Nith Vs Starks, Round 2!
•
by Severin Organization
Just like last month I will write another what some might dub a 'controversial' pre election article. While I know I just got back, I have read over quite a number of articles and have been thoroughly informed on events during my near two week absence (lucky for some lol). That said, this article reflects upon my time in eIreland as a whole and doesn't focus on one month. I hope it spices up what would appear to be an otherwise dull Presidential election (my absence can take some, if not, most of the blame for that and I apologize once again). Nithraldur will not be campaigning (for obvious reasons) and I have yet to see the opposition campaign (other than the article announcing their candidacy oh and that five promises article from Tal...). This article is more a reflection rather than merely a campaign article. This will not of course be an unbiased editorial (to write such columns isn't in my job description) however I will try my best not to be too provoking in nature. You will notice despite the fact this article doesn't even touch upon policy areas (the same policies that come up from both sides every month) it is longer than some previous Presidential manifestos...
Same thing, different month?
To be honest, when I came back I wasn't surprised to see Starks Hayter running and the band wagon rolling again. Starks Hayter is the undisputed leader of the opposition (re-elected party leader of the ISRP unopposed) and third parties in eIreland naturally want to shed some influence on the election outcome (they have no chance in running alone and what's the point in supporting the party with almost twice as much members than anybody else). Quite frankly it's flattering to see almost every party eIreland band together against IUP (it's built into political culture at this point), especially before we even put a candidate forward lol It depicts the IUP's strength as a party. Some might throw a spin on that and say it's because 'change is urgently needed' and it's a reflection upon the evil tyranny of the IUP... I say what a load of cobblers (and will explain why further on). So the opposition remains exactly the same (minus the elaborate campaign and any controversy), now onto the incumbent.
Nithraldur, Nithraldur and Nithraldur? Oh my!
It is unfortunate that the IUP couldn't muster a successor to Nithraldur in time for the election (my fault entirely) and for that reason Nithraldur has been put forward again (the eIrish electorate deserve at least some choice on election day). In short, I gave the same opposition the same opponent. Someone people knew well enough so that a manifesto or introduction would not be needed. Does Nithraldur care if he wins or not? This question has caused some steer already. Nithraldur has won the Presidency three times before however this time round the odds of him winning are substantially lower than previous elections. If he wins, he would be very much happy to take over for another term and as always will totally dedicate himself to a job he knows inside and out at this point. If he loses he isn't going to disappear from eIreland and go cry in some corner (it's just a game and he is prepared for the apparent likely outcome) Why Nithraldur though? Why has Nithraldur been elected so many times in past? The answer is simple: the eIrish public was happy with his performance on more than one occasion and if elected he will perform again.
I've been Party President of the IUP three times now, it lingers the question why haven't I gone for Country President yet? I have (albeit slightly) more experience than the opposition. I can assure you it is not my love of being eIreland Vice President (a mere pretentious advisory role) but instead the fact Nithraldur is the most active, dedicated and capable citizen I came across in eRepublik. I was fan of his long before I ever spoke to him (infact, my very first shout was a Vote Nithraldur). Later I was lucky enough to get the chance to work with him, which only heightened my opinion of him. It is no secret I talk to Nithraldur pretty much everyday (minus my absence from the internet) and let me tell yea the role of President is not something to taken lightly. Most the of work to be done is tedious, administrative and the thanks you get is endless scrutiny (most of which is totally unfounded and motivated by party politics). Chances are I will run for President here someday (the babyboomer's future will come) but I think eIreland should think twice before relinquishing a President of such high quality and esteem. If you look up our history books you will see that we have a history for re-electing the good guys.
But We Hate Nithraldur And His Diabolical Scheming!
Nithraldur had an evil idea this month: let's make eIreland more fun. The plan was simple, well organized and if not for a leak would have been executed. There would be a war between eIreland and eUK except neither country would lose and both countries would get a chance to indulge in senseless politically charged patriotism (you would have loved it, imagine the enthusiasm as we walked through Northern Ireland). Only the people who needed to, would know. This was to maximize entertainment and better keep the secret. How would another training war be fun? The idea of participating in a real war is obviously more exciting. People were told over and over again not to spend their money and time in the war however they did. I don't blame them, afterall they had fears of an invasion in mind (little did they know Nithraldur had everything under control). To be perfectly honest I had serious doubts it would work and feared a negative public reaction. The plan did fail and rather than have some fun people took the game very seriously. Didn't eIreland want more fun??? I commend Nithraldur for at least trying to make the game more entertaining for people (and if you consider demands in the past, it was a very valid one)... If you want, throw a spin on that and say Nithraldur was an evil schemer who went behind his country's back for his own psychotic gain, please go ahead.
But We Need Change... Change!
