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Federal Election 2018: Clinton Backs Refugee Act, Challenges Rudd, Porter

National Party leader Christian Porter at the National Press Club delivering a speech on the economy

CANBERRA --- Very rarely has a politician of the left taken such a lead over a politician of the right among the National Press Club members, but such was the occasion. That Hillary Clinton, the Prime Minister and Progressive Alliance leader, and National Party leader Christian Porter went on the same day was already an amazing opportunity as it was, but to see them back to back deliver their speeches on the vision for the country. No starker contrast was the standpoint on the refugee issue. Here's Hillary Clinton:

"Australia is a nation blessed with riches and a culture that accepts all as long as they are ready to work hard and have a fair go at prosperity. For some political parties to use refugees as bargaining chips for political gain, that is wrong and immoral. I challenge Labor, the National Party and the rest of the Australian political spectrum: what exactly are you proposing as an alternative to accepting refugees and helping not only the military effort in Dromund Kaas but the humanitarian effort as well?"

Here's Christian Porter:

"Hillary Clinton and the Government will find a way to sell Australian security down the drain. Economic security will be lost by the fact that these refugees will have a free pass to economic migrant status and work for pennies on the dollar. She will bring in radicals that will conduct terrorist attacks in our nation, much like they have in the United Kingdom at Piccadilly Circus. She will not stop the boats of humanity, destroying Australia's moral security in its position as a leader in the region. She is perhaps the most dangerous politician we have had in Australian history ever occupy the Lodge (the residence of the Australian Prime Minister)". 

Two quotes, but the response from the audience was clear as a standing ovation for Clinton last almost 4 minutes while tepid applause greeted Christian Porter. The National Press Club has been, for now, the bastion of the centre-right and has acted as coronations for National Party Prime Ministers like John Howard and Tony Abbott. That took a step towards changing this weekend with the arrival of Hillary Clinton.

@louraniediplomat said:

Nation Name in RP (full, with short name bolded): The Federal Republic of Louranie (Répullen Lüre)
Nation Name on NS (short): Louranie
Puppet (if so, of whom?): N/A
Map plot requested: 45
Capital city: Braighton
Currency: Lourane Dill
National language(s): English, Louran (Véllàpot)

Head of State (Title + Mr/Ms/Mx* + name in bold): President Mr. Salvador L. Brangen 
Head of Government (Title + Mr/Ms/Mx* + name in bold): President Mr. Salvador L. Brangen 
Governing party: Conservative Party
European Councillor (Mr/Ms/Mx* + name in bold): Mr. Lapoid P. Höffel
Political group (if any): N.A.
Player history on NationStates: https://www.nationstates.net/n...
My country accepts the Constitution of the European Union (Y/N): Y

 Added and welcome! Sorry for the delay.

@amrasia said:

@angleter said:

@Amrasia Hi there! Sorry about the delay. I'm afraid plot 10 is already taken at the moment. Check the spreadsheet to find an empty plot that you can take.

Very well, I’ll take plot 42 instead.

 Added, and welcome!

@Amrasia Hi there! Sorry about the delay. I'm afraid plot 10 is already taken at the moment. Check the spreadsheet to find an empty plot that you can take.

8 April 2018

Election Week 1 Round-Up Edition

Credlin: Good evening and welcome to the only Australian political show where two real pillars of the left and right. I'm Peta Credlin and I'm joined in our Melbourne studio by Kristina Keneally, former Labor Premier of New South Wales. We're in election fever, aren't we? Angleter, Australia, the devolved Irish Parliament had an election last week that had your Irish comrades put into power for the first time as a majority partner in a coalition in the near 100 year history of Irish devolution. 

Keneally: Yes, it's been an exciting one. Let's start closer to home with the federal election here in Australia. 

Credlin: Number One; the Progressive Alliance is going to use this as its chance to either take down or absorb Labor. Listen, I know you are gal pals with the Prime Minister, but Hillary Clinton has her eyes SET on either the complete take over or take down of the Australian Labor Party. Polling shows that she is in a position to potentially form at the very least minority government. What do you think about that?

