Ian Plätschisch
Senator for Maritiimi-Maxhestic
Posts: 4,001
Talossan Since: 3-21-2015
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Post by Ian Plätschisch on Jan 22, 2016 13:29:08 GMT -6
Welcome all citizens of our most glorious Province! I have the honor and privilege of moderating a debate between our two fine candidates for Senator; Magniloqueu Épiqeu da Lhiun and Sir Alexandreu Davinescu .
Each candidate will be given a chance to answer each question, alternating who goes first, and then allowed to rebut in the same order the question was answered. Failing to respond in 24 hours constitutes a forfeiture of the chance to respond. There are no rebuttals for opening or closing statements.
A coin flip has determined that the incumbent Senator da Lhiun will make his opening statement first, followed by Sir Davinescu. The following question will thus be answered first by Sir Davinescu, and so forth.
Let the debate begin!
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Post by Magniloqueu Épiqeu da Lhiun on Jan 22, 2016 16:15:32 GMT -6
Estimats citaxhiens dal Provinçù da Mharitiimi-Mhaxhestic, estimat cumpetéir D:l Davinescu, estimat S:reu Plätschisch,
¡voi cjartalourmînt îngrascheleu për à mhoderarh és per à fhaþilitarh această rháisnă-ci! Don't worry, I shall not continue in Talossan — sadly, nobody would understand me, and I would thereby harm myself. But I wish people would understand at least (relatively) basic courtesies as I have written them above. I will leave it up to the curious participants to find out, what the sentence means. You can gladly approach me in private, if you need any help!
As you may know, or — if you did not know yet — as you will find out now, I have been a Senator from the Province of Maritiimi-Maxhestic, sent to give my fellow comprovinciates a voice in the Ziu. Every Clark, I have tried to the best of my abilities to reflect your wishes in my votes, by approaching you publicly and praying for your input before I vote. While I am a member of the political party of the Moderate Radicals, I have often deviated, where it did not contradict my conscience, from party policies to accommodate the opinion of Maritiimi-Maxhestic.
All the while, I try to stay true to my liberal-socialist-democratic self, while supporting the idea of a democratically controlled Monarchy for the Kingdom of Talossa. I have maintained, and I still maintain, that parts of our Organic Law, especially the Covenant of Rights and Freedoms, should apply to every person under Talossan jurisdiction and in Talossan territory, regardless of their citizenship status. I look forward to seeing the Ziu accomplish this goal with the right nudges here and there — hopefully also with the help of the Royal Commission on the Organic Law.
As you have seen in the beginning of this here my opening statement, I also hold that Talossa should honour, and use its National Language, Ár Glheþ Talossan. I have made a step towards accomplishing that by translating a (yet) minor part of El Lexhatx into our National Language, as mandated by law, and long-planned-for by the Ministry of Culture. There have been criticism in the fact that I have not used “Standard Talossan”, but I maintain that
a) the Talossan Language has never had a traditional and long-followed “Standard”, as the Comità per l'Útzil del Glheþ (CÚG) would have it (proof: ever-rule-changing “Arestadăs”)
b) the CÚG is defunct, and can no more lay claim that it is the Normative Body for Ár Glheþ.
Therefore, I conclude that there is no “Standard Talossan”; the status and reality of the language needs to be assessed by a more transparent and readily accessible body.
But I digress. I stand here, because I want to render my services to the Province of Maritiimi-Maxhestic, and I want to shape the future of our Nation together with you. My (virtual) door is always open to my comprovinciates (unless I am sleeping; I am no light sleeper, sorry!), and I hope you trust this wanna-be-linguist, liberal-socialist-democrat, pro-(functioning-)Monarchy, young man to represent your political ideals in the Senäts, and I hope you will support me in this year's first Senatorial Elections. Gras-chias!
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Ian Plätschisch
Senator for Maritiimi-Maxhestic
Posts: 4,001
Talossan Since: 3-21-2015
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Post by Ian Plätschisch on Jan 22, 2016 17:32:30 GMT -6
Thank you Senator. Sir Davinescu will now have 24 hours to make his opening statement.
