The Senate Daily Life: Living by Alternative Facts

[Beta Test]

CTA volunteers and activists put up signs and posters all over the constituency and the country, as Michael Ferreira hands out pamphlets and talks to local citizens.

[Malgrave]

Maabara At-Large

Across Maabara campaign workers are seen putting up posters in support of Shim Seo-yon listing her plans to construct affordable housing and establish a proper national energy network. After putting up the posters and doing a bit of local canvassing the campaign team also carried out a bit of phone banking for Senator Bell, Senator Smith and Senator Kelth.

[The Nation of the People of the Nation]

A new round of adds for John Smith hits the air.

"Vote John Smith, for a politician that does not only run attack adds against their opponents."

[Collatis]

[United Provinces of Atlantica]

16 May, 2017
Southern New Guernsey, Fernão

The thick, dark clouds, bleeding deep after the end of the 'dry' season in the rainforests and on the cusp of the Monsoon season, covered the tropical sky and hid the Sun from the lands. The winds chilled the lands, as did the rains, yet the Sun's nevertheless blazed through the clouds and the rain to the lands, an effect only coupled by the immense humidity of Southwestern Fernão. Yet as uncomfortable as the scene may be for the individuals in the open air of Southern New Guernsey, whether due to the heat or the rains, the crowd remained gathered in the open air venue. They could easily return to their tin roofs, try as could be, yet their convictions far outweighed petty concerns of the weather and the climate. These convictions were personal in addition to being ideological and personal, for they had gathered for a man who was in equal parts popular in Southern New Guernsey for all he had done for the toiling masses and the oppressed in the lands he had once ruled, and for the immense cult of personality that had been built around him during his rule, his earlier years in particular: Iyasu Isaias Mengistu. The relatively large crowd, cheering as he walked upon the staged, flanked by bodyguards from the Fernãoense Peoples Democratic Front, eagerly listened as he began to speak:

"Good people of Mew Guernsey, it is with great delight and ecstasy that I greet you today. I do not address you as the dictatorial leader of the Fernãoense Socialist Republic, nor do I address you as the military commander of the armed forces in this area. Rather, I solely address you as a fellow proletarian, equal in both law and fact, striving for a more just and equitable Fernão. The peoples of all Fernão, many amongst them in New Guernsey and gathered here today, saw it fit to elect Vishal Vig, despite the best efforts of those insidious enemies of democracy and Fernão that sought to rig the vote in favour of Priscilla Krishnan, and I have nothing but thanks for their decision. Yet this has not been enough to fight against those capitalist and imperialist forces that seek to hurt and crush Fernão. For too long, our fair isles have been plagued by crushing inequality between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, and the sycophants of the bourgeoisie at the Capitol have done nothing to rectify this situation. The energy and minerals of Fernão remain exploited by imperialist corporations; our nation remains a neocolony. Although the lot of trade unions has drastically improved under the new Government, the rights of labour remain weakly-protected. High-ranking officers of the dictatorship, who perpetrated war crimes and other crimes against humanity in defense of tyranny, serve as high-ranking members and leaders in Pro Patria and the Civic Union. Perhaps most glaring of all, the lands of our wondrous isles, which were created for and used for eons by the common species of the world and not created by any individual, remain the so-called 'property' of those who steal it and impoverish the penniless tenant farmer and sharecropper.

I stand against all of these injustices, and my opposition to injustice is the foundation of my ideology: socialism. Only I, as a socialist, stand against the bourgeoisie and imperialists that occupy our land and steal from Fernão what is rightfully hers, and stand for the inalienable rights of the proletariat. My opponent, Mr. Samuel Bencoster, has claimed to stand for the proletarian, of course. He has claimed that the greatest thing holding the toiling baker down is the fact that "Life Skills" are not a standard education subject in Fernão, but little could be further from the truth, for it is plainly obvious for all to see what really holds the baker down. It is the vicious landlord that charges higher and higher rents for the baker and his family to live in a hovel he did not build. It is the farmowner little reformed from the feudal lords of old that sell foods at higher and higher prices; not to benefit their toiling farmers but rather to buy new yachts and gilded palaces. It is the plump corrupt politician, the sycophant of the bourgeoisie, that refuses to supply adequate water and other infrastructure because such funds would require a raise in their preciously-low taxes. The solution to the predicaments the baker and so many others are in is, of course, socialism. Only socialism shall return the land to those whom it rightfully belongs to; the Fernãoense people. Only socialism shall feed our people at a just price. Only socialism shall erase the rents that unjustly swindle the baker. Only socialism shall free the toiling industrial labourer from exploitation by the bosses.

