Quote:The Socialist Party has repeatedly treated the people of Kalistan like characters in their own little computer game, to be manipulated and experimented on at will. It is now time for them to put up or shut up and demonstrate that they have the capacity to form a functioning government. I will no longer tolerate their hyperbole, tomfoolery and politic nonsense.

Quote:"And then we read in Lodamun's paper that Kalistan is overestimating its importance in the NSTOC.  The Minister pointed out that we represented less than 5% of the operating company capital.  Well-  they have their opinion, but we have the facts.  Obviously, the Minister missed the fact that our passage of the treaty included an ongoing, yearly commitment to the Train operating company from our national surplus of 20 billion rubles a year.  Unless other countries have similarly contributed at the same level as Kalistan, which is entirely possible, then the drafts we have been sending to Lodamun have been either misappropriated or ignored entirely.  But someone cashed those checks.  So it may be incumbent upon us to ask Lodamun to audit its train operating company, if it maintains that despite the initial purchase of stock representing 21% of the company's capital at the outset and then for eighty years plus of annual contributions, we represent a mere pittance of the company's interest. 

"The Minister puts this action on spite:  As if apparently Lodamun is so important to us that we should deliberately work against our own economic interests just to stick it to them.  Framing our withdrawal from their treaty in these terms is pretty typical of Kalistan-Lodamun relations, and is totally expected.  But no matter:  Our concern returns once more to the question of fiduciary responsibility. When the treaty was passed, our contribution represented the acquisition of the second greatest percentage of the shares of the company.  It was our explicit goal to be among the largest players in the Train Operating Company.  And since we have not seen an annual accounting of the shares sold or additional investment from the board, we think that this is the least to ask the Minister. 

"At the end of the day, we are writing off those losses-  they are at this point unrecoverable, and furthermore, since we have seen no public financial accounting or even any attempt by other countries save one to buy into the company after Kalistan, we have to assume that any additional investment in the NSTOC would be a complete waste of money.  Especially since we have an alternative vehicle to invest in Northern Selayan development known as the the North Selayan Economic Community, which Lodamun, for all of its claims of being interested in development of Selaya, conveniently has opted to not join.  We will happily write off our losses to the TOC, and be done with it.

"We wish Lodamun would adopt a less hostile attitude toward its neighbors, and perhaps at some point in the future we will have the opportunity to discuss the regularly belligerent position it takes toward Kalistan at seemingly random intervals.  But now is not the time.  I look forward to, and will personally relish my role in disconnecting Lodamun's rail network from Kalistan's."

Quote:H(eidi) J(ones):  Thank you for speaking with us today.  I understand you are quite busy.

F(rieda) C(arrangus):  It's no problem.  Today we are here to encourage our Ambassadors as they get ready to depart on the next leg of their campaign.  We want them to go off knowing they have the full support of Kalistan, and in fact, much of the world behind them.

HJ:  The questions I want to ask you today are about Lodamun.

FC:  Oh... here we go...  Alright then, ask away.

HJ:  Alright, the Lodamun Press accuses Kalistan of "bullying" Lodamun, a statement which seems to reflect the words of the Lodamese Foreign Minister and the Minister of Industry and Trade.

FC:  Excuse me- it is rather hilarious to think that we are bullying the 'great' and 'might' Lodamun.  I suppose we should be acquiescent to their overlordship of Northern Selaya and work for their interests, as their friends in Baltusia do.  It is true that Kalistan's currency is expressed as a fraction of the Lodamese Dollar:  It is commonly accepted that the Lodamun Dollar is the strongest currency and has traditionally been used as the unit of measurement for international economic comparisons.  It is also pretty widely accepted that Lodamun is more highly economically developed than Kalistan is.  So I must assume that this is a fairly terrible attempt at comedy on the part of the Lodamese.  But let me say-  the difference between being funny and being vicious is the difference between punching up and punching down.  I am guessing the Ministers do not know that difference, if they suggest that we are bullying them.

HJ:  It would appear that the Trade Minister from Lodamun has suggested that Kalistan is guilty of bribery, and that more than 1.6 trillion rubles in payments over eight decades were made to some "powerless officials at the NTSOC." According to the Minister, your Government is upset that it is not getting anything for those bribes.  How do you respond?