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Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jan 22, 2016 18:53:48 GMT -6
Azul, Maritiimi-Maxhestic. I have been involved with boosting Maritiimi-Maxhestic for a very long time. Indeed, almost since I became a Talossa, I thought our province was amazing. I still think so. I will tell you three reasons why I would be the best choice of senator. I do not mean any disrespect of our current senator, who has performed his job ably and well, and who is pretty awesome to boot. But I would argue that I have been more consistently more active and interested in our province, in foul weather and in fair. Secondly, I believe that my policy positions will do better for the citizens of the province, and that they would benefit by voting for me. Thirdly, I'll buy you a jetpack. I have been active in our province. I proposed and "passed" our first law (honouring the official provincial sandwich, the Monte Cristo) almost exactly nine years ago! Then I led the first actions that created a more official provincial government, helping kickstart discussions by appointing Breneir as the "head and body of the Commission for the Composition of a Provincial Warrant of Administration," essentially bucking the legal paralysis that held our little province. I lay out the agenda for the nascent government, proposed the rules under which we still operate, wrote the provincial constitution, wrote our first major laws, and have served in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh convocations. In some of these convocations of our assembly, I was the only active assemblyperson. I made those little banners at the bottom of our posts, and I have relentlessly boosted our province (which has been determined by science to be the Greatest Province). At all of these times, then, I have been fiercely devoted to Maritiimi-Maxhestic. I have pushed for the interests of our province on the big stage and our little one, year after year, even when sometimes I was the last one working to keep us active. I have tried to get people involved with things, welcoming anyone of any political stripe who wanted to work for the interests of Maritiimi-Maxhestic and eagerly trying to get more people involved. Where there is an advantage for our province, you can count on me to be alert and to seize it. I also believe that my policy positions will benefit the citizenry. To take one example: as is well-known, Maritiimi-Maxhestic has long been one of the most fiercely democratic of all provinces. We have the required premier -- but he's strictly limited to being a figurehead. We have the required veto from the cunstaval -- but it's the weakest veto we could manage. His Majesty has already stated that he disapproves, and that he believes that this last provision of our constitution is inorganic, which raises the strong possibility that we might be challenged by the great powers of our nation -- and I ask you, who will be a more effective national representative on such matters than I? I am famously a supporter of the institution of the monarchy in Talossa, and so when I champion our interests against the Crown, no one will doubt our sincerity. And finally: jetpacks. If I am elected, I will buy every citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa a jetpack. And not a silly thing that shoots water and makes you hover five feet... no, I'm talking a rip-roaring, full-fledged jet-powered flame-throwing sky-tearing jetpack. You'll be able to fly to school or work in mere moments. And think about the look on the face of that special girl or guy when you swoop down in a kickin' rad jetpack and let loose a sweet guitar solo. Maritiimi-Maxhestic, I urge you to vote for me. Dedication. Strength. Jetpacks.
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Ian Plätschisch
Senator for Maritiimi-Maxhestic
Posts: 4,001
Talossan Since: 3-21-2015
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Post by Ian Plätschisch on Jan 22, 2016 21:15:09 GMT -6
Thank you, Sir Davinescu. Now, on to the first question.
How do you plan to actively involve the citizenry of M-M in your decision-making process?
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Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jan 22, 2016 21:22:18 GMT -6
Thank you. And by the way, thank you for moderating! Senatorial debates are a great local tradition.
Another local tradition is consulting the people on every Clark. I think that's a great thing, and I will continue to do so. A legislator should always get the opinions of his constituency, and all the more so when he is directly elected. If I am elected, I will continue this tradition, begun by Sir Mick Preston and continued to the present day, of consulting the province on every Clark.
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Ian Plätschisch
Senator for Maritiimi-Maxhestic
Posts: 4,001
Talossan Since: 3-21-2015
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Post by Ian Plätschisch on Jan 22, 2016 21:43:30 GMT -6
Thank you.
This should be my last intervention between two responses to the same question; just trying to make sure things start off in order. After Senator da Lhiun responds, we may move into rebuttals (without my explicit needing to say so), or in the absence of any rebuttals move to the next question. I will try to but out as much as possible when not posing questions.
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Post by Magniloqueu Épiqeu da Lhiun on Jan 23, 2016 7:10:42 GMT -6
(Just to clarify things: you'll not be prompting us to answer, but instead we can answer the questions you pose immediately, regardless of whose “turn” it is; and when both parties have done so, you move on to the next question. Do I understand this correctly?)
Ah, yes. The FAQ of “Provincial participation”. As I have said earlier, and as my opponent, Sir Davinescu, has also mentioned, I have made an effort to continue the tradition of my predecessor Sir Mick Preston of asking the people of Maritiimi-Maxhestic for their opinion before voting on a Clark. I am pleased to see that Sir Davinescu concurs in that this is an important tradition and demmocratic tool for the Senator to uphold and maintain.
