Kalistani Major History

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Exclusive Interview:  Van Wyck to become next PremierSocialists agree to remain in government despite shuffling
Kaliburg, Ananto
November 28, 4415


The Socialist Party Speaker, Georgia Van Wyck set to become Premier of the Republic in new Grand Coalition

Despite a failed endorsement for President, the Socialist Party of Kalistan made an important Gain in ensuing Government negotiations.  Speaker for the Socialist  Party, Georgia Van Wyck is set to become the next Premier of the Republic, and as a result, will have a major hand in setting the Government's Agenda.  Van Wyck was surprised by the nomination, as she stated in Izquierda's exclusive interview with the incoming Premier.

H(oward) G(reaves, of Izquierda):  We are here with the next Premier of the Republic, Georgia Van Wyck.

(Speaker) G(eorgia) V(an) W(yck):  Yes you are.

HG:  Comrade Van Wyck, you have been named to the Premiership.  What was your initial reaction?

GVW:  I was surprised.  The negotiator I sent to talk to the President certainly did not indicate that this was going to happen, and I wanted him to promote military modernization.  Instead, someone, I think it was the Conservative negotiator, put the SP up for the Premiership, and the President agreed.  So, that's how that went down.  I certainly wasn't asking for it.

HG:  But according to the Prerogative, you are the leader of the largest Non-Presidential Party in the Government Coalition.  Many of your Party believe you should have taken the office six years ago.

GVW:  The Right was the majority in the Coalition back then.  There's no way I could do that job successfully under those circumstances.

HG:  What is your agenda for the next three years?

GVW:  We are working with the Workers' Front and the National Conservatives to try to get some of these shuttered industries reopened.  The Liberals' paper said everyone is complaining about how the economy is so terrible.  That is not true.  The economy is at about the same place as it was when they privatized everything.  The promised bonanza never materialized, because, lets be honest:  Why would it?  But the one thing which HAS been hurt is the Republic's ability to build things for itself.  We have been propping up these industries for hundreds of years in some cases, and sudden and radical divestment led to costs which made basically every divested property immediately go into the red.  Some people tried to keep them running for a time, but let's be completely honest:  While they were nationalized, they made money because they were heavily subsidized and had a guaranteed buyer.  We only produced the stuff we needed, and the companies then could sell surplus VERY inexpensively, as a way of improving Kalistani exports. 

Without those subsidies, they are operating on market principles.  They bear all the costs themselves.  And they just can't make it.  They have to find buyers for their products, and market forces force prices down for them so they don't make enough money to keep their operations running.  They shutter some of the operation, lay off workers, and can't make enough to supply the Republic, let alone export.  So they lose more money compared to what they were making, they fall back into the red, are sold off piece by piece, and gradually, lose whatever competitive edge that they had before when their manufacturing costs were underwritten by the Republic and could focus on making money and making things which were needed and used by the Republic.

So we would like to see those industries reopened as soon as possible, in the interest of our national security, and restored to public control.  We would like to work with the Conservatives and The President to find a way to compromise on this.

HG:  What other plans, besides restoring national industries, do you have?

GVW:  We were handed the Defense Ministry as well.  We will finally begin modernization of the Military, in line with national strategic doctrine.  We now have three Partisan militias fully mobilized, and I have not heard an update on the Liberal Militia, but it is clear that The Parties are taking their role in the defense of the Nation seriously.  Combined with a modernized Regular Force, we should be able to easily defend the Republic and once more restore our traditional role of Guarantor of the Anantonese Ocean.  I'd also like to work with ODEN to expand the Cartel.  We have already made some advances.  Kalopia is ratifying the Treaty, and We expect that Telamon will do so as well now that Liberals have taken over up there.  A stronger ODEN is beneficial to all Cartel Members.  Finally, we would like to work with various Kalistani entrepreneurs to generate new private sector opportunities, well outside of the various sectors that can and should be returned to the public sector.  This includes creation of more consumer goods as well as expansion of the service sector in Kalistan.  Combined with strong worker protections, a vital service sector firmly in the hands of private owners can take up some of the slack in the job market created by the kneecapping of the NSP after privatization.

HG:  Do you have any words for the Patriots, who were left out of the cabinet?

GVW:  I instructed my negotiator to fight for Patriot inclusion in the cabinet.  I think we could find common ground to work together on national defense and so forth.  And I believe the national security aspect of the nationalizations would be fairly persuasive, if we can make concessions else where.  We can still try to find ways to work together on moving some of the Patriots' Agenda, if they work with us on ours.  Apparently, the unwillingness of the Patriots and the Conservatives to work together precluded their participation in the Government, but there is no reason that we can't reason with them.

HG:  Thank you for these few moments, Comrade Premier.

GVW:  I am always happy to talk to the Izquierda.