*ahem* Friends, liberals, republicans, cüncitaxhiêns, lend me your ears. I come not to bury Carlüs, but to praise him.
Seriously, the Seneschál can talk about his own motivations for not standing for re-election - or, should we say, election as the first leader of the Free Democrats of Talossa as a united party. But I'll talk about my own motivations.
Firstly, I'm not here of my own free will. I nominated
M.T. Patritz da Biondeu. Then he nominated me, in a spirit of revenge, I think. Well, since we pretty much agree what this party and this Kingdom need, we decided to let the party as a whole choose between us. The question for you is a question of personalities, and personal style.
Before some of the crusted-on monarchists out there, or our former colleague the Senator for Cézembre, start hyperventilating, let me emphasise:
I am not standing for FreeDem leader on a republican platform. As far as I'm concerned, the central tenet of the old ZRT - for a Constitutional Convention at which the entire constitutional apparatus of Talossa would be up for grabs - has been partially fulfilled, in the Royal Commission on OrgLaw Reform. Once the Head of State gets around to nominating the last few members, of course. ... can I please ask the people who started chanting
sandbag to quieten down? It's very rude.
But anyway, Talossa's constitution will be reformed and dragged kicking and screaming into the XXIst century, one way or another. That's a topic which can be taken up again once the RCOR makes its report, early next year. But for now, the question is a question of
leadership, and competence.
I don't often have much complimentary to say about the Opposition Leader. But he has done a sterling job of keeping this Government on its toes, of pointing out all the big schemes and grand initiatives - coins, Telecomuna, Social Media Ambassadors, etc - which were put into law and never executively enacted. He is damn right, sad to say.
Again, I don't often have much complimentary to say about the RUMP party. But you must give them this - that during their 9 terms in office, I think it was, they succeeded in forming a government of all the talents. At the time, I resented the way in which they could stay in power forever by neutralising oppositionists by giving them jobs. But the flipside of that was that
jobs got done. And generally, the various RUMP governments - at least the first 6 or 7 of them - did put vaguely the right people in the right jobs.
Friends, the downside of our three highly successful terms at the heart of Coalition government - including one term leading it, thanks to the LibCon/ZRT fusion under Carlüs' estimable leadership - has been the "partisan carve-up" nature of Government appointments. To put it another way - say person from X party is doing a crap job. Why can't we replace him with this person who's super-keen? Because the alternative candidate is from Y party, and X party leader may throw a fit, thinking it a devious plan to disrupt the partisan balance in the Cabinet.
This is not an argument against coalition government in future - but it is an argument in favour of
leadership, and competence. Friends, if you elect me as the leader of the Free Democrats of Talossa, I will lead the election campaign for the next Cosâ on that very platform. I will push, first and foremost, for the Free Democrats to be
the largest party in the next Cosâ, and - ideally - to be able to form a majority or a minority government on our own, rather than a coalition. But on whichever terms the next Government is formed, if the Free Democrats are to be part of it under my leadership, I will demand that all Cabinet positions be assigned on merit, competence, and ability to name capable Deputies in case extra-Talossan affairs take a minister away. No more "spoils system".
Given that, I return to a theme I was fond of raising a few years ago - the theme of
altérnance. I certainly think the Free Democrats have done the heavy lifting and deserve to be the leading (if not the only!) party in the next Government. But I am
ruling nothing out, in terms of coalition partners, or individual Ministers from other parties (or none) who might be part of government with us. Yes. I will entertain the question of a coalition with the RUMP under some circumstances. (One of those circumstances will be how collegial things are in the Royal Commission, I suppose.)
I should also point out that, if the FreeDems are in a position to lead the next Government or form it on our own, I am not necessarily keen to be Seneschál, since I am a Senator and I do feel that the Seneschál should be an MC. But, that'll be open for debate.
Finally, let me repeat - I've talked about this with MC da Biondeu and he and I are pretty much of one mind on the major issues. Well, most of them. I'm still a red-hot Republican and he wants to be Queen. Eh. In the immortal words of Bender Bending Rodriguez, we're both fine choices, whichever floats your vote. You know my style, you know da Biondeu's.
Sa vivadra Talossa! Sa vivadra Talossa livereascâ!