Premier Commissioner Debate Aug/Sep 2020

[Icholasen]

Stephanie DeVey: Hello welcome to the search for Europe's next Premier Commissioner. We are here in the Stuart Premier Library in Europolis. Whiteford's reign has come to an end and it's time for new blood in the Commission - none of these candidates have ever been in the Commission before. From the left, we have Angela Merkel from the EPA, then Maria Cecilia Kerstin from the ELDR, we have Sofie Čikarová from the PEL, we have an independent candidate, Walter Cocx, and finally MEGA candidate Dragan Trympov. (airhorn) These candidates all want YOUR vote, so let's let them tell us why after I go over the format.

For the first 8 minutes we will be doing opening statements. These can be 2 minutes long (OOC: 300 words).

For the next part, candidates will have 2 minutes (OOC: 300 words) to address the stances that they declared in the pre-debate questionnaire after these are displayed graphically on the wall here in the Stuart Premier Library -- they will be able to tell us why these are the best policies for Europe. There will then be a free debate during this (OOC: 24 hour) period, with any candidate able to ask any other about their stance on these issues and why they think the way they do and any candidate can respond to another. (OOC: You can ask your question to another candidate in the same post as you write your statement)

Then, there will be personalised questions for the candidates and then general questions for all of the candidates. These will be submitted by Europeans and also thought up by myself as the debate evolves.

The candidates will then have the opportunity for a closing statement. Additionally, if a candidate is mentioned at any point in the debate, they will be allowed a 1 minute (OOC: 150 word) retort, which can be delivered after I say so. You cannot, however, retort a retort.

And so we have the people who want to have Europe's TOP job. Let's see why they think they're up for the job - candidates, you may now give us your 2 minutes (OOC: 300 word) opening statements. (OOC: You have until 12:55 PM BST on the 28th of August)

[Inimicus]

"Thank you, Ms DeVey, for hosting this debate. By your liberty, I will commence.

I am extremely excited to be here, but also, also very nervous. And the reason I've been nervous is simple: it's because this debate matters to me. It matters to me greatly. It's not a game, not a joke. I genuinely believe that these people standing next to me, charming though I'm sure they are, would not, to put it at its mildest, be a beneficial force for this union. And therefore it is important for me to explain to all of you why, and why I believe I can do a better job.

I hope to do so tonight. My campaign is centred around four principles: being tough on rogue states, standing like a rock for our way of life, upholding the rights of individual member states, and being compassionate where we can, tough where we must. Yes, as Premier I will sponsor complete and total boycotts of states that do not share our values and threaten to destabilise our region. Yes, a Cocx Premiership will prioritise Eurocorps and those keeping all of us safe. No, I will not lend any backing to money-squandering projects that would see member states' contributions increase. And finally, no, I will not support tampering with our European institutions with an Assembly or a proportional council.

I look forward to detailing my vision for Europe with you all tonight. Thank you, and enjoy."

[Czech Slavia]

"I send my greetings to you, the audience and the viewers watching us from their TV screens.

First I would like to say that the European Union is made up from the many nationalities of its member states, and these nationalities are made up from the people. It is my goal to go together with the people and take the EU from the establishment!

If I am elected to the seat of Premier Commissioner I promise to push for strengthening of the national economies' independence and to finally start recognizing the national right of self-determination. No more commanding member states that they can't control their borders or can't trade with some other countries! I will also push for legislation protecting and expanding the rights of workers.

The establishment and the moderate "opposition" are rightfully scared of this. It will truly not benefit them. It will not benefit the establishment, it will not benefit the bankers and it will not benefit the war hawks. But it will benefit vast majority of the populace, the working people, and that is what is important for me!

That is all, thank you Mrs. DeVey and I sincerely wish luck to my opponents here. As I have the truth on my side, I won't personalty need luck. Truth prevails!"

[Pravoslaviya]

Thank you, Stephanie.

Our region is doing so badly, in fact, it’s probably doing even worse than it was four months ago. We’ve got so many coups and so much violence in Europe, in fact, when I was giving my concession speech back in May, I said to the people there, I wasn’t sure if they were all going to be alive, I said one of you, probably, will get killed. And people said, ‘oh, Trympov’s exaggerating, oh no’, and then, sadly, Mariann Pettersen, who was a great Councillor for Mennrimiak, beautiful country, actually died two days later. She was poisoned, it was really sad.