I have said this time and time again: there is only a marginal difference between parties in eIreland, the difference being the personalities that make up them. I am sorry to say there is no ideological divide and anybody who suggests one clearly never studied political science in any dept. Is the ISRP inherently more socialist than the IUP? Nope, we are both populist parties pandering to a widely socialist public. They, just like us, have members with a multitude of political opinions (except we openly embrace them). I challenge somebody to actually point out socialist policies in the ISRP that aren't also in the IUP and vice versa . I read an interesting article recently that stated eIreland is socialist and I have to agree. This is a very stable country (boring considering its just a game...) A status quo has been established here long ago and no amonth of young enthusiasm is going to radically change it. lol just look at all the Congressmen/women with innovative ideas who get shot down simply because they lacked the experience to put it forward for logical debate. D'know some politicians here do this 'trick' which I find hilarious: They make their jobs sound so very complex and overwhelming, people get the illusion they are very active and have so much more knowledge than them so that nobody poses a threat. It is just an illusion and anybody can easily and quickly learn the robes of any role in eIreland (take from somebody who has had many: this is a game not rocket science). People for the most part though are generally happy (maybe even bored) with how things are and as a nation we tend to love the phrase: 'If it Ain't Broke Don't Fix It'.
The role of the President is very limited and much of the success depends upon the performance of the Cabinet (particularly the 'core' ministries) and Congressional approval. In reality, the President is not painting on a blank canvas and simply has to perform administrative functions to ensure the status quo prevails. Who best to do that than an experienced active citizen who knows the job. Sure, we can improve the system gradually by adding on new roles, organizing and creating more opportunities for social interaction, securing deals abroad etc (eIreland has come along way) however I promise you there be no radical change regardless the election outcome. We have yet to see a manifesto in this election (I won't refer the jokes) and I can tell you now manifestos don't make an ounce of difference. Like I mentioned above eIreland has had its fair share of being told the same thing, in slightly different way, every month from the same parties...
What would I change? (Who Asked You Severin...)
I have a dream (just when you taught this article couldn't become more melodramatic... ) Some might assume this would entail the IUP gaining thousands of members and me proclaiming myself as Emperor of the e-world... lol that would be boring and my ego doesn't need gratification from a game (I get that from glorified rants like this aha) No I love competition and a country can only benefit from it politically and economically. Imagine if the smaller parties in eIreland didn't dilute their core beliefs (if they had any fundamentally different ones in the first place) but instead came together to form a coalition to pose a threat to the mainstream parties? Imagine there was no populist parties but instead a definite right and left? Imagine our political culture changed to allow for such a thing and people abandoned their social prejudices and acted out real life ideologies, no matter how dated? (think ICF without the insults) Even if they couldn't be implemented in full I know for sure they are things we can change here and then reverse, debate etc. Imagine something like party loyalty? Imagine how much more important Congress elections would be (right now its just a mix of enthusiasm that eventually dies out and free riders)... I have said in the past you have to make your own fun here however perhaps we can make it more fun for everybody, doing the best we can with the game mechanics we have. For this to happen we would first need more active politically charged citizens (bear in mind I use the words politically charged loosely). Enough of the same boring divides and mundane arguments... Anyway that's just a baffled summary of what I want and I'll post a more detailed and coherent article in the near future (the start of what I hope will be an enlightening crusade).
All eIreland needs at the moment is a top quality politician, who is active and knows what he/she is doing. I can assure you Nithraldur is that politician. I have a lot of respect for Starks Hayter. We practically grew up here at the same time, working side by side sometimes however we choose different, albeit very similar political paths (lol just look at our eRepublik CVs). Our time will come in a future I hope that will allow for some real change and some real political fun! (yay!)
*wonders will anybody read the entire article or just reply to snippets from the top*
As always, thank you kindly for your attention and time,
Severin.
Facebook
Twitter
Discord
Comments
Well, you didn't lose your voice anyway! IUP will have to fork out now for repetitive strain injury claims ;0)
*read it all, and now has to go for a little lie down...it's been a challenging day*
I read the whole thing! Nice article. Voted.
Great article severin. You are a credit to the IUP, as is Nith.
Best of luck. 🙂
I read it all and agree with you but I still feel Nith is only running for the shake of competition and the previous manifestos I'd say about 50% has been implemented in the past two month and that's why we need change.
I like your idea about the third partys putting on a united front and challenging for the Presidentcy
And personally I feel you would have made a better CP candidate this month.
Hmm.. IUP are actually full of Captialists you all have captialists ideas you dont have any Socalist in you IUP. Well if you disagree fair enough.
Thanks for the tremendous support Severin, much appreciated 🙂
Cheers
Actually Ian, we have capitalists, socialists, pacifists, war-mongers, apologists(that's for you Sean Power ;0) right-wingers, left-wingers, fence-sitters, silent and mysterious ones, and a couple of constitutional monarchists crazy for a crown(And the parties and champagne that might bring)
Confusing for some, appealing for many. But we have had a rather disjointed month, that cannot be denied.