My opponent has also stated that he is, and I quote, the candidate who shall “turn our district into a place of hope and liberty.” He could barely be farther from the truth! Hope and liberty are prized ideals, to be sure, but corporate sycophants such as him are not fit to serve the good citizens of New Guernsey. What is the greatest crusher of hope but the all-consuming capitalist system that generates hopelessness about the future for all the proletariat and lumpenproletariat? Who is the greatest violator of liberty in Fernão those would deny all Fernãoense freedom from starvation, or thirst, or homelessness? Who is the greatest violator of liberty but those would dominate the lives of the proletariat and crush them. Liberty and hope are noble ideals, but such ideals can only be fully realised by socialism.

[...] Comrades, it is my dearest hope that you and al other voters realise the fact that I am the sole candidate in this election to stand for Fernão and her people. Good night to all true Fernãoense, and may the lives of all proletarians be changed for the better! Workers of the world, unite!"

[Tectonix]

---

Viel Responds to Ferreira in Speech at Police Station

---

YESTERDAY, Senate candidate Michael Ferreira (CTA) gave a speech at a rally in a farmer's hall. The main notion of his speech was the failure of the incumbent RGA government, a talking point that has been continually parodied across numerous platforms, most loudly Civic Union candidates. Ferreira's opponent, Alexios Viel (RGA), recently had his campaign institute a GOTV programme across the entire constituency, with volunteers already mobilised in the cities and small towns across the region. Mr. Ferreira has also enacted his own programmes.

Speaking at a rural police station, Viel took the stage to a polite smattering of applause. The event was voluntary to attend and open to the public — however, there was significant turnout among the policemen and women, as well as their families. Due to it being a rural area, the policemen were, to a high degree, farmers as well, and many in the public audience were too. "Thank you, thank you very much for taking the time out of your very busy days of protecting us to be with me today. Now, I'd like to give a quick shout-out to the police commissioner for allowing me to be here today — he was very kind to me and my staff, and at least for myself, I know how hard that can sometimes be." He finished the sentence with a smile and a wink, which drew some laughter and applause from the audience.

"Now, let's get straight to the headlines. My opponent, Michael Ferreira—"

He was interrupted by a few boos, but he rose his hand to silence them. "No no, my friends. Save your disapproval for election day." The crowd nodded in their approval, with a handful of whoops.

"As I was saying, my opponent recently held a rally down at one of our local farmers' halls. Now, I'd like to disclose that I am very thankful for Mr. Ferreira for not attacking me personally — I have done this before, and I now understand how bad it is for you, the people of our great country. Politics is about compromise and results, not petty hissy fits that I have worked hard on avoiding now that the RGA Party Administrator race is over."

"Mr. Ferreira introduced quite a lot of talking points in his speech, mostly echoing my previous points that my party has not done enough to help the people of this country. He also mentioned that many public services are not being funded correctly, and that workplace/employment affairs, along with the protection of unions, have been ignored. He went on to mention how his party, the CTA, has a number of priorities like establishing agricultural protections and investments into infrastructure."

"All of this is pretty great, right?" Many in the audience voiced their approval. "Yeah, it sure is — there's just one problem. All of these things the CTA champions have already had bills about them proposed and submitted. How do I know? Because I wrote a bunch of them."

"As I mentioned previously at my speech down at the automobile factory, my Labour Protection Act will grant full protections to those who participate in unions, as well as found them. Not only that, but my UA colleague Senator Janzen submitted the Agricultural Fuel Subsidies Act, allowing everyday farmers access to fuel that they wouldn't normally have. I was proud to co-sponsor his bill."

"Regarding infrastructure, my Federal Infrastructure Act will institute a two-part solution to deal with our ravaged, post-war roads and bridges: the Federal Infrastructure Rejuvenation Agency to quickly and efficiently begin the process of rebuilding, creating thousands of jobs in the process, and once its job is done, the National Organisation of Engineers will take over to ensure the routine maintenance and safety of our infrastructure, something that even the United States struggles with."