Keneally: I don't think she will be able to do that. The proportional representation system of voting for the lower house, the House of Representatives, has made it so parties can continue to exist as long as their base is at or above 5% of the electorate. The Progressive Alliance is at 44%, by far and away the largest party most likely and through MMP, they can target marginal seats as well and win more seats than their base would suggest. If that ALL falls into place they could most likely form a minority government with a supply and confidence deal with one other party. Who would that party be? Labor. We have quite a lot in common on key social and economic issues, but differ in policy delivery. I honestly think that a Progressive Alliance majority government would be a bad thing for Australia as most majority governments are. Let's look at the Gillard Government. Minority government, needed support from the crossbench in both Houses, and they put forward good policies. Mrs. Clinton could get lazy in a majority government. The ideas that they've put out from both the Progressive and Labor booklets have been great, but we can't ignore the 15% Labor vote as well. 

Credlin: Well, and as popular as Clinton is, she also is a popular lightning rod for the right of Australian politics. I know that I don't particularly like her. I can't fault her running of the economy, but the institution of the Native Title Court has just made Australia rule against its rural citizens and mining companies. How is that progressive and fair? Now she's letting in all of these refugees that will soon become economic migrants and undercut wages. 

Keneally: I see we're still Tony Abbott's advisor here, aren't we? 

Credlin: But it's true. The United Kingdom, Angleter and others have placed sensible restrictions and processes in place for their acceptance of migrants. Hillary Clinton is just telling them to show up. Even Kevin Rudd said that the boats have to stop. 

Keneally: I agree, and that's why a Labor presence in a likely Progressive-Labor coalition will deliver...

Credlin: Oh, and you're Kevin Rudd's attack dog! Focus on beating the Progressives and getting the Labor Right back in your party. Ever since you lost them in the split in the 90's, Labor hasn't been quite the same. You kept Rudd which is probably the best thing Labor has done, but that's about it. Bill and Hillary Clinton are having their way with the unions, you've lost half of them to the Progressive Alliance, including your biggest one in the cities. 

Keneally: And we could go on all day about how the National Party has lost the centre to the aptly named Centrist Party, they're losing the far right to Pauline Hanson. What's left for the your old boss and Christian Porter to stand on?

Credlin: Which brings us to number two; take it a way Krsitina.

Keneally: Angleter will see a much more radical government, and the efforts of Montenbourg to progressive ideals will only turn more to the right.

Credlin: Montenbourg is a new nation to the European Union, and they have already caused a mass amount of diplomatic headaches for itself. It has claimed nations have mistreated refugees with no proper evidence, their Foreign Secretary is a disgrace to such a high office and should resign if she knew what was good for her country. She's made Angleter and the United Kingdom, two of the level-headed nations of Europe, both holding it down on the left and on the right, come out and demand she retract statements or back them up with fact. This is also the same country that housed Shane Raimi from Omnibus, who was trying to influence the election there. 

Keneally: Oh man, you're not helping are you?

Credlin: No, I'm doing what Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott, and future Prime MInister Christian Porter would do and call them out. Look, we get the Refugee Act. Protecting innocent people at a European level is needed so that we don't have masses of people dying in a conflict. But to try and stiff arm EVERY nation in Europe into progressive ideals that would make Sam Courtenay, Hillary Clinton and Emily Thornberry look like conservatives is grounds for leaving the European Union. We've already seen Pravoslavya leave.

Keneally: Good riddance too.

Credlin: And the tides of leaving the European Union has been bubbling for a few years in the United Kingdom. 

Keneally: I think their intent is good, but why not engage in dialogue with nations before making inflammatory statements. There is potential for a huge trade agreement with the UK ready to go and they've reached out to Angleter. The problem is that I think the UK Government has some reservations about the behaviour of the Government of Montenbourg, having been burned by Davishire in the past as well as Framptonia, all under my good friends in the UK Labour Party. They would do better not to make sweeping statements but instead go around Europe building consensus. By the way, where is Chelsea Clinton in getting some of this stuff done?

