Interview with Lime: Even If You Make a Mistake, It Doesn't Mean It's the End

Sopo

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"Interview with Lime: Even If You Make a Mistake, It Doesn't Mean It's the End"
Sopo
Deputy Editor


I had the privilege of speaking with Speaker Lime this past week about his experiences in the last presidential election, his Speakership, and his legacy. His reflections can be found in the lightly-edited transcript below.

Sopo: Mr. Speaker, thank you for joining me today. We recently had a highly unusual presidential election - could you tell me about your initial decision to run?

Lime: Thank you for having me on! I initially thought about running when speaking to a Senate colleague, maybe around the midterm of President Lloenflys’ term just before the Senate election. We had both been hearing some grumblings or some dissatisfaction from members of the Cabinet and Deputy Ministers about how the term had been playing out thus far and what direction it seemed likely to go in. This general feeling of dissatisfaction about the performance of the executive seemed to track with the region’s feelings about activity at large, and I really started to think about what kind of solutions may be possible. Thinking about it I thought what the region really needed was new leadership in Cabinet positions, and how we were stifling the ambitions of new players and the future of the region at large if we didn’t start to give new players the opportunity to lead. I got the crazy idea in my head that maybe I should think about running for President on the platform of elevating new players into positions of leadership. I spoke around to several players in the region and was genuinely surprised at the positive response I received when I told them I was thinking about running and what did they think of the idea. After receiving a positive response about both the idea of myself running and the idea of elevating new players into leadership I decided to go for it.

Sopo: GraVandius referred to the last election as "goofy," citing the fact that citizens generally didn't engage with the platforms, endorsed before you'd even posted one, and even flocked to a candidate standing last minute with no platform at all. Would you agree with his analysis? How do you feel about how the election played out and your performance?

Lime: I certainly think this was an unusual and even slightly disappointing election before even considering my own personal interests. I was extremely disappointed in those who did not even wait to read my platform before endorsing another candidate, and I was likewise disappointed that at such a monumentally important moment for the region so many people did vote for a campaign which presented zero platform and was comprised of two candidates who had not been recently active in the region. I think Pland Adanna’s reflection in the EBC Liveblog post-results really sums up my feelings best regarding this election. Every platform really should have received great scrutiny and questioning from the public, and I would hope every citizen would at least first consider every platform before making a final decision, let alone an endorsement. And most importantly I hope in future elections a ticket which does not even present a platform, especially just before we embark on one of the most significant and important moments in our history as a region, does not receive such high levels of support.

As for my own performance I think it’s fair to say I did contribute in some way to the “low energy” of this election. I did check out a bit during the election process and wasn’t nearly as active or engaged as I had expected to be. The UPC nomination and subsequent debate did really drain and demotivate me so I did lose some of my interest and motivation to really get involved in the election. I really wish I was more active in the GoTV campaign, had answered questions more quickly, and been able to participate in a debate or a town hall event instead.
I think I could have had a better performance in the election had I been more engaged but unfortunately I just lost some of that motivation. I really wish I hadn’t lost that motivation for both my own final results and for the region at large, because the region really did deserve and required a more engaging and active election.

Sopo: Your last presidential term (2021) ended in resignation after a fight with the Senate and a nosedive in popularity. Yet, you took your lumps, and you mounted a comeback. Why do you think Europeians are reluctant to give you another shot at the Presidency?

Lime: I can’t and nor would I want to speak for anyone let alone the region at large, but I can at least point out what I think were some of the shortcomings of the campaign. As I already said in my last answer, I did check out a bit during this election and I do think a more active and engaged campaign would have performed better. Secondly, I think the fallout of the UPC nomination probably did contribute as well. There were some strong feelings regarding how that nomination was handled and the final result. I think the UPC nomination was part of the reason the McEntire/SkyGreen ticket did so well, because there were several individuals who said they were considering not voting for either ticket when it was just myself and Rand running. I’m sure there are plenty of reasons people didn’t vote for me either relating to these issues or issues stemming from my last term as President and I’m sure I could understand some of those reasons.

