Europeian Question Time no. 1

(I'm going to get started now, and try to come on a little while later. My wireless connection is acting up :angry: )

*5...4...3...2...1...and NOW

Hello and welcome to Europeian Question Time! The program which brings decision makers and notable/influential people in, sits them down, and asks them questions. Can and will the questions get tough? Definitely a good chance of that! Later on, we'll open up the questioning to you, the average citizen of Europeia!

Let's meet our panel, shall we?

The first member I'd like to introduce is one of the more notable members. He's been in the Legislature, a Vice President, a President, and has completed the government circuit by recently being appointed to the High Court. Please welcome President Pope Lexus X!

Our next member of the panel is a Senator, former Grand Admiral, former Presidential candidate, and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs. Say hello to Common-Sense Politics!

And, last, but certainly never least, is the person rounding out our panel. He's the longest-serving Mayor of the City Council, current Minister of Culture, and Chair of the National Conservative Party of Europeia. Let's greet Demataria!

Quite a decent lineup. And hey, I even (unwittingly) managed to get representatives from each branch of the government! :p

Anyway, let's get down to business, shall we?

Here's how things will happen:

I'll ask a question, and each panelist is highly encouraged to answer ( ;) ) Feel free to question or challenge each other! I may or may not intervene and challenge someone myself, but I will always endeavour to be fair. After a particular topic or issue has been kicked around, we'll move on to the next. Some issues may get more attention than others. After a while, depending on how things are going, I'll open the questioning up to those viewing.

While I have no problems with spirited and intense discussion and debate, let's all try to be civil, and, above all, have fun.

On to the questioning!:

Just last week, the voters of Europeia chose Falconias to be the latest person to occupy 34 Goldenblock. I'd like to start with a question or two on the election.

In your opinion, panelists:

1. How did you feel about the election, both in regards to the course and the outcome, and
2. What is your opinion of the agenda that the President put forward? As I recall, there was quite a lot of attention paid to his Naval policy, especially in regards to his choice of Grand Admiral.
 
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I think this election has been far more civil and politics-based than the last, in which we saw a massive clash between two sides of members, centred around the issue of Falconias' past and whether he should be trusted to hold such a high position. This time round, people have been able to see beyond his controversial past and look at his raw potential as a leader. This has certainly benefited our democratic process, as the people have not been swayed by idle bickering and fighting. The election itself proved that the Europeian public are willing to forgive and (I use this word cautiously) forget; they saw Falc as what he is now and can be, not what he was. I think it marks a turning point in the mindset of the average Europeian.

On your second question, I believe our new President has presented a strong set of goals and aims for the coming term. I'm aware he has aimed to reach a regional population of 700 once again, and a citizen activity level of 100 (also quite ambitious). Whether he is able to reach these goals will have a massive impact on the way we remember him once the term is over. I don't wish to comment on his naval plans, because to be quite honest I do not fully understand them as I have no involvement in the navy, nor do I have much knowledge as to how it really works. I will, however, say that his culture plans are very strong and as the Minister of Culture I look forward to working with him to see them materialize.
 
Fortunately for this show, I completely disagree with Demataria's summation of events. It may have been civil, but the concerns about Falconias were never properly put to rest and there was no epic fight for the Presidency. Falconias walked away with it in my view. The election began with a great deal of excitement, but in the last week or more before the election, the CSP campaign remained so silent that he never had a chance when the day came. Unfortunately CSP was busy, and that is more than understandable, but the silence before the election cost him the Presidency. Worst of all was the lack of challenging Falconias directly, who does not have a great track record in most regions he's been involved in and the fact that he betrayed the region was glossed over with a "forgive and forget" argument which just didn't cut it with me. Furthermore, the lack of any real debating between the candidates made it out that they were both the same, only Falc was more vocal so CSP could not win any of the Falconias supporters. I did however grow to appreciate Falc and see his potential during the campaign, though I can't not worry at the fact that his opening speech was about him and Europeia was given a back-seat to Falc's victory.

