida.)

Eh, I'm probably out after this term, precisely because I'm tired of being responsible with no reward.