Rildanor

[Drax]

UFR UNCERTAIN ABOUT LOCALIZATION
 
L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT
 
National Assembly,  April 14,  5736:  After a meeting with leaders of the Union Federale Radicale  (UFR) legislative delegation, Premier Paul-Henri Doumerc was asked by L’EXAMINATEUR HERAUT what they discussed, and he replied:
 

Two things really. Obviously we are all concerned UFR is losing popularity. We have concluded that on the whole it is not distaste for UFR but attraction to other parties that is costing us followers.  For now, we are emphasizing getting serious about our ground game of identifying and turning out our base and not trying to rebrand ourselves as something we are not either through advertising or changing our legislative stance. 
 
The other issue is what do we want to localize.  Traffic control obviously; national defense obviously not.  We have held ourselves out as favoring more local control but are finding that as we address specific issues we are developing rifts among the UFR.
 
For instance, on rent control we opted for local control under the theory one size does not fit all and communities are more able to determine the need and tailor actual numbers to that need. But many worry that some communities will have leadership that will not bother because of indifference. The bottom line on this issue is UFR feels rent control may be necessary by somebody to protect access to shelter for our citizens.
 
Another issue that has come up is personal conduct.  On the whole UFR tends to think that should be a local matter, but when prostitution and pornography came up so did health and safety and abuse and exploitation of the weak and vulnerable. 
 
Three positions have support in the UFR. Always give localization a try. Forget that, centralize. And sort it out issue by issue on whether local government is really likely to be able to handle it.  The third view is were we still are but quite frankly we may well adopt a different position.

Premier Doumerc