"This is not to say the CTA never submits bills — unfortunately, the only thing I've ever seen from them was from their point man, Beto Gonclaves, running for VP a second time with the CU's Krishnan. Even then, Mr. Gonclaves has only ever introduced two bills, both fine — an elections amendment and a language-related act. I personally co-sponsored his Language Act — I have no quarrel with Mr. Gonclaves."

"But, come on, let's get serious here. The CTA has had this whole time under a "failed" RGA incumbent government, and barely a peep of their "radical" changes in Fortaleza. My friends, it's clear: my party certainly has some hurdles to overcome to be the party that you deserve, but when it comes to results, actual legislation in our government, nobody comes close to the RGA."

"All parties may talk big, but only one can act big: the Red-Green Alliance. Vote for me, with the election so very very close, and I can assure you that I will not only talk, but actually get you the results you deserve."

The audience roared their approval, with applause and whoops dominating the room.

---

In other news, Viel himself has become an increasingly normal presence across our constituency, sitting down with voters in their barber shops, parlours, barns, offices and classrooms to really get a feel on how his potential constituents wish for him to work in the Senate. According to a press release from his campaign, Viel "became a strong advocate of tax reform after speaking to a teacher, who noted the fact that without a solid tax code, the country could not be stable in any meaningful way. A tax code plan by Mr. Viel has already been drafted, and he is working to find supporters so it can be submitted to the Senate."

Television and radio ads have also been purchased, with one radio ad reading:

"The Red-Green Alliance fights for you everyday in the Senate. Change is a tricky business — Alexios Viel is the only candidate with the guts and legislative experience to take on the challenges that face our country today. So go out and vote for Viel today!"

The polls will be open soon, so be sure to go out and vote. The Portimão Today will release a special, free election night edition once our employees have returned from voting the day of.

Emilio Winfrey, Editor-in-Chief

[Collatis]

[United Provinces of Atlantica]

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EDITORIAL: All social democrats and democratic socialists in NG-2 should vote for Iyasu Isaias Mengistu
BY BHASKAR SUNKARA, The New Guernsey Post | May 17, 2017

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NEW GUERNSEY - This election, voters in New Guernsey's second electoral district will have the choice of voting between the far-left Iyasu Isaias Mengistu of the Communist Party of Fernão, and the liberal centrist Samuel Bencoster of the Humanist Union. At first glance, the choice seems to be tough for social democrats, democratic socialists, and others who occupy the moderate left on Fernão's political spectrum. Senator Mengistu openly stands for an immediate implementation of the communist ideology in Fernão, something anathema to social democrats who wish to preserve the market economy and democratic socialists who wish to preserve the current Constitutional system, whilst Senator Bencoster is focused on tax incentives for businesses and other economically liberal policies championed by right-leaning parties such as the Civic Union. Yet when looking closer, the option that all advocates of social democracy and democratic socialists should choose is plainly obvious.

Iyasu Isaias Mengistu is the sole candidate that all social democrats and democratic socialists ought to back. Fears that he advocates for abolition of democracy are unfounded, as Senator Mengistu is significantly more moderate in his views about representative democracy than his contemporaries. Although he calls for transition to a Council Communist society, Senator Mengistu is not averse to participating in the democratic processes outlined in the Constitution (which, it should be noted, he coauthored and formally introduced to the Senate), having served in the Cabinet of Vishal Vig and publicly endorsed Jayesh Gadhavi for President. Senator Mengistu is not averse to democracy or the liberties that have been so brutally quelled by Marxist-Leninists across the globe either; he staunchly opposes Marxism-Leninism and supports Orthodox Marxism, granted extensive freedoms and established a democracy (albeit a Council democracy, rather than a Parliamentary or Presidential one) during the later years of the Fernãoense Socialist Republic, and even authored the vast majority of the bill of rights of the Constitution.

Whereas Samuel Bencoster is vague on policy specifics and takes no discernible stance on issues such as labour rights, government ownership, or rent control, Iyasu Isaias Mengistu has been outspoken in his advocacy for greater rights for unions, rent control, and establishing critical infrastructure in those impoverished areas that lack it; all key policies strongly supported by the Fernãoense left. Social democrats may be concerned that Senator Mengistu's election will help transition the nation away from the mixed-market capitalist economy they support to a socialist one, but they need not worry. The vast majority of Senators are opposed to the sort of economy that Mengistu champions, but on hot-button issues such as rent control, labour rights, infrastructure, and welfare, it's best to vote for a candidate whose stances are clear and completely in line with social democratic and democratic socialist policy, rather than a candidate whose stances are unknown and who belongs to a party openly supportive of economic liberalism.

