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."
The Home Affairs Office of the Apostolic Crown would like to reiterate its position that the liberated parts of Dromund Kaas, controlled by Angleteric, Duxburian, or other Coalition of the Willing forces, are safe areas. Anyone who travels from Dromund Kaas to Angleter to claim asylum or refugee status here will, in normal circumstances, be deported to those liberated areas in accordance with Angleter's existing immigration policy. To further reiterate: the passage of the 'Refugee Protection Act' by the European Council, or the Apostolic Crown's compliance with that Act, does not increase the chances of Kaasian nationals successfully claiming asylum in Angleter, and rumours to the contrary are wholly unfounded. Be aware that the Apostolic Crown will protect the integrity of its borders.