Quote:1)  Continued close association with the Labour Party.
2)  Continued promotion of excellent relations with Kalistan's neighbors.
3)  A modernization of Kalistan's armed and naval forces.
4)  Divestment of the Kalistani National Ferry Service
5)  Government reform as needed
6)  Continued strong protection of National Industries, National Service, and Labor rights
7)  Continued Kalistani Neutrality
8)  A re-authorization of the Kalistani Republican Security Bureau, and the appointment of a new Director of Republican Security
9)  Continued work on Constitutional Reform

Quote:"I have sent to the Speaker of the SP, a number of draft bills that I would like the Government to work on this term.  These, all taken together, are known as the National Modernization Initiative.  This initiative is a comprehensive effort at updating our nation's resources for a new generation.  In this initiative, I have asked the Speaker to move bills which modernize the Nation's Armed forces, both at land and at sea to take advantage of updated technology, which will make our fighting forces more effective in their primary role as Home Defense.  We will employ cyb...  excuse me...  cyber technology to give us an edge usually only enjoyed by the major powers.  We will focus primarily on development of our rotory wing assets, which provide critical close air support for troops on the ground, and will put money behind building a new class of destroyer to patrol our waterways.  In addition, the old LAFA vessels will be replaced by newer fast attack craft which will guarantee us flexibility on the high seas.  All told, the aim is at saving costs.  I intend for this modernization to allow the Finance Minister to trim the Defense Budget by 5%, even after the updates are made, just in increased efficiency.

"The National Standing Force will not be the only thing we are working to bring up to date.  I would like the Speaker to push hard on divestment of the National Ferry Company which travels between Ananto and the Mainland.  My Party's leadership pushed this bill to create a redundancy in the market, with the aim of putting the private operators out of business.  At the time, the National Ferry Company made sense, but I think this money would be used more intelligently by expansion of air links between Ananto and the Mainland, and this is where I would like my Party to focus their efforts.  The National Ferry Company has outlived its usefulness, and should be divested immediately.  Sales of the publicly held portions of the stock should fund expansion of airports on the mainland, and the construction of new air links within Ananto, so that the modernization effort will remain revenue neutral.  Once the Company is divested, we will see a return of several million rubles to the General Fund every year.

"Finally, I would like to see a bill increasing public investment in infrastructure and strategic mineral production.  We can work out the details of this, but updating the infrastructure of Kalistan has been a stated goal of our Administration, and now I hope the Government will move forward on this.  I especially want to see open and unused spaces like this, sat on for decades by absentee landlords, brought under cultivation.  Give our new support for industrialized hemp production under regulation, I would like the Government to provide subsidies for farmers who would like to switch their crops from relatively unprofitable crops to crops that there is a guaranteed market for, things such as hemp.  We understand it is expensive to retool, both in ag and in Industry, and the Republic of Kalistan is in a position to help, should private producers want to make the shift.  This will not involve any new nationalization:  The goal is to put some money behind private production, so that the people of Kalistan benefit.

"I look forward to legislation supporting this initiative within the next six months, so it can be voted on before my term is over in a year and a half."

Quote:When I was lecturing young people, I would look around and see a room full of bright, young and excited people staring back at me. I knew that everybody I was teaching would have the opportunity, once they left our establishment, to head out into the world and fulfil their potential, to achieve their ambitions. Yet, as time went on I became aware that this wasn't necessarily a guaranteed and universal truth. As more and more parties in Kalistan began to emerge, the way of life which many of us here today take for granted came under threat. I stood for election because I wanted to join the fight to defend that way of life. In fact, I felt it was my duty to join the fight to defend that way of life!

Quote:Let me begin by saying that there can be no doubt- these results are a disappointment. To everybody involved in Kalistan's Labour movement, this is a signal that we now face a huge uphill battle. The Labour Party will ensure that it is firmly on the frontline of that battle, fighting as hard as we can to ensure that Rushmoore and his gang of fascists do not completely erode Kalistan's precious institutions. The record is quite clear- the Conservative Independence Party does not care one bit about the people of Kalistan, it doesn't care about their freedom, their prosperity or their democracy. It is now the role of the Labour Party, as well as our friends in the Socialist Party, to ensure that these are protected from the CIP's attack.