[Rooimervania]

Bencoster for NG 4/5/6 HQ

The Bencoster Team sent letters, notices, and e-mails to everyone on the list.

"Hello, this is a special message from Samuel Bencoster. To ensure that our district goes in the right direction after this election day it is vital you go and vote! Voting is the backbone of our democracy so make sure your vote counts.

Regards,
Samuel Bencoster

Bencoster's team is also calling people to ensure that they are voting.

[Lykens]

Chitrakoot, Fernão

"Thank you for that question, it's an important one. Unlike the RGA, the CU would engage in dialogue with the private sector to ensure efficiency and cost saving are big parts of any infrastructure plans. We plan to reach out to local governments, regular every day people, and hope to invest locally for the most part. Our infrastructure is in crumbles, and any party campaigning for votes should have at least a barebones plan for repairing it, which the RGA do not." Indira took a sip from her glass and sat back down.

Another hand shot up.

"Mrs. Tamboli, the RGA has radical plans for nationalizing large parts of the economy, if your party loses the election, will you work to prevent that?"

"Well, let's hope they don't win in the first place," Indira chuckled along with the assembled technocrats. "But I would like to take this moment to once again urge you all to write big enough checks for our campaign coffers to prevent an RGA win. Regardless of the CU's position in the government, we will oppose nationalization for the sole purpose of ideological purity at the expense of the consumer and regular citizens. Is some nationalization necessary? Sure, sometimes the government needs to step in where the private sector has failed, common sense. But does the government need its nose in everything? No, it does not."

The technocrats nodded along as checks were being torn from their check books.

"Now I believe that's all the time we have today, and I thank you all for donating and coming out to this little get together, I'd especially like to thank our Finance Chair, Meera Tamboli," Indira smiled at her daughter. This was an excellent fundraiser, and she seemed to have been able to squeeze a fairly generous sum out of them,
and she was eager to get back out campaigning in a final blitz.

[The Nation of the People of the Nation]

The Most Trusted Name in News™

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OPINION: Why You Should Vote For John Smith In FD-3
James Jones, Fernão News Network | May 15 2017 | John Smith Campaigning

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- (FD-3) In his final address to the people before polls close in an hour John Smith is still fiercely campaigning for this hotly contested seat. "The people of FD-3 need a Senator they can trust which is why you need to get out and VOTE, VOTE for me and vote for any and all RGA members as we are the people that can and will bring you real change! Vote me for a better economy, better jobs, and better healthcare. We do not need a Civic Union Senator that feels to ashamed dawn their banner but at the end of the day he is as CU as you can be. We need a Senator that will stand for you because we are the RGA and we are Fighting for Your Fernão!!

---

[Rooimervania]

Ad for Samuel Bencoster
Ad is ran thought the district on TV and radio

"Hi, I am Samuel Bencoster running for Senator for your district. My opponent believes in communism and taking away your freedoms. If my opponent is elected you will be living in a society where who gets food, who gets land, and who gets the right to do what job is chosen by the government. I on the other-hand am a full proponent of freedom. Don't fall into the traps of the communist."

[Department of Elections]

Fernão Entrance Polls
FD-1

Jackson (RGA) | 53.14%
Reis (PPCC) | 46.86%

FD-2

Viel (RGA) | 55.94%
Ferreira (CTA) | 44.06%

FD-3

Smith (RGA) | 57.91%
Oliveria (Ind.) | 42.09%

FD-4

Kelth (RGA) | 50.68%
Zeintek (CU) | 49.32%

FD-5

Brzęczyszczykiewicz (UA) | 57.30%
McNiel (PPCC) | 42.70%

NG-1 (NG-1,2,3)

Aldean (CU) | 54.13%
Clarke (RGA) | 45.87%

NG-2 (NG-4,5,6)

Mengistu (CPF) | 52.77%
Bencoster (HU) | 47.23%

SA-1 (SA-1,3)

