Extraordinary Convention: Announcement of Moderate Platform

[Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC]

In response to the "Republican Platform" announced by Eðo Grischün, I would like to announce an alternative Moderate Platform for the Free Democrats in the 59th Cosa Election.

For Party President: Miestră Schivă
For Party Secretary: Antaglhă Xhenerös Somelieir

Manifesto:

The Free Democrats of Talossa put "freedom and democracy" first. In this election, putting democracy first means defending Talossa's Organic Law, specifically its provisions against the Cosa majority and elected Government overreaching their authority.

The Talossan National Congress majority government in the last Cosa have been distressingly dismissive of opposition or criticism. Contradicting their own calls for "open government" in the last election, in this Cosa, the TNC have centralized decision-making to within members of their own party – cutting out members of the Royal Civil Service who are not members of their political project.

This has led to such expensive missteps as paying for a new domain name registrar without checking first about whether it was possible to transfer the domain names. This could have been avoided by talking to the non-partisan Secretary of State who is our main contact with our domain name registrar. And it was made worse by the Seneschal dismissively responding to public criticism of the process.

Worse than this, though, is the Government's actions in breaking down the checks and balances in our Organic Law. Only the TNC's lack of a majority in the Senäts – and the solidarity of the Free Democrat Senators –has prevented some distressing power grabs.

For example, the bill RZ12 would have enabled the Government to install a political nominee as "Deputy Secretary of State". The leaders of the Government been openly hostile to the current Secretary of State, making unfounded accusations of political bias or incompetence, and generally making his life difficult. This bill would have ended the political independence of the Chancery – creating a future nightmare of Government interference in running elections – and created a terrible precedent for the Royal Civil Service as a whole.

The Free Democrat majority in the Senäts also helped defeat RZ23, a bill which would have made it much easier for Senators and MCs to lose their seats – thereby making it nearly impossible to keep an opposition presence in the Ziu. The TNC have shown a pattern of trying to enact 'work-arounds' to constitutional checks and balances, or to political opposition or even public criticism.

Most disturbing is the idea that the TNC keep floating, of allowing the King to choose his own successor. If this King is allowed to choose his successor, the most obvious candidate will be the person he chose as Regent, when he absented himself from Talossa for a term – that is, the current Distáin.

Free Democrats have regularly criticized the way in which the TNC and the King support each other and give each other mutual favours. If the King is allowed to make a TNC leader his successor, then – given the King's power of legislative veto – this will "unlevel" the playing field of Talossan democracy, giving the TNC a built-in advantage. The democratic reforms of the post-Reunision era – such as a truly independent Royal Civil Service, and the increased weight of the democratic parts of the Government against the monarchy – will be under serious threat.

Be warned! This Cosa, the TNC reintroduced several bills which had been defeated in the previous Cosa (like RZ12 mentioned above, and an attempt to abolish the right of sanctuary). If they get a majority in either House of the Ziu in this election, it seems likely that they will just reintroduce those bills – as well as the King's right to choose (a TNC member as) his successor. And if they get a majority in both houses, this time their persistence will pay off.

A vote for a TNC double-majority is a vote to tip the scales of Talossan democracy to the ruling party acting in close alliance with the King. It is a vote for political interference with the Chancery; a vote for only members of the TNC to get a say in decision-making; and most seriously, a vote for "Crown Prince Alexandreu". A vote for the Free Democrats (or other opposition parties or independents) in the Cosa, in Florencia, in Maricopa and in Cézembre is the only way to preserve the balance of Talossan democracy.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC]

A late addition which may be relevant to the party: the real difference between the Republican and Moderate platforms here is that, while the first pins its hopes on "energizing the base", the latter is aimed at broadening our appeal. To that end, I should let the Party know that more than one Talossan who has previously been associated with a different political party has, in conversation with me, approved of the Moderate platform and has expressed interest in co-operating with us in the election, should we adopt that Program. (I'll name names in private fora if people are interested.)

I wonder if Eðo has any anecdotes about people outside our Party telling him they're excited by the Republican platform?