But, folks, that’s what Europe is like under globalist rule, and the longer we let the globalists rule us, the worse it’s going to get. They can’t stand up to Communism, and you’ll see that tonight. They can’t stand up to coups, and in fact, they use the chaos to kill people they don’t like, like Paul Craticus, and keep themselves in power. They want to take your money, especially from the larger countries, and they don’t want you to have a fair say in that, and they want to give it to global corporations and, maybe, keep a bit to play with themselves.

We’re losing so bad, on every level, and it has to change. I’m the only person who can solve this. I’ve been very successful in my life, and I’ll be successful at this. Make our region safe again, and stop the coups, consistently. Make our regional government fair again, and stop the crazy spending projects. Make our citizens first again, and stop forcing migrants first policies down the throats of our member states. Together, folks, we can – and will – Make Europe Great Again. Thank you.

[Leagio]

"I too would like to Thank you, Ms. Devey, for hosting this debate.

"I would like to say that i think that Europe is a community that forever revolves around the idea of freedom, equality, and prosperity. Europe is filled with wonderful people that are filled with various ideologies. My goal is to provide the people of Europe a civic deal of political status quo, judical reform, and economic developement."

"My deal to the people of Europe is that i will not willingly change the political structure of the European Union. Europe is a system of where every nation is treated as an equal political entity and faces no bias. Every legitimate government is equal to every other legitimate government. If i am elected as Primer Commissioner, like the other candidates here, i will work day and night, even lose hair, to put the effort in bringing down the illegal and unelected government of the UNSR. I will work with the nations of Europe as an elected offical of an equal Europe to restore a democratic government to Icholasen."

"Many people say that Europe is downhill. Politicians always want to bring out a fake apocalypse whenever possible to get votes. I will not do that but instead, say that Europe is still strong and defiant to the ideals of democracy and equality; where we can have an Equal Europe For ALL! Thank you."

[Fremet]

Thank you Ms DeVey and all those tuning in to this important event this evening.

We find ourselves in a crucial moment for the European Union. Change and instability have rattled the region over the last year, and in response we have seen calls for both immense change and regression.

We must not fall victim to the grandiose claims of what a highly integrated union can do, and we must remain wary of those that would wish to reverse the progress that we have made thus far. The European Union is a great institution, but as with all things, it has flaws. I stand for a better union. Some may call it incremental progress, but I call it feasible progress. We must create a Europe that does not serve the personal interests of politicians or memberstates. We must create a Europe free from corruption. We must create a Europe that will stand the test of time and not fall victim to the tumultuous winds of the national politic.

We have at our disposal a powerful vehicle to serve all Europeans, and it is our duty to do just that.

Thank you.

[Icholasen]

Stephanie DeVey: Hello and welcome back to the Premier's debate. We have had the opening statements from our candidates, and it is now time to look at where they stand on the issues. Stephanie gets out her powerpoint clicker. Let's take a look at where our candidates stand on the issues that matter to you. (OOC: I didn't get Kerstin's responses, though RL problems of course got in the way. I can add her choices if you want @Leagio but if not don't worry !)


Merkel: Left/right: 4 EU: 6
Čikarová: Left/right: 2 EU: 3
Cocx: Left/right 5 EU: 3
Trympov: Left/right: 8 EU: 3
Kerstin: Left/right: 4 EU: 5

Stephanie: Candidates now have 2 minutes (OOC: 300 words) to give a speech about why their stance on the issues is the best. Candidates can also ask one other candidate a question about their answers to the questions, but candidates are not obligated to respond. If I believe that an important question was avoided by a candidate, however, I might pick them up on it in the next round where I will be asking individual questions. Candidates are free to debate freely, but not going over 1 minute (OOC: 150 words) per statement.

OOC: You have until 13:12 PM on the 29th of August to make your statement - you can reply to someone's question to your candidate after the time has elapsed as I imagine some will be asked in the middle of the night. If there are mistakes in the chart let me know.

[Pravoslaviya]

Well, folks, would you look at that. The choice is so clear.

I am the only candidate who will stop the crazy spending projects, and return the money to the nations, and the people. All of the people, OK? Not just some people, like Kerstin, who wants to keep the budget the same, but cut contributions for poor countries, and she says the contributions won’t go up for the rich countries – I don’t know how that works, and believe me, I’m a businessman, if I could create money out of nothing, then I would, OK? But maybe she can explain that, I don’t know.

I am the only candidate who will end the under-representation of the larger countries, who put so much into our EU budget. The only candidate who will put citizens first. The only candidate who isn’t from the radical left who opposes the Refugee Protection Act – these people will bring that back, and that was the worst law of all time, and everybody knows it.