Hadi (RGA) | 53.47%
Kattur (CPF) | 46.53%

SA-2

Bell (RGA) | 52.48%
Tamboli (CU) | 47.52%

SA-7

Jindal (CU) | 51.39%
Kshatriya (RGA) | 48.61%

Maabara At-Large

Seo-Yeon (RGA) | 45.10%
Stein (JDP) | 54.90%

[Collatis]

The Most Trusted Name in News™

---

BREAKING NEWS: Red-Green Alliance ramps up effort in competitive elections
Alexander Gouda, Fernão News Network | May 17 2017

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- (Fortaleza, Fernão) The Red-Green Alliance has ramped up its efforts in several elections it considers to be competitive. Additional staffers have been sent to assist RGA candidates in FD-2, FD-4, NG-1, SA-1, SA-2, SA-7, and Maabara At-Large.

Top FNN reporter Wake Snapper caught up with Alison Shapiro-Ricardo, chair of the Alliance Campaign Committee (ACC), to ask her about the Red-Green Alliance's increased efforts in these districts. Shapiro-Ricardo had this to say, "Well these districts are among the most competitive in the country. We've sent additional staffers, between ten and fifteen, to them to provide as much support as we can. All of this was pretty obvious, though. It's almost like you only interviewed me as fluff."

How ridiculous, Alison.

[Martune]

A paid Ad for Draven Aldean

"Hello, my name is Draven Aldean and before you go to vote, I want to talk to you. When you look at the ballot, you want to pick the best candidate. A candidate who will best represent you and your family. Well, if you vote Edmund Clarke, you won't get that. He doesn't care enough to come out and talk to you, instead letting others stump for him. So before you vote, remember, vote for an active and caring candidate. Thank you.

[Lykens]

Banda, Sakar

Indira had stopped by a local farmers' market on her next stop, drawing a growing crowd around her as she spoke.

"These products are the fruit, if you'll excuse the pun, of the labor our farmers have put in day and night for Fernão. These farmers are the exactly the type of people who have been left behind by this government. The RGA is now trumpeting to support these farmers, because the CU 'will leave them behind for the rich'. Well I can tell you here today, I am from farming stock, my sons and daughters are from farming stock, and I will never leave my people behind. The RGA has a proven record of leaving behind the common man, and we in the CU will pick you up and never, ever, let you down!"

The crowd cheered.

"Now, I urge you to purchase some goods from these fine men and women, and make sure to support local businesses!"

The farmer clapped Indira on the shoulder and laughed, handing her a potato.

[Socialist Nordia]

Chitrakoot, Fernão

Jayesh Gadhavi holds an event in Chikaroot at the same time as Tamboli. He is there to promote his presidential campaign and Ritesh Bell's Senate candidacy.

"Vice President Gadhavi, what is it about Senator Bell that brought you to campaign for him here? What makes home special?"

"Thank you for your question. I've always found it amazing how legitimately involved and impassioned my good friend Senator Bell is, with regards to the state of Fernão's people. He took it upon himself to personally meet with May Day protesters, reaching out, and genuinely caring about their struggles and their voices. One could say he's becoming an exception in a political environment beginning to be dominated by powerful partisans such as Tamboli."

"Do you feel that Tamboli is a threat to Fernão and it's people?"

"In some ways, yes. She has shown her self unwilling to put her country above her party. She has been a leading figure of the Civic Union since the beginning. She spearheaded an effort to protect the disgraced Senator Durand, who smeared an entire demographic of this nation shamelessly and unapologetically. This was because she was afraid to weaken her own political standing, a pure matter of partisan interest. Indeed, aspects of the Civic Union policy, including their views on taxes and the social safety net, could devastate our country's poor if ever put into practice."

"How do you expect us hard working Fernãoans to support you and your friends like Senator Bell when you promote an evil ideology of failure, and want to destroy our great nation!?"

Gadhavi gave a questioning look, and proceeded to respond. "Sir, I hope to understand where you are coming from with such a harsh accusation, but I will assure you I do not promote evilness or failure, and want to see every Fernãoan rise up to a better standard of living. I served years fighting for this nation in the civil war, in a front against dictatorship, making this nation's wellbeing something I considered my personal responsibility. I cared then when I struggled to bring down oppression, and I care now. Since this nation's first steps as a democracy, how many blatantly partisan, ideological moves did you see? Not many, as Vishal Vig filled his cabinet with a grand coalition of all parties across the spectrum, even when he didn't need to. The agenda pursued has been one of rebuilding and restructuring, not of partisanship. I hope I can get the chance to serve as president and show you that I can bring prosperity to this country, and I'm sorry for your concern."