If our party is to be prepared for this attack, though, we must first be united. I know there are still some within Labour, perhaps some in front of me today, who resent my leadership. They might say I'm a Socialist Party agent or that I am just an undercover Communist. Whatever they say, they do not want me as leader. For these people, the results today represent an opportunity to de-throne me, to destabilise and to undermine me. Kalistan's loss is, in essence, their gain. So let me be unambiguous when I say that I will remain as leader of the Labour Party. I would be a complete failure as a leader if I were to step down now, when this nation needs me the most.

Undoubtedly, this won't stop those who really wish to see me gone and it would be foolish of me to think this but I am being wholly and utterly serious when I say that Kalistan is in danger. If the Labour Party allows itself to turn its gaze inwards, away from the government, then that government will wreak havoc on the lives of the most vulnerable citizens in Kalistan. If Labour members genuinely care about our cause then they should unite and prepare for the fight of their lives over the next three years. In the meantime, I will continue in my role as Premier- working for the people of Kalistan.

Quote:I(zquierda reporter Floris):  Speaker Carrangus, the SP-Labour Coalition endured the first electoral defeat last month in two decades.  To what do you attribute this defeat?

C(arrangus-Howard):  Drugs.

I:  Excuse me, Comrade.  You said drugs?  Would you elaborate?

C:  Yes, Drugs.  Of course I am being facetious.  Polling demonstrates a nearly universal support for the Drug policy of the Government, and the Conservatives harping on this issue certainly doesn't do them any favors.  Drugs will always be legal in Kalistan:  I don't think the people will tolerate any significant departure in that policy.  But you see, the DFA going defunct right after the last election and the returning to pull just enough seats from the SP and the LP is what caused our defeat at the polls this time.  Its how the system works.  I would like to point out that while the Left Coalition lost the Presidency, we only barely lost it.  We won on the first ballot but the Right picked up enough support from the MPoK on the second ballot that Labour lost by 3 points.  Good news for the Conservatives, but not nearly good enough to claim a mandate, and their gains were not matched in the Assembly.  That's how it goes.

I:  You seem rather sanguine about being out of power for the first time in two centuries.  What is the secret of your serenity?

C:  Drugs...

I:  Ahem...

C:  In all honesty, I put my faith in Kalistan's institutions.  The Conservatives now get to learn what it is like to rule.  They are already off to a rocky start, having to form a coalition with enough Assembly members in it to form a legislative majority, and finding out that one Party that they need to join has voted against the President's proposal.  I have no idea what they will do in this event, but as long as the Monarchists stay out, there will be no new government.  When one is on the outside, it is easy to find fault with the Institutions.  But when you find yourself in charge of the institutions, you have nobody to blame.  The Conservatives will both learn how much of a balancing act is necessary to govern effectively, but this is also a trial by fire:  they will either learn to rest on the Institutions of Kalistan or they will fail.  I imagine that after governing for even one term, they will learn to appreciate the foundation that our Institutions provide to those who have to govern.  And Kalistan will be stronger as a result.

I:  So you do not intend to oppose the Conservative Coalition?

C:  If we can find constructive things to work on together, why would I?  But if they continue on their previous course and attempt to undermine ODEN or try to promote Ananto Independence again, or change Presidential Prerogative, or whatever wacky ideas they have tried to run up the flagpole in the past, the SP is in the opposition, and cannot be faulted for opposing them.  The Conservatives came on board with the Modernization initiatives, all three of them.  They voted for institutions, and their voice provided needed input into the system.  Same with the DFA:  They also supported the President's plan for divestment.  Both Parties demonstrated that they can be responsible political actors.  So if they propose reasonable legislation now that they are in power, there is no reason that the SP can't lend its votes to their policies.  Given the apparent Monarchist "No" vote on their cabinet bill, it looks like they will need all the help they can get.

I:  So no acrimony for the hell they gave the Left over the last 20 years?

C:  You're stirring a pot, Comrade.  No acrimony.  But we are not going to help them destroy our National Industries, or ODEN, or the Constitutional Rights of the President.  They are going to have to move those mountains themselves.

