gv
Party Member
Posts: 104
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Post by gv on Jan 21, 2020 7:14:43 GMT -6
If any non-party member wishes to speak, please let us know on this thread and put your speech to this thread once Convention has begun. Thanks, all! - GV
Guest speeches to be made: PNP leader E. Grischün
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Post by Eðo Grischun on Feb 14, 2020 8:12:42 GMT -6
Free Democrats,
Thank you for having me here and thanks to Seneschal Shiva for inviting me to speak before this conference.
My apologies for any perceived delays in delivering this speech. I have been working a crazy number of hours in the past couple of weeks (this time of year is terribly slow in my line of work meaning I need to work myself to exhaustion just to make the ends meet). On top of that, I have no idea what I am supposed to speak about. See, I have found a bubble of comfort, somewhat, in my recent role with immigration. It has allowed me to focus on just dealing with things that need to get done. That coupled with the constraints (welcomed constraints) of the Coalition Agreement have permitted me to take a bit of a step back and turn my mind away from the deep nitty-gritty of politics and ideologies. Lots of disjointed thoughts spring to mind at this very moment, which leads me back to... I don't know what I'm supposed to talk about for this.
Totally 'unscripted' and unplugged. I'm just going to type whatever comes into my head until I feel like hitting the submit button. So, here goes:
I feel like I should fight the urge to write/'talk' about the immediate thoughts that spring to mind. I am full of some kind of anger surrounding recent events. That is to say I'm fucking raging about all the ins-and-outs with this whole "Guy Incognito" stuff. It has been completely frustrating to watch this thing unfold from the vantage point that I hold. I can only imagine the deep-in-the-gut feelings of chagrin that the people more involved in the situation are feeling. Similar to how our colleague put it, we are arguing that the sky is blue with people who claim it to be purple. It is maddening to sit on the sidelines on this. I can't even imagine how infuriating it is to be actively involved in it. Shambolic state of affairs.
This government seems to keep getting kicked in the teeth just now. I'm seriously struggling to understand why. We (the three party leaders) came together at the start of this term and we debated and discussed things. We went over each others' manifestos and told each other where our 'red lines' lay and what things we could live with. We found all the areas we could agree upon and trashed the rest. From there we came up with a programme for governance and each signed up to an agreement to fulfill those pledges. We did not agree on issues that only one party espoused. We had consensus on the agenda. It is common sense, then, to assume that our programme for governance would tick the majority of boxes for the majority of citizens. I went away from those talks with a massive sense of accomplishment. Now, we find ourselves spending most of our energy swatting away political scud missiles, defending our positions against accusations of being anti-democratic and having to put up with snarky nicknames like "the powers that be". Utterly, utterly frustrating.
And, don't get me started with ... a particular person. You know, it's quite amazing that I spent a long time working alongside a person while thinking he was alright, probably misunderstood, whatever. Then you take a step in the other direction and start seeing him for what he really is and was all along. Expletive, expletive, c word.
Anyway. Hump all that. I don't want to sit in anger and I don't want to spew out all my thoughts on this stuff. I guess it helps, though, to vent it a little.
Where are we at?
Our programme for governance (too long to keep typing, herein 'PfG') is not dead in the water. Far from it. Despite these kicks in the teeth we are getting, we are still doing pretty good. Our legislative agenda is passing. The only defeat on that has been with the electoral roll stuff. I don't think that policy is totally buried, though. I still think we can get the last vestiges of 3x gone for good at some stage in the future. It will just take a little bit of jiggery-pokery to get the right and palatable proposal. We are seeing mild resistance against the current legislative proposal (electing the Seneschal), but nothing major that can't be overcome. Eeeeeh, all in all, I still think the legislative agenda will end with more passes than fails.
Disjointed and staccato thoughts.
I do know that the past two to three months has taught me something. I don't think I ever want to be Seneschal. I used to want it. I don't want it anymore.
Only the bravest. Only the boldest. I don't think I have it.
I have also learned in the past couple of months that Miestra is quite something. I have seen her in a different light than I used to. Forgive me, but from where I used to sit and under the influences that I used to sit under, I used to think you were quite the arsehole. I admit, now, that I was wrong. Part of this also stems from that old "Kingdom vs Republic" stuff. I sit, now, wondering if it is only just recently that I've gotten over a "us and them" attitude. Nah. I don't wonder it. It's true and real. I didn't recognize it within myself, but it was totally there. And, realizing it within myself leads me to realize that those attitudes must have existed across the board for all. We seen you guys as different; as less than; as an annoyance, as an intrusion. I'm sorry about that. I could excuse it all as a natural reaction. I could rationalize it all as some kind of 'forming, storming, norming, performing' psychological shit. The truth of it all, though, is that everything that citizens of the Republic ever said about attitudes towards them within the Kingdom was correct. We were the cunts, not you. And, the cunty attitudes, behaviours and reactions... all on us Kingdomites. Each of us have gotten past it in varying degrees at different rates. Some still hold it.