So I do disagree, but I'm glad that will be considered fair enough.
I also think that Starks and Co. have worked very hard at uniting everyone else, so it should be a rather interesting month ahead of us all.
Yes, Grainne I see you at the boxing match 😉.
"Why has Nithraldur been elected so many times in past? The answer is simple: the eIrish public was happy with his performance on more than one occasion and if elected he will perform again."
With all due respect,there must be a reason as to why almost every party has run against IUP and Nithraldur for the second month running.
IUP just has a large number of members who vote on election days for their party and don't really care who the candidates are.
Of course all parties have members like this but more so in IUP because it's the largest party when these people decide which party to click vote for 3 times a month.
And republicans thinking you stand for uniting Ireland also.
Which means that campaign or no campaign,Nith is already guaranteed a portion of votes from IUP,a fairly large one at that.
My compliments on yet another well written article.
Just what Ireland needs! A President who doesn't care enough about the job to even campaign! That way, if he wins, he doesn't have to attempt to keep ANY promises at all!
3 terms is a long time, and anyone would lose interest. It REALLY is time for change this time.
Right, since there is no difference between the eIrish parties you may as well vote for Nith because hes currently there and if it aint broke dont fix it.
Thanks for the kind words.
@Top Gun While I appreciate your compliments on my skills as a journalist I don't think the majority of eIrish voters are mindless drones.
@Michael Collins I appreciate your concerns. Nithraldur hasn't campaigned because I nominated him too late and he hasn't changed his stance on policies since last month. Change? Have you seen the opposition's campaign lol?
3 terms might have been enough to make you lose interest Michael (truth be told I'd probably be the same) but Nithraldur would welcome the chance to dedicate himself to the job for a fourth time, just as much as he dedicated himself to eIreland thus far.
@Darragh lol what a very liberal take on my article. That wasn't the message behind it anyway. Let me ask you, what do I honestly have to gain from the outcome of this election? Infact, Starks winning would probally help my chances at getting elected CP if I ever choose to run in the future...
Nith doesn't do ANYTHING besides clicking the attack button when the USA asks him to. It wasn't too late to campaign, or to pick a candidate that will actually do something and hasn't obviously lost interest.
Release Brian
Oh, and the fake war wasn't Nith's idea, he just agreed to it.
Our opinions on Nithraldur and his term in office are clearly very different Collins.
Release Roger!
A very thorough take, Sev. Starks I too respect, but honestly, I know very little of his intentions - and this would probably worry me if I were an average citizen standing at the voting booth. But good luck to both.
"It depicts the IUP's strength as a party"
No, it means everyone else is fed up with you.
If the IUP were strong, they'd be the ones with the rest of the parties' support.
By the way, check the Dáil seats score, I think you'll find a distinct fact: the ISRP is firmly the largest party. Considering you are facing the same opposition (Well, I'm on board with the ISRP now, but that's not the issue), you should have GAINED seats by your rationale, not lost them.
nice article severin, I like the way you wrote it. good job
Interesting write up. Thank you for going into so much depth, it has helped me learn a bit more about this great nation.
I think it simply irked some people why IUP has been so quiet, as we must be up to something evil.
Oh, and Sev, I like your style.
I don't think smaller parties are fed up with me Brian. I always admired smaller parties here and have never had any quarrels with them. Despite what some might think, the IUP wishes to cooperate with other parties and not dispute with them.
Regarding Congress seats, lol Congress seats change every month. We got a lot more votes in that election the reason it didn't translate into seats was because the IUP was missing their PP at the time (my fault).
@Kol, I like YOUR style.
Oh, and Sev's too..though its changed somewhat overnight ;0)
I rather like my own style these days too, camouflage fatigues, but so hard to get a matching handbag in Northest. *sighs*
We all have much respect for Nith's experience and leadership ability. The fact of the matter, however, is that this administration has done nothing positive for the country except continue what the previous administration started. We are treading water when, in the hands of a forward thinking CP, I know we could grow in great ways. I know Starks well and believe he is that man.
As I determine where I stand on issues, this article has brought alot to light for me (as well as seeing the "other side" and reading the snippy comments of others). Great Article & Discussion...
The IUP had everything going for it until it got a little to big for its boots! Cannot understand how the entire party allows an elite few to make massive decisions in the name of all its members, simple because they feel there experience gives them the right to do so! Nith is awesome as a president but that does not mean it gets to do what he feels is in the best interests of us all. The IUP.. glad to be out STARKS 4 PREZ !!!!!
@ Elementor You claim that the IUP has gotten too big for it's boots, and allows an elite few to make the big decisions,I just wonder how your party leader (or whatever Starks is)is the only person we hear from at all in your party and makes all of the big decisions. The party may be big but Starks seems to have gotten too big for HIS boots and doesn't seem to let anyone else do anything. Just my (Rather Large) 2 cents.