I:  Shifting gears here, what is the SP's agenda in the Districts?

C:  In the Districts where the SP is in control, nothing changes.

I:  You are referring to Ananto, Odufaray and Suldanor.  When you say nothing changes, what exactly do you mean?

C:  I mean, nothing changes.  Currently, District Assemblies are passing bills which will ensure that any institutions undermined at the National Level will be continued by District Governments.  So if we lose ODEN at the national Level, Ananto ODEN, Odufaray ODEN and Suldanor ODEN continue to operate, and unless nationalized, the Regular Forces and the Militia in each of those Districts will execute the laws of the District Governments.  These powers are powers of the District Government Act, which the Conservatives themselves supported.

I:  And in the Districts that the SP does not control?

C:  We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

I:  This will likely not sit well with the National Government, of course.

C:  We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

I:  One final Question.  Are there any plans to host a cultural festival exposition during the next three years?

C:  I am not aware of any planning along those lines.  Though, I think if something like that were to come up, the SP would certainly support it.  The art expos of old have pretty much disappeared in Kalistan since the beginning of the Century.  I don't think it would be too hard to bring it back and invite artists from other countries to show case their work.    But when the Right takes over the Foreign Ministry, that will be their job to promote.  The SP is not in power anymore, and we have an election to prepare for. 

I:  Thank you for your time, Comrade Speaker.

C:  It has been a pleasure.  Oh-  And tell your readers that the SP is hosting this year's Gan-Jam in High Bong.  Some kids from up there wrote in and offered us the opportunity to sponsor the Concert, and as it is the first time we were invited, of course I had to say "Yes".  I will be hanging out at the ODEN tent, and the DJ Rah Sol, who you all may not know is a good SPer and a good Brethren up in Neveras, will MC.  I think The Killer Crowes will be headlining:  I've never heard their music, but I am told they are a quite popular with folks your age, so I look forward to checking them out too.

I:  Will do, Comrade.  Peace.

C:  Peace.

Quote:When I said I wanted to be president, I was laughed at. The media said I would be weak and basically not capable. Well I am. The people have spoken and they want a CIP president. There is a lot of work to be done and a lot of things to be thought about but slowly we will unravel the Left's policies which have created an economy free from opposition and free from challenge and opportunity. We want to change that. We want to change the fact that thousands are dying a day due to loose drug laws and we want to change the justice system. Thank you for giving me this great responsibility to change Kalistan for the better.

Quote:It is an extremely difficult situation to operate in, needless to say. It is far from ideal for the government to be completely unaware of how long they will be required to do their jobs for but we're working hard behind the scenes to ensure that everything continues to run seamlessly. From a Labour Party point of view, we've submitted several pieces of legislation to try and secure votes for the next election, whenever that might take place. In terms of our involvement in a cabinet, we have made clear to the Conservatives that we would only work with them if it was in a 'unity' capacity. By this we mean, in co-operation with all other parties.

Quote:"Politics makes strange bedfellows, I suppose.  But I want to establish, as an enduring legacy, a respect for the institutions of Kalistan.  It seems that our stalwart support for the Dual Economy has won over some new supporters.  Our unending support for the prerogatives of the President has convinced some people to change their opinion on this matter...  I don't think that us helping the President in this matter signals any movement away from our friends and comrades in Labour:  Our vote was for the office of the President, and has nothing really whatsoever to do with the man who occupies it."

Quote:"The Conservatives won the last election over Comrade Singh.  This is the nature of elections.  But the one-two from the Left, both with the nationalization acts as well as the Prison Abolition Act, which we are currently reintroducing in the Assembly, ensures that the Left, while technically in the Minority, can still pull legislation together, and can still oppose some of the harshest of plans that the Conservatives have for Kalistan.  There are enough swing votes in the center to ensure that we do not go too far one way or another, while maintaining the institutions of the country.  On that note, we hereby repeat our call for a New Constitutional Court.  When one is called, the SP will be suing the Conservative Party over their proposal to establish secret military labs designed to study nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry in contravention to our laws.  We want a precedent that RP acts cannot directly contradict existing laws."