[MC]Buy the people, for the people

Day 1,924, 07:55 Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom by Michael Crookes

Hello eWorld!



Abraham Lincoln is probably among the greatest figures in American History, well loved for his strong morality and character. But what can a group of British people on the internet learn from an American man who died nearly 150 years ago?

It is my hope that this article will challenge people and encourage people to keep pushing for the changes which I believe the community wants and needs. The article will be split into 2 parts, the first being a discussion on the issue of bribery, while the second section will briefly outline my views on vote buying.

Bribery

Lets be honest, bribery has always been a part of the fabric of the eUK. For years I can remember watching people trying to buy votes for congress elections or buy entry into country. I suppose it was only a matter of time until somebody tried to buy members for a political party. So if it has always been an issue, why bother writing about it now? Because it seems that lately bribery has become acceptable, something I find unacceptable.

I believe that the reason that bribery became acceptable in our country was because it was the norm before we truly knew what was happening. You see, parties haven’t always offered “new member bonuses” or “supplies” to members, in fact, to begin with it was something much less cynical than the system we have in place today.



The whole situation arose from the idea of party giveaways (something which I believe is not a bad thing, so long as it is unilateral and not party specific). Party members teamed together to raise funds in order to support new and existing members of the country through their generosity. Or perhaps if you are feeling a little more cynical, political parties trying to impress new members of the community in order to woo them into joining their party.

Giveaways and support for new members is of course a good thing, so when parties started embracing this idea it was hailed by many as a good idea. However, soon enough parties realised that if they offered more than their rivals, then new players would probably be more impressed. Of course, the more parties offered, the more they hoped for (and came to expect) in the form of players joining their party. Thus the current broken system was born

There may be some among you who believe that it is right for a party to supply their members, to support them as much as possible, and in answer I would turn to another nugget of wisdom from a slightly more recent American president



We have all heard it before; put the country first, and put ourselves second, but let’s be honest, its not an idea that appeals to us. We would far rather find a compromise; still looking out for the country, but at the same time enjoying some benefits for ourselves. I put it to you that while as individuals it is very easy to fall into that trap; we can’t allow our parties to be dragged in too.

You see, as a community of players together in a party, we can do more than any of us can individually (an idea called synergy). That means that together we have a unique opportunity to impact our country’s wider community in a much more positive way than any of us could when alone. However, that also means that together we can cause more damage and hurt than any of us could manage on our own. It is a very real danger that we must strive to avoid at all costs.

“Does giving our members a gift now and again really cause that much damage?”. Well on a superficial level no, it does not. However, by making party recruitment into a financial battle, you are destroying the principles and the substance of your party. Yes, people with all sorts of views will join you, but they will join with their eyes on one thing; your offer of supplies.

What substance does a party have when half their membership does not support their principles beyond filling their own pockets? Very little.
What use is a party which has lost its vision, which has lost its substance and abandoned its principles? None.

So what?



The sad truth is that not every party is going to abandon it’s “support” schemes tomorrow, but I am asking you, not as a member of a party, but as an individual, to decide for yourself whether you agree with your party’s stance. If you do then you need not change anything, but if you don’t agree, then stand up and be counted. We need people who want to put the principles back into politics to rise up in the parties of the eUK and to say enough is enough.

Perhaps your party will lose members, perhaps your rivals will gain an advantage, but at the end of your time playing this game you will be able to look back and say that you did not abandon your beliefs. Is that something worth fighting for? You decide

Vote buying

The vote buying debate is one which has been raging on for quite some time and shows no signs of abating any time soon. I could talk all day about what I think is right and wrong, but at the end of the day I would like you to make up your own mind.

It has long been my belief that it is very pointless exercise to judge many on the actions of a few. Not only does it unfairly lay the blame at the door of many innocent people, but it means you miss out on seeing the diversity that the many people have to offer. However, the truth is this: as a party people will judge you according to the actions of your members. In particular, they will judge you according to the actions of your leaders. For that reason, it is important to speak out as a member of a party implicated to denounce what is happening if you disagree with it.



With that in mind I would like to turn to the current media and in particular the articles recently released by Sir Nick Griffin and Goku Jones. Both articles purchased votes (220 and 150 respectively), both have knocked other articles out of the top five in order to be heard and both authors will happily do it again.

Both Nick and Goku claim to be fighting for the newer players. They claim to want to break the hold of an “elitist” community over the eUK and form a government which truly represents the people. To put it eloquently, they seek to create a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”. However, they have failed to start with the strong moral base which Lincoln created for himself 150 years ago.

Anyway, as I said, I don’t wish to just impart my views on others, so here are the simple stats, considering Nick's article, goku's article and the 2 they knocked out:



Over to you eUK community:

Do you new players feel your interests are being protected by Goku and Nick?

Does this really feel like it is of the people, by the people OR for the people?

What are you going to do about it?


Stay safe and play hard!

(Michael Crookes)