Who’s Who in Europeia: An Introduction to Comrade Snowball
By Deepest House
(Europeia – April 21, 2017) – It’s not every day that a newcomer captures the attention and imagination of the region as Comrade Snowball has done in his brief history in Europeia. Having only re-joined the region on April 7, and with only 19 posts to date, the impact per post ratio must be one of the greatest in our proud region’s history. There can be no doubt about the eagerness with which Comrade Snowball has entered the political fray in Europeia – the region is abuzz with excitement, waiting to witness his next move.
Comrade Snowball came to Europeia the same way that many of us did. “I found the region through a recruitment letter,” he said in an exclusive interview with the EBC. “I joined because I liked the name and I liked the ideals of the region.” Prior to joining Europeia, he didn’t have any other NationStates experience, except visiting many regions trying to find the right fit.
Many see Comrade Snowball as an enigma, eager to contribute but a bit lost in the ways, especially when it comes to platform writing. Since April 7, he has stood in three elections: the Senate by-election, the World Assembly Delegate (WAD) and the Citizens’ Assembly (CA) Chair elections, and none of the three campaigns has seen a traditional platform posted. Indeed, he did not even post a platform for the WAD election yet came in third place, just missing the run-off election. In his interview, he pledged to take the next election seriously. Consistent with that pledge, Comrade Snowball did post a seven-point platform for the CA Chair election: Make the people heard; Promote world peace; End raiding regions; Create equality; Promote freedom; and Bring Europeia into the 21st century. The last piece of his platform is, strangely, simply “Comrade Snowball.” Perhaps this is an allusion to the incipient cult of personality that has begun to grow around this candidate since his first run for the WAD.
Despite his success in the WAD election, the bare bones style of campaigning has certainly found its critics. “I got excited because I thought snowball actually made a real platform then this happens,” said Siol Alse, referring to the seven-point platform referenced above. Others have encouraged Comrade Snowball to expand on the platform, offering tips and encouragement. “Try adding, under each of those points, how you intend on doing that and maybe even why you believe it needs done,” said Kuramia, deputy minister for communications.
Given Comrade Snowball’s result in the WAD election without having even posted a platform, he may stick to the tried and true method of minimalist platforms. When given advice and feedback on improving his platforms, Comrade Snowball seemed willing to listen, if not totally sure of how to actually write and post a platform. “What button do I press to do that,” he asked in regard to posting a platform. He followed up this initial question by asking what to do next. Unsure if Comrade Snowball is simply being coy or naïve, the responses still garnered a reaction from Lethen, one of Europeia’s Supreme Chancellors. “Are you kidding me? We're not going to walk you through how to write up your own platform,” scoffed Lethen at the questions the newcomer posed.
Comrade Snowball remains undeterred, however. “I wanted to jump into the political sphere so fast because I wanted to,” he succinctly explained as to why he immediately ran for the World Assembly Delegate position. It’s hard to argue with that logic, and is partly what makes him such a formidable opponent on the campaign trail. If he can garner 12 votes without even posting a platform, one is left to wonder how many votes Comrade Snowball could win if he changed his style to be more consistent with traditional campaigns. He also added that he wanted to make a name for himself, better understand how Europeia works, and “sort of try to win.”
Comrade Snowball is immensely proud of his WAD campaign. “I would consider my greatest achievement here to be getting ten votes in the WA election,” he explained. “I assumed I would get two at the most,” he said. “I had to read the statement several times for it to sink in.” Comrade Snowball’s pride should swell even further when he checks the final tally, as he actually pulled in 12 votes.
It should be no surprise that he immediately jumped into the elections, as politics have interested him since he was a little kid. “I like politics because it gives people a chance to make lasting change to the world around you,” he explained. “I want to hold a political post and make a change. My long-term goal is to eventually become a WA delegate.” After coming in third place in his first effort solely on the strength of his cult of personality, perhaps that is not an unrealistic goal.
The Comrade Snowball political hype train is leaving the station, and already has some passengers. In addition to the 12 who cast their vote for him in the WAD election, Cat, Europeia’s Minister of Radio, provided a campaign logo for him to use in his run to the CA Chair.
It is uncertain as to whether he will adopt this campaign logo, but it provides some insight into the origins of his name. “Apparently people thought my name was cute, which is ironic because it is a reference to Animal Farm by George Orwell,” he explained. “Not exactly a book you think relates to the word ‘cute’.” Snowball is a pig character in that classic political novel. He went on to explain that his nation name, Wellser, is another Orwellian reference. “I didn’t know you were allowed to use your nation name,” he added.
With Comrade Snowball now on the campaign trail, Europeia has seen a new and radical campaign style emerge. His minimalist approach has proven somewhat successful in the WAD election, garnering 12 votes and placing third out of seven without even posting a platform. It appears this has struck a chord with the Europeian population, who have often lamented overly verbose platforms. He has taken a more serious approach with the CA election, posting a concise and direct seven-point platform. While the outcome remains to be seen, there is a new political force in Europeia who campaigns in an unconventional style. Comrade Snowball is here.