For me. From me. I was one of them. Even though that before Reunison I was one of the loudest voices arguing for some kind of reconciliation. Fucking ironic. When the time actually came, I resented it. I didn't want it. I wanted you all to leave again. Truth of history is this. I left the PP to go back to the RUMP for no other reason than to be against you. Before that point, I was not a RUMPER, nor a Talossan Conservative. I was not friends with most of them. But, I went to them because they were not you. Because they were "the Kingdom". I'm sorry for that.
Despite a decade of being Talossan, it is only in the last year that I have come to see who is who for who they are and what is what for what it is.
I've had thoughts recently that my party should in some way fold into the FreeDem alliance. Form some kind of Peculiarist caucus for the FreeDems. However, I'm not sure that should be the path. See, this term, thus far, is proving that Miestra and I can work together and work together well. (I will add to that: it is also proving that I am best suited to being in a subordinate position responsible to a higher authority). Those thought lead me to thinking that the PNP should be part of the FreeDem portfolio. Then I think... well, there might possibly be a time in the future that sees the FreeDems under a leadership that completely despises the Peculiarist agenda. Then I think... well, the most recent election proved that around a quarter of the citizenry want a Peculiarist government. So, you see, mixed bagged. So, as far as I can analyse and deduce, the PNP should continue being it's own thing, but ALWAYS willing to work alongside anybody that we (I) feel is working towards what is best for our Nation.
What else?
Immigration, I suppose since it's my thing these days. I am currently of the opinion that immigration is broken. There are serious issues with the process. I have done my level best to make the processes work as smooth as possible. I have not received any criticism or complaints over how I am handling things, leading me to think that there is nothing more I can do within the current framework. YET, we still dreadful immigration stats. I've been analyzing how immigration operates. Probably more than anyone has in years. We have problems. I urge you all to take heed.
The main issues, as I see them, lie in the immediate retention rates, of which I have identified three groups: (i) applicants who do not go onto create a Witt account (ii) applicants that create a Witt account but then do not make a post (iii) applicants that make a witt account, post a few times then drop off. These three groups, although having different stages of drop off, all share reasons for immigration 'failure'. To preface this, it is worth noting, that immigration application numbers are decent and do not give cause for concern. This, to me, means that our "advertising" or "salesmanship" is good enough at the point of initial contact. Something after that point kill things. The only three things I can think of are: (i) The very idea of a bulletin board forum is off-putting (are forums reaching obsolesce?) ... (ii) Something about Talossa's forums are off-putting (is it what they see and read?) ... (iii) the examination period is too intrusive or too much of a hurdle. This all needs some serious discussion.
I recognize the merits of "quality over quantity" when it comes to immigration, but I fear we are losing "quality" applicants due to some problem with the immigration process that we are failing to see or refusing to deal with. Again, serious discussion is required.
Another thing about immigration. I am very, very, very reluctant to let go of control of immigration. I am aware that the Minister of Interior is supposed to be handing off immigration to a PermSec, but, at this time, I do not feel immigration would be looked after properly by making such a hand off. On top of that, the duties of Interior are rather minimal. On top of that I am seeing that there are times where the Immigration person needs to be able to make immediate policy decisions. This all leads me to think that the PermSec of Immigration post should be abolished and that immigration be refolded back under Ministerial remit. Just another thing to consider.
What else?
I am totally in favour of the proposal for a referendum on 'Ceremonial Monarchy vs Republic vs Status Quo'. Such a referendum should put questions concerning style of State to bed 'for a (Talossan) generation'.
I think that's it. I'll leave it there.
Again, thanks for having me. Apologies for not having anything prepared and thus for just typing whatever came into my head.
Pleasantries here.
Yours for Talossa,
Eddie.
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Post by Açafat del Val on Feb 16, 2020 14:45:24 GMT -6
Hear, hear!
I am still young enough around Talossa that I have not had the pleasure to meet or work with enough people, including our honorable friend from the PNP, though I wish to change that.
Eðo, ideologically I disagree with the peculiarism program of the PNP, but in spite of this I see so much common ground. I for one support all your efforts to improve the retention of our immigrants' involvement
May I say that this speech was very uplifting (I appreciated especially the nod to my "sky is purple" metaphor) and leaves me with all the confidence that a PNP/FreeDem coalition is viable and the best path forward in future elections.
Truly, if there is anything that you might ask of me personally or of us the Free Democrats generally, do so.
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Post by Miestrâ Schivâ on Feb 16, 2020 17:27:58 GMT -6
STANDING OVATION! STANDING OVATION!
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gv
Party Member
Posts: 104
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Post by gv on Feb 17, 2020 10:24:06 GMT -6
Ditto here, Miestrâ.
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