The Northern Telegraph

Part 1 of a series covering the CPF & DAL Alliance

Kingmakers and powerbrokers have made their mark on this game in one way or another. None of them to date however, have accomplished the sort of game changing kingmaking that the CPF and DAL accomplished when they first aligned back in January of 2010. It would be the beginning of one of the most powerful alliances eCanada had ever seen. How this alliance came to be however, is the real focus here. Much has been said about what would later become known as “Teh Deal”, but very little has been said about the inner workings and mechanics of how the whole thing came about and later fell apart...until now.

In order to understand the actual alliance itself, it is critical that we revisit the history that led to this monumental agreement. That being said, lets start from the beginning and work our way forward. Over a series of articles, I will walk you through “Teh Deal” from its infancy, to its famous collapse. I will give you an insiders look at what really happened and how it came to be. Many of the key players are still playing today (Addy Lawrence, Pimpdollaz, Exalted Druid, Wilhelm Gunter, Alias Vision, and myself, just to name a few). That said, lets take a look at how two parties changed the face of politics in a way that has never been replicated since in eCanada.

In October of 2009, I joined my very first political party in game. I was very new and had no real understanding of party politics. I chose the CPF because it seemed to mesh with my RL political allegiances. Being a card carrying Conservative, it made sense to join the Canadian Progressive Front. At the time, the party’s president was Tyler F. Durden or TFD for short. I arrived on the forums full of energy and ambition. I wanted to be a part of something and the CPF welcomed my enthusiasm and energy with open arms.

At the time, TFD had a strong suit of Lieutenants working the party. SaraD, Pimpdollaz, Banach, Addy Lawrence, Alias Vision, and Wilhelm Gunter comprised some of the most astute party hands the party had ever seen. Through their stewardship, the CPF consistently ran one of the most successful SVU programs for congress that eCan had ever seen. It was consistently a dog fight between the DAL and the CPF to see who could get the most seats. What one must remember however, is that the CPF would garner more seats per party member than any other party. Despite our small numbers, we consistently hit above our weight in voting. It was a trend that would become a hallmark of the party. TFD ran a tight ship and held the post of Party President for months. Under his guidance, the CPF became a model of how to successfully run a party. From simple policies such as donating a portion of congress gold back to the party, to having congress whips for the party, to policies that prevented parachute candidates for PP, TFD kept the CPF on the cutting edge of the game while carefully mixing mechanics and role play, though mechanics were always at the heart of party decisions.

After several months of observing and participating on the forums, I began the process of introducing the notion of podcasting and advancing our media efforts in game. The “Blue Moose” would quickly become one of the most advanced media papers in game, offering interactive media. It would not be long before I was asked to take the role of “Media Director” which I accepted with honour. This would be the beginning of a long and intricate relationship between myself, the CPF, and TFD in particular. Stewarding the “Blue Moose” opened the door to my visiting the DAL. I was asked how I went about this podcasting thing I was doing by some of the DAL veterans. From there, I would begin to network and connect with other DAL members. It was a relationship that would blossom into something much bigger.

After establishing strong connections in the DAL, I pitched the notion of taking over the DAL Ambassadorship on their forums. Banach was currently holding the DAL post but he was pursuing bigger ambitions and his time spent on the DAL post had diminished. Seeing an opportunity to leverage a budding relationship with the DAL, I approached the party executive and TFD in particular about taking over the post. It was agreed that I should take over the posting indefinitely while Banach focused on bigger ambitions. I had no history with the DAL and it was a chance to start fresh with our greatest political enemies.

Nobody at the time could have known what would transpire. When I took over the posting, I was warned in advance that the DAL had a hatred on for us and would never co-operate with any of our efforts. They were considered an impossible nut to crack and so it was believed that my work there would merely be that of lip servicing and keeping up appearances. The notion that it could be anything more was absurd at best. The very idea that they might support a CP bid from us was considered unimaginable. There was just too much bad blood and venom for anything meaningful to occur. It was with that in mind that I took over from Banach. I was determined to make the most of my time in my new role. Never in any of our wildest imaginings, did any of us in the CPF imagine what would happen just a few short months later.

Yours In National Unity,