I also frequently encourage citizens to contact me by other means, either via PM, or via twitter @epicdalhiun, but I have not received any word via those channels. However, I think I would have received messages there, if I had done something terribly wrong. Therefore, I am not at all concerned!
I am also up for skyping with people! Unless I have a bad-hair-bad-face-bad-feelings-day. Then I accept to skype only if I get a ton of oranges and lavenders in a pot. I don't know, it's a weird thing I like: oranges and live lavenders.
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Ian Plätschisch
Senator for Maritiimi-Maxhestic
Posts: 4,001
Talossan Since: 3-21-2015
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Post by Ian Plätschisch on Jan 23, 2016 8:29:58 GMT -6
To answer Senator da Lhiun's point of order, I will only interject in order to pose a question (or ask for rebuttals if there hasn't been any for a while so I know I can move on; though the 24 hour rule applies to rebuttals, but I can move on faster if the candidate says he has no rebuttal. Also, for a moderator prompt if necessary, or to declare when a candidate's time is up). However, I will post the order for a question when I ask it, and would prefer if it were answered in that order.
To be clear, it is now AD's turn to rebut, which he may do, or he may say he has no rebuttal, in which case I move on to the next question. The rebuttals may go on indefinitely until I declare that the rebuttals are no longer useful, or until the candidate whose turn it is has no rebuttal.
Thank you.
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Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jan 23, 2016 8:55:56 GMT -6
I have no rebuttal. I believe that the Senator and I agree completely on this matter.
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Ian Plätschisch
Senator for Maritiimi-Maxhestic
Posts: 4,001
Talossan Since: 3-21-2015
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Post by Ian Plätschisch on Jan 23, 2016 9:19:01 GMT -6
On to the next question, to be answered first by Senator da Lhiun, followed by Sir Davinescu, with rebuttals following in that order.
At what points, if any, would your own personal opinions or beliefs on a topic cause you to vote against what the majority of M-M citizens want?
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Post by Magniloqueu Épiqeu da Lhiun on Jan 23, 2016 15:59:30 GMT -6
Well, I think we can forego laws furthering racism, discrimination (misogyny, homophobia, transphobia), and the like — I hope nobody considers asking me to vote for such measures.
I can imagine following situations that would NOT receive my support:
a) Bills that seek to deprive any person (citizen or not) of their right to have present legal counsel, their right to not incriminate themselves, their right to be granted a hearing before an impartial judge, etc. (e.g. “Anti-Terrorism” bills that seek to vacate the rights of any suspected terrorist, or similar situations) — ¡non!
b) Bills that seek to give more political/judicial/absolute power to the Crown — ¡non!
c) Bills aiming to initiate non-defensive-war against any country — ¡non!
d) Bills aiming to limit immigration to people of specified origin — ¡non sînt Donald Trump!
e) Bills looking to cut back on any existing affordable public health insurance systems — ¡non!
f) Bills allowing for lax gun-carrying-policies comparable to the U.S. — ¡NOOOOON!
I can't think of any more, but I believe my political point of view is quite clear by now... I hope!
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Ian Plätschisch
Senator for Maritiimi-Maxhestic
Posts: 4,001
Talossan Since: 3-21-2015
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Post by Ian Plätschisch on Jan 24, 2016 14:35:20 GMT -6
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Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jan 24, 2016 14:43:43 GMT -6
Thank you, Ian. Sorry. People watching the national debate stuff can probably see that this has been a stressful past couple of days for me -- one of those times when you want to throw up your hands in disgust and walk away. But that's neither here nor there.
By and large, I am a left-liberal in political beliefs -- the version common in America, with an emphasis on practicality and a willingness to think through my views. Accordingly, I would not be able to obey the demands of the citizenry if they required anything that discriminated on the basis of sex, race, income, orientation, or the like. This is part of a further general unwillingness to vote for anything I think is actually immoral.
Further, though, I admit that I believe that part of a Senator's job is to exercise their own judgment and experience, and that sometimes means being the one to lead, not be led, by public opinion. If a plan or project or policy is offered that sounds good in the moment, but that I think it fundamentally unworkable and will actually hurt the country in the long run, I won't vote in favor of it.
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Ian Plätschisch
Senator for Maritiimi-Maxhestic
Posts: 4,001
Talossan Since: 3-21-2015
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Post by Ian Plätschisch on Jan 25, 2016 16:24:09 GMT -6
The time for rebuttals has passed, and the next question is directed to Sir Davinescu first, followed by Senator da Lhiun, with rebuttals in that order.
What legislation would you like to see passed in your first six months in office?
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