From past experience, Falconias will rely heavily on his cabinet. His agenda is not awe-inspiring, but it is practical and do-able provided he builds some interest in the executive and the region in general. His cabinet choices are sound enough for the most part. The absence of any of the older members or the 'oligarchy' in the cabinet this term is good for building up options for future cabinets, but it is worrying that such a contraversial President may be left out on his own if anything he's unfamiliar with arises. The intention of the CoS position was to keep an older member on the cabinet to advise the President, but that said noone could argue with Swak being there. Rougiers is the only questionable appointee and even then, it's good to see someone new have a shot. So while there are issues, Falc's current agenda is completely workable provided either he rolls up his sleeves or his cabinet work extremely competently.
 
I'd like to focus on your comment about Falconias and his past. From what I've seen, he frequently talks about the court case, which I believe is Europeia vs. Champagne Jam.

In your opinion, and the other panelists as well, what do you think of the way he discusses and portrays said trial, and how much do you think his past will still affect him and his decisions?
 
The nature of how Falconias got away with what he did while Karputsk was forced to sit and wait for a year before being allowed full-citizenship was a sore point for many involved in the affair. It will never ever cease to be a problem for those who were in my administration at the time but while there is no question that his actions were simply idiotic, the reality is that Falconias' best option is to down-play his past to avoid looking too self-concerned and also to just get on with the job.
 
I was not a member of Europeia when he was put on trial, in fact I believe I joined just after; however it's obvious that whatever happened caused a massive amount of distress at the time, and to a certain extent I believe it is fair that those who were caught up in the scandal remain angry about it. I also believe, however, that Falconias has changed. I'm not here to defend him, but it has to be said that he is now one of the region's most dedicated and hard working individuals. He has worked tirelessly in the Senate, and has contributed to the region in various ways, and I believe he has redeemed himself as a citizen. As I said before, however, it is inevitable that the memories of his part will linger around him for months, perhaps years, to come.
 
It was brought up earlier that CSP was unable, due to real life commitments, to campaign.

How important is it that candidates be able to campaign and get heard and put their platform and selves out there?
 
Anumia said:
Common-Sense Politics said:
Oh yes, I forgot. Americans are stupid because we aren't proficient in knoweldge which is of no use to us. Silly us.  :p
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It's of no use to know what the time is in other parts of the world? How do Americans co-ordinate military efforts, or international trades, or -anything- involving the rest of the world? (and yes, you do require the rest of the world :p)
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The average citizen does none of those things, as you know, my friend. However the officials who do are very aware of such things. I do not see your point there.

EDIT: I didn't realize this was started. My bad.
 
Common-Sense Politics said:
Anumia said:
Common-Sense Politics said:
Oh yes, I forgot. Americans are stupid because we aren't proficient in knoweldge which is of no use to us. Silly us.  :p
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It's of no use to know what the time is in other parts of the world? How do Americans co-ordinate military efforts, or international trades, or -anything- involving the rest of the world? (and yes, you do require the rest of the world :p)
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The average citizen does none of those things, as you know, my friend. However the officials who do are very aware of such things. I do not see your point there.

EDIT: I didn't realize this was started. My bad.
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No problem.

Glad you're able to join us now.
 
Let's be perfectly clear on one thing. I was not too busy to campaign nor did I not campaign. Did I partake in the nearly two weeks of spam in the Oval Room? No, I did not. However I announced my intent and the reasons behind it, I put forth a comprehensive platform, I participated in the debates, and I answered every single question directed to my thread. Was I super-active in the late stages? No. Did I directly challenge my opponent? No, and perhaps I should have. However I never missed anything important. I did not run a perfect campaign but I am happy with and proud of the way it was conducted.
 