Credlin: I know, Chelsea is absent from all of this. When we come back from the break: can Theresa May bounce back after an Irish election sets up a potential for being left with only Southern England and Central England as regional governments that the Liberal Party controls in the United Kingdom, or can she pull off enough wins at the local council elections? 

Federal Election 2018: "Migrant Issue Defining Election" - Kevin Rudd

MELBOURNE --- Campaigning in the Labor heartlands of the Melbourne's west, Kevin Rudd announced to his supporters and the rest of political Australia that he and other parties will use the refugee situation as a major campaign issue in the election.

"The next Australian Government will have to put forward a response to the situation that will be able to withstand the migrant situation. Labor and the Progressive Alliance have worked well together so far, but a strong Labor presence in Parliament and a strong Labor presence in Government will give people the choice to limit the migrant numbers, stop the boats from coming and figure out safe arrangements to Australia," said Labor leader Kevin Rudd. 

The National Party have also postured on a more aggressive refugee policy that would involve screenings in Dromund Kaas and the admittance to Australia of 10,000 refugee women and children per year. The Progressive Alliance have set themselves as more open to bringing in as many as 50,000 migrants per year, prioritising complete nuclear families. Christian Porter, the Nationals' leader, seems to be very strong on this issue with the public, having a 5 point lead over Hillary Clinton when it comes to immigration and refugee policy. 

"If the Government is returned to Canberra with a majority, you can expect an out of control situation. Hillary Clinton does not understand the fact that Australia has finite space and resources, a large swath of our country being the Outback...desert! Why crowd the liveable spaces of our country, a country of 47 million people, with more people? Not to mention the radicalised Sith refugees that carried out the terrorist attack in London last year." 

Despite the increased focus on immigration, the economy has been doing well and employment has increased under the Government, and people are voting with their pocket book. With Workplace Participation Rates at 84%, people are in work, taking home more money than ever before in their pay packets and the Progressive Alliance seems to be making key demographic gains with younger Labor voters and suburban National voters. If the election were held right now, a 4% swing towards the Progressive Alliance would put them at 45% of the seats in Parliament as a baseline, with projected gains of 15 seats, meaning the Progressive Alliance would govern alone. 

E I G H T

Tuesday, 3rd April, 2018
Article by Marissa Varvaris

Montenbourg FM Comments Spark Fury

Montenbourg Foreign Minister Elizabeth McCord

The Foreign Minister, Mary d’Ivry, has led rebuttals to what politicians across Angleter have considered strong criticism from Montenbourg’s newly-appointed Foreign Minister, Elizabeth McCord.

Dr McCord called an impromptu press conference, billed as ‘following the declarations of Angleter’, last night, within hours of the Apostolic Crown’s announcement that the Refugee Protection Act would not impinge upon Angleter’s existing policy of deporting Kaasian migrants to Coalition-controlled parts of Dromund Kaas.

During a lengthy Q&A session, Dr McCord tore into “some European countries” for their immigration policies, which she denounced as “anti-Muslim”, “anti-LGBT”, and (repeatedly) “racist”. She alleged that these policies were “doing us enormous harm all over the world,” argued that the Refugee Protection Act requires nations to accept Kaasian refugees who are children or ‘minorities’, and demanded that other EU nations should offer healthcare and education to illegal immigrants.

Angleteric politicians have widely taken these remarks as being targeted at Angleter, and have responded with near-unanimous outrage. Mary d’Ivry issued a statement outlining the Apostolic Crown’s reaction:

“I am deeply disappointed by the words of the Montenbourg Foreign Minister, which were quite clearly aimed at, and responding to, the Apostolic Crown and its immigration policy.”