The man walks away grumbling something about how the old dictatorial government did nothing wrong. Gadhavi continues to take questions and promote his campaign as well as that of Senator Bell.

[Lykens]

Civic Union Campaign Committee Press Release

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In light of the tightening races, the CU Campaign Committee is sending ten staffers to FD 4, FD 2, NG 2, SA 2, and SA 7 each to assist in organizing on the ground and turning out voters. Executive Director Raj Nehru is confident in the CU's and allied party's successes in this election and is ecstatic at the outpouring of civic participation of voters in this election, and the strengthening of democracy.

[Martune]

The Most Trusted Name in News™

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BREAKING NEWS: Draven Aldean marches through middle income neighborhoods
Billy Rily, Fernão News Network | May 17 2017

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As of now, Draven Aldean, Senate hopeful, is marching with a decent size group of people through neighborhoods in his electoral district. It seems the people are shouting, "Change, Prosperity, Aldean!" I asked Aldean about this and his response was:

"People are tired of being oppressed by taxes. People want to keep their guns. People here want change for the better which is what I'll give them."

A pretty solid response. They are currently trying to hit every neighborhood and lead them to polling stations. Let's see if this works.

[Collatis]

Official General Union of Workers Press Release

The General Union of Workers voted today to endorse Iyasu Isaias Mengistu in NG-2, Shim Seo-yeon in Maabara At-Large, and Ritesh Bell in SA-2. We do so because of these three Senators' consistent support of workers' rights and democracy in the workplace. The endorsed Senators should expect the full support of the General Union of Workers in terms of canvassing and getting out the vote. Teams of union staffers will assist the candidates' in their efforts, and the UGT will conduct a GOTV campaign to ensure that these exemplary men and women win their elections.

― Bieito Guerreiro

[Lykens]

Banda, Sakar

Walking along the main road of the commercial district of Banda, Indira was confronted by another gaggle of reporters.

"Indira! Indira! What do you have to say about Vice President Gadhavi's accusations!"

Indira looked puzzled, "What accusations are these?"

The reported piped up again, "That you put party above country, support racist demagogues, and plan to put this country's poor through the ringer?"

Indira sighed, "Another display by the do nothing VP who is trying to salvage whatever he has of a Presidential Run. He obviously knows he can't run on a record that doesn't exist from his do nothing administration, and has to resort to personal attacks on me to further it. I'm assuming you're talking about Senator Durand and his comments,
and as I've said before, I won't have parliamentary rules used in as a political weapon, which is what the RGA seems to enjoy doing. I have respect for the rules and traditions that make up our government, unlike the dilettantes in the RGA.

And the policies put forth by the CU would not leave the poor behind, nor would it make their situation worse, as this RGA administration has already done them almost irreparable harm. The CU will work to keep them safe, with more pay in their pockets, with access to healthcare that works for them, and a government that will work for the people, rather than sit and do nothing, that's what the CU stands for, and we will continue standing for it, in the face of RGA lies from Gadhavi and Bell."

[Martune]

A paid for Ad on behalf of Indira Tamboli

Citizens of SA 2, listen please. You are going to choose your senator soon. But before you do, let me tell you, Ritesh Bell isn't your guy.

He isn't for you. He can't do things that Indira can do.

So please, vote Tamboli.

Paid for by Conservatives United

[United Provinces of Atlantica]

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POLITICS: Exclusive interview with Iyasu Isaias Mengistu
BY TIHUTE HEZEKIAH BELAYNEH, The New Guernsey Post | May 17, 2017

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Today, I had the great fortune of being invited to sit down with Iyasu Isaias Mengistu, the nominee of the Communist Party for New Guernsey's second electoral district. In this interview, we discussed his views and thoughts on policy and politics.

NGP: Thank you for joining me tonight, Senator Mengistu.

IIM: I am greatly honoured, Ms. Belayneh.

NGP: Let's jump right into the details - Senator, what are your thoughts on the rights of unions and what in particular, baring the implementation of socialism, would your ideal system look like?

IIM: Thank you for the question, Ms. Belayneh.