Sopo: That aside, your colleagues in the Senate elected you to the Speakership following your loss. Coming out of that election, what are/were your goals for that role? How do your recent experiences in the presidential election and RSC confirmations shape how you're approaching it?

Lime: I was extremely humbled and excited to have been elected Speaker for the second half of the Senate term, and extremely grateful to my colleagues for electing me to the position. There’s a great deal of legislation currently on the Senate floor, and a lot of it is related to the F/S update. There’s a couple of final bits we need to tie up as it relates to the Regional Security Council or the powers of Regional Officers. We’ve also been working away at some treaty repeals which relate to the changing foreign dynamics caused by the F/S update. Plus there’s still legislation covering issues not related to the F/S update such as the Foreign Affairs Act and the Bar Association Act. So I’m really looking for the Senate to get through and finish up its work on as much legislation as possible before the end of the term, but our main priority will be finalising legislation which will affect our transition to a Frontier since that is the most time sensitive.

Sopo: You have a reputation for being stubborn or even bristly - in a region that is increasingly hesitant to speak up about things, how have you adjusted your style? What do you see as your role in Europeian political discourse?

Lime: I don’t know if I entirely agree with that characterisation and maybe by saying that I’m just proving that reputation to be right! :p I definitely can at times be stubborn and sure I don’t have an issue with making my feelings clear on an issue even if those feelings are unpopular.
But I am still able to and have in the past been more than willing to compromise on an issue, as we’ve just seen with Security Accountability Amendment, and I’m always happy to engage in debate with people I disagree with. As for how I’ve adjusted my style I think I probably have been less combative than perhaps I have in the past, and I’m more than happy to work with people I’ve disagreed with in the past, even some who I’ve strongly disagreed with. For example yourself, Kazaman, Writinglegend and probably most notably Olde Delaware when we ran for the Presidency together. I don’t know if it’s my place to say what my role in Europeian politics is. What I can say is, I’m going to continue to be active in areas that I enjoy the most and I will always speak out on issues which I think are important.

Sopo: Looking ahead to the future of the region, what are your hopes for where we go as a community over the next year or so?

Lime: I hope we’re able to make a success of becoming a Frontier. While it does poses many challenges it also offers us so many amazing opportunities if we’re able to make a success of it. We seem to be coming out of this activity rut we’ve been in for several months now, and I really hope we manage to remain active and don’t fall into such low activity again. I think becoming a Frontier does offer us some additional ways to avoid falling into that inactive state again, for example the increase in the number of new nations joining the region and the more dynamic foreign affairs we’re likely to see. And like I campaigned on in the past election, I really do believe we need to elevate new leaders into the Cabinet and positions of responsibility at large if we want to remain an active and engaging region for new players to join. We have many times now seen the dangers of relying upon just a select few of older players to drive the activity in the region, and when they reduce their activity the activity of the entire region severely suffers.

Sopo: When reflecting back on your career, the peaks and valleys, what stands out to you? What do you hope your legacy will one day be?

Lime: Being elected President is always going to be a stand out moment. After many previous attempts and then being elected in probably the most dramatic and nerve wracking way imaginable, it was such a surreal moment. And that Presidential term at large was an amazing learning experience, and even despite the lows and the way it ended I had a lot of fun in that job. Equally I think, the opportunities to return to service are stand out moments. Being asked by Writinglegend to serve as Minister of Radio really felt wonderful. It wasn’t just that this was a job I had wanted to serve in for a long time, but it was also the opportunity to serve in a Cabinet position again despite previous mistakes. As for my legacy, that’s definitely not something for me to consider, that’s for everyone else. All I can hope for, is that people recognise that even if you make a mistake or in my case several, it doesn’t mean it’s the end. You can continue to contribute and make up for your mistakes if you’re willing to put in the work.
 
This is really interesting, great questions and great answers!
 
This was a great read! Thanks for putting together yet another excellent piece, Sopo. I really enjoyed hearing Lime’s thoughts on all of our Europeian shenanigans!
 
Quite an interesting read; I've always loved more long-form interviews from the media
 
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