Post by Lüc da Schir on May 28, 2018 7:16:21 GMT -6
Well, kinda. Sorry for the clickbait. Anyway...
...it's no mystery that university has been keeping me busy. I have been leading the Government since January 2017, and while we did get some important stuff done, it was less than I hoped and I would have loved to have been involved more. I have also been leading the Moderate Radicals since 2014, which is a very long period of time for Talossan standards - parties can be created and die in a mere eight months or so, and if I'm not mistaken the Free Democrats have had three or four different leaders in that timespan. Likewise, I sat in six straight Cabinets and been in the Ziu for six years running.
But Talossa is not only politics. And I need less constraints of activity if I want to have more time for myself. And in the void of activity we're currently experiencing, it's fresher faces that will save us from extinction, as much as I loathe to refer to myself as an "old-timer", which I'm not. I'm not one for records, but only two Talossans have been Prime Minister for longer than I have, and when that happens you have to wonder when to stop.
1) I am therefore resigning the leadership of the Moderate Radicals, effective upon the election of a successor, with regret for what I've not been able to accomplish, but with much pride for the heights we have reached, the odds we have overcome and the promises we have kept. My term would have ended sometime in early 2019, but I leave knowing that the party will be in safe hands. There will be a leadership election in early June; whoever wins has my full support and my well wishes. It will be odd to leave all of the negotiations and stuff to someone else, but I'll make do.
2) I will complete my term as Prime Minister, which expires sometime in July, but I will not seek nor accept any appointment to any office* in the Cabinet or the Royal Household in the near future; possibly, for most of my next term as Senator, if reelected, which is basically a hiatus of one to two years. This is consistent with both wanting to be a little less bound by constraints of activity, wanting more time for myself both in and out of Talossa, and wanting to give more space to newer, fresher faces.
*: Unless a ModRad majority government happens, purely for the lolz, in which case I would obviously reconsider.
3) Nevertheless, I will seek reelection to the Senate. My second term has coincided entirely with my second span as Prime Minister, which regrettably limited my involvement with provincial affairs. If reelected, my disengagement from national and party leadership means that I will pursue a much more independent and provincially minded agenda in the Senate, in addition to the Rules Committee project that I have been working on for a couple of months. If not, well, we'll see.
So, what am I going to do in my soon-to-be semi-retirement from national politics? I'm not leaving the ModRads (nor do I particularly plan to) and I'm still going to campaign for the party in the coming GE as much as I will be able to, even though I will generally seek to be more independent from the party line in the Senate. I will certainly do some punditry work (exit polls, etc.), and I'd be willing to push that further (e.g. opinion polls), but that will depend upon how much time I will have and if anyone would be interested at all. I will probably try to get something else done to try and bring more people back into activity (chats? meetups?), but it's easier said than done, obviously.
To close this off, I'd like to thank in advance everyone who has worked with me in the Cabinet(s), the Senate, the ModRads and other various places; in no particular order and by no means a complete list: Glüc da Dhi , Ian Plätschisch , Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN , Viteu Marcianüs , C. Carlüs Xheraltescù , Marti-Pair Furxheir S.H. , King John , Munditenens Tresplet , Sir C. M. Siervicül , Sir Alexandreu Davinescu , Þon Txoteu É. Davinescu , Gödafrïeu Válcadác’h , Sevastáin Pinátsch , Breneir Itravilatx , Eðo Grischun , Iac Marscheir , Magniloqueu Épiqeu da Lhiun , Alèx Soleighlfred , Iason Bitxichë Taiwos , Ián Tamorán S.H. ... Some in this list (and a lot of other people), I never got to know very well, hopefully this upcoming semi-retirement will allow me to fix that.
Lüc (I'm not one for nice posts but I hope this'll do)