I would support a system of works councils to achieve what is essentially a 100% unionization rate, as I believe that this would be the fairest and most equitable system of Fernãoense workers.

NGP: The recent failure of the passage of the Foreign Recognition Act has enraged many advocates of the State of Palestine and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Given that you voted for the FRA, what are your thoughts on the failure of its passage and what would you do to ensure that a similar bill would be passed in the future?

IIM: I'm certainly am as upset by the failure of the passage of the FRA as those advocates of Palestine and the SADR that have loudly protested against its failure have been. It is shameful that there are so many advocates of Israeli imperialism in the halls of the Senate, and perhaps even more shameful are the so-called foreign policy 'Realists' that opposed the bill for its perceived harm of Fernãoense 'interests' abroad. I do solemnly and sadly recognise, however, that compromises are necessary to ensure the passage of a new bill that affirms Fernãoense support for the liberation of the Palestinian and Sahrawi people from occupation. I would specifically support a new bill that recognises Palestine and explicitly supports the 1967 borders, with the sole exception of taking no stances on sovereignty in Jerusalem itself, whilst condemning the encroachment of East Jerusalem by Israel.

NGP: What are your thoughts on health policy and why do you support such policy?

IIM: I strongly support a single-payer healthcare system, which I proudly say is supported by the majority of both the Red-Greens and, surprisingly, the Civic Union. To be specific, I support a total nationalization of healthcare and pharmaceutical distribution, which would be similar to Britain's NHS but without all of its flaws, such as the internal market or the existence of private hospitals. I believe that such policies are the only ones that ensure an equitable, just, high-equality healthcare system for all Fernãoense, who shall not be forced to forsake vital pharmaceuticals they may need for financial reasons or be unable to access to healthcare. Instead of the best doctors and medical professionals going to very high-paying positions in private hospitals available only to the wealthiest Fernãoense, all Fernãoense medical professionals shall provide excellent healthcare to all Fernãoense so that the Fernãoense people may live long, healthy lives. Instead of for-profit hospitals providing low-quality healthcare so that they may gain the greatest profit, there shall be publicly-owned and well-funded hospitals providing high-quality healthcare to all.

NGP: Why do you support land reform and why is this a central issue in your campaign?

IIM: Thank you for touching on this incredibly important topic, Ms. Belayneh.

I strongly support land reform because the unequal ownership of land is one of the greatest issues currently facing farmers and rural Fernãoense. I have seen the pain of tenant farmers and sharecroppers who have struggled and lived in squalor so that they may pay rent and continue to continue their livelihood - farming. I have seen the unnecessarily high food prices charged at markets so that additional profits may be reaped by the landlords. This solution can be easily solved by land reform and other relatively simple changes in agricultural policy. I strongly support implementing a farm subsidy plan similar to the Brannan Plan proposed in the late 1940s in the United States, which shall allow for government subsidies to instead allow for prosperous farmers and low food prices for those who desperately need it. Instead of the current predicament faced by both the rural and urban poor, there shall be equitable ownership of land allowing for a prosperous, wealthy rural Fernão and an urban Fernão unconcerned by issues such as food insecurity and malnutrition.

NGP: Similarly, why do you support rent control and public housing, and why is this a central issue in your campaign?

IIM: Similar to the unequal ownership of land being a central issue facing rural Fernão, higher and higher rents are a central issue facing urban Fernão. I come from a family in a long line of working-class dockworkers, and although I was born after the revolution that established the First Republic and later fled Fernão after the coup, I remember the stories my parents and grandparents told me, of the slums they were forced to live in, of the immense sacrifices they made so that they may make the rent. I have seen such stories be recounted throughout Fernão and lived by millions of impoverished Fernãoense throughout my adulthood. It pains me to see such injustices perpetrated when rent control and public housing could so easily end such horrors. That is why I support rent control and public housing, Ms. Belayneh.

Anyways, we need to wrap this up, I am scheduled to deliver a short speech to my supporters as the polls close.

NGP: Thank you for your time, Senator Mengistu.

IIM: And thank you for hosting me, Mr. Belayneh.

[The Nation of the People of the Nation]

One last campaign add for John Smith is showing on TV's across FD-3.

"With polls about to close I urge you to vote for me John Smith to survey as YOUR Senator and for you to vote RGA."

[Lykens]

Staffers begin putting up posters.