FC:  Well, that's a fairly sweet bribe.  1.6 trillion rubles over 80 years!  Think of the social welfare in Lodamun we paid for.  If this is indeed the case and we have paid lowlevel bureaucrats 1.6 trillion rubles over four generations, then we have done far more to directly underwrite the prosperity of Lodamese society than any such institution as the Train Operating Company.  If it was bribes, how has 1.6 TRILLION rubles slipped silently into the Lodamese economy without the Government knowing it?  Seeing it?  How has the Lodamese Economy stayed afloat this entire time if we were adding 1.6 trillion rubles to the Lodamese Economy?  Have they realized double digit inflation?  Because that would be the effect of financial intervention on this level, if indeed it is the case that we are funding the informal economy in Lodamun.

But the Minister is betting that the readers are stupid.  If indeed Kalistan's payments were actually received, then the charges of the Minister are outrageous.  And if it was a bribe, this shows an 80 year long history of corruption which NSTOC leadership MUST have known about.  It's gone on for eighty years! EIGHTY YEARS!  How many administrations have come and gone in that time?  We have had generations in Kalistan pass in that period of time.  If indeed we were paying bribes and getting away with it this whole time, then the whole organization is corrupt to the core.

But the word Bribe did not come from me.  The words of the Minister were:  'It is likely that Kalistan bribed powerless officials from the NSTOC, and is upset that they weren't able to return any solid favours in exchange for the bribes.'  So the acknowledgement of even the probability of bribes, going on over 80 years is just completely astounding.

HJ:  Do you have a response for the Minister with regard to the discussions between then Minister Fertig and FM Bhatacharia?

FC:  I have nothing to add.  The Republic covered the events fairly extensively (here and here) at the turn of the last century.  I think the Foreign Minister accurately reflected Kalistan's position in the whole thing, so I have nothing to add.  As for now, I thought we had been getting on fairly well with Lodamun, but I suppose not.  Anyhow-  we have bigger fish to fry.  The Treaty Withdrawal appears to be on its way through the Assembly, and Lodamun appears to have never had any intention to vote for us for Seat C.  So that is pretty much it-  I can't imagine what more there is to say about them.  We hope they get their financials straight, before other countries discover anything odd in the operations of the TOC.  If there was deep corruption as a result of Kalistan's contributions, you can bet there are people siphoning off money from other accounts as well.

HJ:  Finally, with this disagreement affect Kalistani trade into Lodamun?

FC:  No, not at all.  Kalistan still exports all of its national products to any buyers, whether the country supports fair trade or not.  We notice that Lodamun is generally supportive of Kalistan's drug policies.  And we are perfectly happy to continue to import the supply to meet the Lodamese people's demands, whatever the position of the Government of Lodamun.

HJ:  Thank you Comrade Premier.

FC:  My pleasure, Comrade.

Quote:"We would like to take this opportunity to announce a change in our policy on exclusive membership.  The National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party passed a resolution at their January meeting which acknowledged the changes in membership in the Labour Party.  In response to Labour's unilateral decision to permit dual membership with the SP, the NEC has agreed to provide reciprocity for membership.  Henceforth, all members of the Socialist Party are also entitled to maintain dual membership in the Labour Party as well.  Additionally, the dues paid by dual members shall be set at which ever Party has the lower dues structure, or 10 Rubles, if the LP does not collect dues.  This is a considerable savings on the 175 Rubles which is currently the dues for rank and file members of the SP.  These changes are designed to promote a general left wing agenda in Kalistan's government, as well as to encourage fraternity between our two Parties.  Dual members will be permitted to build a new factional caucus within the Socialist Party of Kalistan to keep their separate political leanings. 

"We expect that many SPers will rush to adopt dual membership, especially due to the reduction in dues for dual members, and those ideologues who can't see a way to adopt the more general leftist identity can continue to maintain separate political identity.  These changes passed through the NEC unanimously and will be ratified by the Convention in October of 4106.  Thank you."