My quiet little manifesto: AT and TG for Ireland!

Day 620, 13:44 • Published in Ireland Ireland • by Aran Tal

My dear friends and countrymen,

It is with pride in my chest I start this policy document with an announcement. Standing beside me on the ballot-paper on the fifth of august, seeking the position of Vice President, will be widely respected General, former Minister of many departments and President of Ireland, Top Gun. His experience and critical judgement have served Ireland well in the past and I know that Ireland can trust in his expertise, and give him the same high esteem that I do. I am humbled and honoured by his endorsement and agreement to run with me.



Now is a time, as you surely are aware, of great turmoil in the world. Every morning I look at eGobba's world map and lately I am stunned by the pace of world-events. On the fifth of august a lasting change may come over our own island as we vote to elect our next President. Here I present my thoughts on why I should be elected to that office. In advance I thank you for reading.

Without a shadow of a doubt there are two areas of Government which are more critical now than they have ever been before, Defence and Foreign Policy. Although they impinge little on the lives of the average child of Ireland, should the efforts in these areas fail disastrous consequences would be inevitable for little Ireland.

Most of my time spent in this eWorld has been dedicated to the sister-fields of Foreign Affairs and Defence and in the former I have made many useful and insightful contacts abroad. My erstwhile diplomatic manner saw the genesis of the first recognition of the sanctity of our neutrality in the current conflict by the United States and PEACE Global Community. The current foreign affairs team has executed their brief expertly by building strong non-aggression pacts with many of the world's most powerful nations in the last month, and their efforts are to be applauded by all.



The prompt, yet safe resumption of Ireland's involvement in war-games are my first priority in office, should I attain it. Many potential options are being worked on by Congress and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bryan O'Shea, and I will carefully consider, with close consultation with Congress, the DoFA and the war-council which is the best option when the time comes. I am not willing to rush in wildly, however, to any conflict, thereby jeopardising our delicate security.

I am not allergic to the notion of Ireland joining a defensive, non-imperial alliance and proposals into an alliance of neutral nations should be carefully examined. At this time of global conflict many nations are, like us, ducking under the fox-hole and bloodying their knuckles on their rosary beads that they might go unnoticed by the powers that hold sway. Although we are in an awkward geopolitical location right now Ireland could well be the nation which shows leadership, and I will endeavour to identify our neutral neighbours who may be interested in the prospect of such an alliance. The specific details would have to be tightly watched however and I will not sell us short should these discussions commence.

Our armed forces are at once supremely organised and in a state of mild disarray. We have the ability to defend ourselves if necessary but the loss of the eIreland forum affected the IDF badly, as our database and command centre was lost into the ether. Albeit she is now my political opponent, my colleague the Chief of Staff, Gráinne Ní Mháille is as excellent a commander as Ireland has ever seen and I will go on bended knee if necessary to ensure her continued administrative control of the Irish Defence Forces. As de facto joint heads of the Department of Defence Gráinne and I are working as we speak on rebuilding the application and provisioning the IDF to the best of its potential.


With the exception of war-games, few of these matters will be executed in the public eye, but they are more important to get right now than ever before, as in years to come we could pay dearly for any poor judgement or rash thought in their delivery. I offer my considered demeanour then, as a cautious judge of situations, and willingness to explore every angle before decision, as a point in my favour. At this time I believe wise deliberation and sound judgement to be vital for Ireland.


In the field of Economics I believe that Brian Boru has done a fine job as Minister for Finance and Industry. I would like to see his continued thoughts on the optimisation of the economy brought to fruition. In order to facilitate this process I propose that the direct management of our state companies be given to another, as the task requires constant activity and availability, rather than careful planning and execution. There would be two managers of the state companies: one based (in real life) in the United States and one in Ireland or Europe in order to maintain constant supervision and provision of the IDF and other state organisations. There are many excellent private businesspeople here who would excel in this environment.

The Irish community is an enjoyable place to live, but could be even more so. Of the 1000 or so living citizens only 100 or so are registered on our new forum, and fewer are frequent posters there or on the IRC chat-room. The department of Community, excellently run by Digits in the past can be considered the ideal for what I would like to see. More than any other departments this one should be large, as we all have opinions about how we get on with our eLives together.

New citizens are always impressing us with their lust for elife, why is it that that lust fades so quickly? We should encourage their optimism and listen to their thoughts and ideas as out of the mouths of babes of times comes gems. I could list dozens of people born in the last three months who have reinvigorated what has been in the past a glum place, but we should all strive to do as they do. While we struggle to turn a profit on our failing company, attempt to negotiate with distant and powerful leaders, while we may suffer banning and back-biting and betrayal... Let's have some fun!

How best to have more fun? Let's have more citizens! My party colleague Appleman proposed RL recruitment some time ago, and I see no reason not to work on this proposal. The Irish media is always interested in quirky stories if they fill a few inches with good news for a change, so let's put together a group of well connected people and see if we can make our own baby-boom! They did it in Indonesia and look at them now.



These are just a few of my thoughts on the next month, as each day will throw up new challenges and puzzles to decipher. Dear people of Ireland, at the end of the day all I can offer is my attention,my care and my good intentions. I am no saint, perhaps that's true, but I am a loyal Irishman to the death and I will do nothing without you on board with me. There have been mistakes made in the past, let them be corrected by community and co-operation for once, not by gutter-sniping and malevolent sneering.

So, dear friends and countrymen I offer you my own quiet little candidacy, standing side by side with Top Gun and the ISRP for President of Ireland.

Much Love
Aran Tal