C.Husky: "Very well, thank you to Mr Lawson and Mr Gulles for their spirited debate on the topic of the Inimician House of Commons. We now come to what is potentially a topic of even more spirited and heated debate, namely the subject chosen by Mr Adolf Danube of the People's Movement: the abolition of the Imperial system. By random chance, Mr Danube's opponent happens to be Duchess Simge Galanth of the Emperor's Finest. I would invite both candidates to take to the stage."
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The Duchess and Mr Danube walk over to Husky, and though Galanth extends her hand to Danube, the latter refuses to take it, a moment perfectly captured by the Nuntius Inimici cameras.
C.Husky: "Mr Danube, you don't feel the need for courtesy tonight?"
A.Danube: "Not with a populist demagogue like Ms Galanth, Colin. No. I'll shake your hand, though." He gestures and Husky accepts the handshake.
C.Husky: "Very well, you may start to introduce your topic."
A.Danube: "Thank you, Colin. In 2012, Inimicus emerged out of a bloody civil war brought on by Imperialist factions against the legitimate Republican government. Everyone, even myself, realised the Teluminan Republic was inherently flawed, beyond repair, and as such I looked favourably upon the Imperialist forces that marched through the streets of my Quaestorian village in late 2011. Since then, though we were promised changed, nothing has materialised. Under the Republic, we were ruled by a corrupt financial elite that stuffed its own pockets, but left the general populace to enjoy civil liberties. Currently, we are ruled by a corrupt Imperialist elite that stuffs its own pockets and leaves the general populace to enjoy civil liberties. We are - to put it plainly - still the flock of a malicious shepard.
"The charismatic leaders of the Imperialist rebellion, the late Emperor William and Pro-Imperator Hugh, were not the ones pulling the strings. They never were. The current usurper, Artabanos, bought, plundered, and murdered his way to the Throne he now occupies, He ruined the lives of hundreds of people, families of political enemies, journalists, who did not speak favourably of him. What happened to Sophie Bierley of Nuntius Inimici? What happened to Rita Fortuyn and Gerard Sergent? To the dozen or so former Secretaries of State who resigned en masse in 2014? They're gone. They've "disappeared."
"This is not what the Inimician People deserve. At the Movement, we are all in favour of strong leadership. The Inimician People do not want elections every month or even every year. But what the People certainly do not want is an opportunistic sadist in the Imperial Palace who sells this country and its values out to foreigners and otherworldly guests like the bureaucrats at the EU. No. The People's Movement does what it says. We will throw off this Emperor, introduce a New Republican system of government, with one Leader, accountable directly to the People. Say NO to Artabanos and say NO to the Imperialists."
S.Galanth: "So, first of all, I can already tell a lot about you, Mr Danube, from your refusal to shake my hand ahead of this debate. Apparently the politics are inseparable from the person for you, which, well, is sad. In any case, I think my main rebuttal of everything you just spewed forth in your rather long and rather illiterate proposal can be summarised in a single word: evidence. There isn't a shred of it for anything you just accused His Imperial Majesty of. Even more, there is direct evidence to counter your accusation of Artabanos being an all-poweful control freak: He was just shot down. A direct attempt on the life of our most beloved Emperor yet was just made. This is where your dangerous fear-mongering talk leads.
"The Emperor's Finest recognise the huge good the Imperial System has done for this country. We have seen the size of our economy quadruple in the last eight years, our military has grown stronger than ever, we have become a regional player inside the European Union. So what if Artabanos influenced government policy from the start of the Empire? He was one of the main leaders and financers of the Imperialist Rebellion in the first place! Of course he would influence government policy. But the main point is and will remain: Artabanos's rule has vastly improved the wealth and quality of life of the ordinary Inimician citizen. The People recognise this, and they will continue to support Him."
A.Danube: "You're not even denying it. You're not denying that the Emperor has committed atrocities to get into power. How disgusting is that?"
S.Galanth: "A civil war was raging, Adolf. People died on both sides."
A.Danube: "You're completely missing the point here, I'm talking about after the war concluded. How can you be so deliberately inept?"
C.Husky: "Hang on, hang on, hang on. Mr Danube, you'll withdraw those words or this conversation is over."
A.Danube: "I'm not withdrawing anything, this woman is delberately lying about people's lives - not just people's lives, Inimician lives. Pure, Inimician blood has been spilled on Artabanos's behalf, and hers, and I --"
C.Husky: "I think we will leave it there for now. Return to your places. No, no, Mr Danube, I'm telling you to return to your place."
*The cameras capture how Danube rudely gestures and gesticulates to both Husky and Galanth while walking away from the podium. He does not return to his place, but instead walks out."
C.Husky: "Very well, thank you to all our candidates for taking part in tonight's debate, I'm afraid we'll have to leave it there. I turn to our audience and our viewers at home: we at Nuntius Inimici hope you have found this debate enlightening, that it has informed your choice next week, and has provided you with a better insight into the characters and personalities behind our candidates. From all of us here, we wish you a happy polling day and a good night.!"
The camera pans around the studio one last time before blacking out.