I'm sorry, Minister/Senator. baghead.gif

To the panel: What issues should President Falconias and his Administration focus on? I suppose it's convenient that we have two members of the Cabinet available.

What areas do you think are this Administration's strengths, and what are its weaknesses?
 
There is a plethora of things that the president and us, his ministers, need to get accomplished this term. I will not try to break all of them down as I would be on here for days on end. However I will say that I am impressed with the commitment that this administration has already shown from top to bottom. 21 Tomlinson is busier than it has been since I have had access to it. The president expects much from us and will not tolerate laziness. The reverse is also true and apparent.

I can find very few weaknesses in the team we currently have. Able ministers and other officials have been appoint or elected. Even the least experienced of us have shown true dedication and a willingness/ability to learn.
 
Last term, Pope Lexus managed to bring the region into a stable position once again, and President Falconias now has the responsibility of maintaining Europeia's prosperous status and building on it. He aims to bulk up our forum activity and our nation count, and to do so he'll have to keep Europeia as engaging and active as possible; he'll need to be a hands on, hard working leader and he will need to keep on top of his cabinet in order to achieve his goals. Falc has taken the reigns at a time of growth, not a time of decline. He needs to take advantage of this and carry on the hard work of his predecessor.
 
The list is actually quite interesting. Only two candidates have platforms up so far so it may be early to speculate but I'll try. Kazaman's biggest danger is the questions about his reliability having failed to recruit a number of times, but as a long-time member, he may be seen as the "safe-bet" candidate. OO has re-appeared after a long absence and his platform shows that he is well aware of that fact. He's making bold promises (couldn't resist the pun here..) of someone who wants back in; doing double recruitment and promising work (albeit the least expected, but it is promised). Kazaman would need a stronger platform to beat OO, especially with his take-it-as-it-comes attitude to legislating. As for the other two candidates, I have no idea what to expect from Fort, who may be the wild-card candidate here but Draigonia suffered in the last election due to his inactive performance in the previous Senate so I don't think we'll see him return.
 
I think we'll see OO emerge as the favorite in this contest followed by Fort, Kaz, and then Draig. Kaz's lack of reliability/availability/effort, as pointed out by Lex, is certainly a concern. Draig has similar issues. They are both good Europeians but I think they need to prove that they can do better going forward. OO has been absent from the spotlight for a bit so it may be possible for Fort to make a strong bid for the newly vacant seat. He's run several times before unsuccessfully but this time may be different. Beyond that, it's just too early to tell.
 
While I believe Kazaman and Old Ogastein are the clear favourites to win, both Fortana and Draigona stand a decent chance. Kazaman's recruiting issues and sometimes abrupt attitude may cost him votes, and Old Ogastein has been at the centre of much controversy over the period of his time in Europeia, however both these candidates are very intelligent and able individuals. There's no doubt they'll attract a fair amount of support.

Fortana has been an incredibly active citizen, however he has not managed to make it to the top flight of Europeian politics yet. Though he tends to work in the shadows in lower positions such as in the CC and in the culture ministry as a JM, he does put in a lot of effort and he could bring a lot to the table in the Senate. Draigona, possibly the underdog of all the candidates, has proven to be a capable and ready-to-learn member who is keen to get stuck in when it comes to politics. He's the least experienced of all the runners, however his backing from the NCP will undoubtedly give him a boost in terms of votes.

If I had to place my money one of these candidates to win right now, I'd probably go with Kazaman.
 
Those are valid observations, Dem. However I will argue that though Kaz has the name recognition and a larger body of experience, voters will turn away from him this time around not only for his recent falterings but also for his occasional snippy remarks which you mentioned. Also, let's not forget that he doesn't have a powerful political organization behind him. This is not to say that Kaz will not have a successful term, only that he can't be in a strong position in the minds of the voting public at this juncture.
 
I think people know what they're voting for when they vote for Kaz; he has many imperfections on a professional level, but he's a smart guy and a very proficient legislator.
 
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