“For a country’s top diplomat, in one of their first public statements in the job, to launch such an extraordinary barrage of unfounded public accusations against Angleter strongly suggests that they are just not interested in having good relations with Angleter. I had hoped to work constructively with Dr McCord, as with all European diplomats, but it appears that Dr McCord has decided that that is not possible.”

“I would not wish to comment on Dr McCord’s motivations, but Angleter has no interest in bowing and scraping to gain the approval of her or anybody else. Though it should hardly need saying, Angleter is not a ‘racist’, ‘anti-Muslim’, or ‘anti-LGBT’ country, and we are proud to be home to people of a wide range of ethnic origins, religions, and sexual orientations.”

The Citizen Alliance issued its own strongly-worded statement, blasting both Dr McCord and the SDP for allegedly reducing Angleter’s global status. The party’s leader, Emryc Isla, said: “Montenbourg’s Foreign Minister has slammed the SDP’s weak immigration policy as ‘racist’. This accusation is as outrageous as it is ludicrous, and it really shows the extremism of the European open-borders left.”

Isla continued by calling for stronger action against Montenbourg: “The SDP have repeatedly failed to stand up for this country, to the extent that we are not only losing crucial votes in Europolis, but also getting slandered by smaller countries. This wouldn’t have happened even in 2015. A Citizen Alliance Government will make clear to Dr McCord that you have to respect Angleter to get all that Angleter contributes – our trade, our budget contributions, our military and intelligence activity, our refugee camps in Dromund Kaas, and so on.”

The Democrats, despite being the Official Opposition, have failed to provide an official reaction thus far, as the party descends into yet another bout of internal turmoil. Party insiders have told The National Observer that leader Sue Fareham’s office has thus far been unable to agree on a statement with wording that will satisfy both the party’s conservative and liberal wings. Mrs Fareham has also been embroiled in a Twitter spat over her comparison of Judith Gibbon to a Conference pear, which some social media users have denounced as ‘sexist’ and ‘disrespectful’.

Even the Coalition for Socialism and Liberation has lashed out at Dr McCord, despite its staunchly pro-refugee stance. The party’s International Liberation Spokesperson, Malia Monroe, commented that: “though we agree with Dr McCord’s analysis of the racist, queerphobic, and Catholic supremacist nature of Angleter’s immigration policy – it is important to add that this policy is also misogynistic and reflects the oppressive power structure underpinning all of Angleteric society – in the spirit of true internationalism, let us remind her of the privilege in her own world and her own country.”

“Dr McCord represents a country which she claims is not defined by ‘ethnicity’, ‘names’, or ‘lineage’, but which has a hereditary monarchy and nobility – the most transparent case of privilege based on ethnicity, name, and lineage. She represents a conservative government, and has expressly spoken about defending a ‘global era’ of neoliberalism. She worked for several years for the MCIA.”

“Real liberation is not about white feminism. It is not about colluding with liberals who allow you into their spaces. It is not about being a ‘moderate’ member of the police or intelligence forces who prop up the state. It is about shutting up and listening; letting communities take the lead in their liberation from the racist cisheteropatriarchal social structures that dominate Europe; and accepting that liberation is incompatible with neoliberal capitalism.”

“That’s what we’re doing in Angleter and we don’t need Dr McCord from the MCIA to help us. Her interventions will only fuel the bigoted forces who rule this country.”

When Nigel Martin, the Citizen Alliance MP for Hotspring who is organising protests later this week against Dr McCord and in favour of keeping Kaasian refugees out, was asked if his party was among those 'bigoted forces', he rejected the CSL's accusations. "We're not bigoted, and we certainly don't rule this country! The Citizen Alliance has always been all about citizens coming together to defend the Angleter they love. We're meeting this week, in Hotspring, New Birmingham, and across the country in cross-party protests to remind our leaders and EU leaders that we're a sovereign nation. We just want an immigration policy that is sensible, rational, and centred around protecting Angleter's security, economy, and character. We don't want an open-door policy that's gullible and led by emotion."