And you look at the other candidates, and it’s so bad. The EPA and the ELDR are the same party, they’re the globalist party, OK? The globalist party. They want to take away your borders – and so does Cocx, by the way. They want to force the nuclear countries to disarm. They even want to tell you what the definition of marriage is. They want all that run from Europolis, basically, they want to take away your countries.

You either have a country or you don’t have a country, and if the globalists try to take away our countries, then they’ll destroy Europe, OK? People will keep their countries. We need to totally defeat globalism to keep the EU together, and I’m the only person who can do that.

[Leagio]

If the gentlemen from Pravoslaviya is really confused on how my plan works then let me put it in a way that, i think, he will understand within his own world. Think of Budget Cuts to smaller nations like a Tax Break, you know something that i would assume that businessmen like you receive from your government. The government gives back your tax money to help you invest more in your operations and boost the economy. That is how my plan works, the only difference is that the plan is for poor nations to help build up their development into having a better economic standing in Europe.

[Inimicus]

"And here we go, ladies and gentlemen. Here we go. The infighting begins. On the one hand, a reactionary nationalist like Trympov is advocating a return to tribalism and 19th-century jingoism, and on the other hand, Senator Kirstin has absolutely no sense of concrete plans, no specific proposals. This is what I am tired of - and I'm sure you all are, too.

My answers to the pre-debate questions were based on facts, figures, and a healthy dose of common sense. One thing that does strike me, however, is Ms Čikarová's blatant and shameful refusal to support the Condemnation of the Coup in Icholasen. I ask - nay, demand - that she explain herself. A Cocx Premiership is tough on rogue states, and would never - ever - refuse to condemn an illegitimate government threatening to destabilise our region."

[Czech Slavia]

"Because, Mr. Cocx, unlike you I truly support the right to self-determination. And I am also the only one here who supports this right. Even Mr. Trympov tells us that his EU would be violating national sovereignty just as much as the current EU. Revolutions that are not dependent on foreign help and succeed are legitimate and EU can't force its member states to a common diplomacy. Member states must act as sovereign, not as colonies of the EU.

And a candidate, that is known for getting so hurt by one fake edit of campaign poster being shared by his opponent that he couldn't stop talking about it during his campaign? It appears as if you think that you should be a Premier Commissioner because you were hurt, well I think Europe deserves better."

[Czech Slavia]

"Now, I would like to explain some of my views in a bit more depth. I do think that EU should be a financial contributor to a infrastructure projects. If a country already has a factory, but lacks a proper road toward that factory, EU should subside new road, thus further developing said country, but only as a part of my economic plan. Same goes for the stimulus packages, the member states need to use the funds for developing their productive forces or essential services. But we must know what the money are used for. And developed countries should not be excluded from this plan.

I oppose banning of nuclear weapons and gay marriage guaranteed by the EU. But I am fully in support of denuclearization and gay marriage! EU however, has once no place telling its member states and their people, for example, who they can or can't marry. Not only is that an enormous breach of national sovereignty, but I also think it in turn may actually worsen some people's opinion on gay marriage, exactly because it is a violation of national sovereignty, and something that is seen as foreign.

I notice that Mrs. Merkel and Mrs. Kerstin support the Condemnation of the Coup in Icholasen, but also support banning of nuclear weapons. Well the current regime of Icholasen has nuclear weapons, so I'm left wondering what is the plan of Mrs. Merkel and Mrs. Kerstin. Do they want the recognized EU member states to denuclearize, while allowing the UNSR to keep their nuclear weapons and while worsening relations with them? Or are they ready to guarantee them safety to convince them to denuclearize? Or are they, perhaps, supportive of denuclearization only with their words, but not with their actions? I think the people deserve to know."

[Icholasen]

Mr. Cocx has another 1 minute (150 words) to retort, and, if candidates feel they have been mentioned in this period of free debate they may have 1 extra minute to speak without my permission.

[Pravoslaviya]

Kerstin, I don't need tax breaks, OK, because I actually have very good accountants.

And they’d tell you that your idea doesn’t work, and it certainly doesn’t work straight away. These things take time. They take time, and in that time, you have a big hole in your budget, which you’ll have to fill with more contributions from the big member states.

And also, Cikarova is so wrong. I am the national sovereignty candidate, and I am the candidate for consistency against coups. If a country has a coup, the EU can recognise that or not. That’s the EU’s decision, and I say not, because I want to end the violence. And by the way, I’m against the embargo, I don’t want embargos. But Cikarova says she’s against globalism, and then she doesn’t condemn the globalist coup in Inquista, where they literally tore Craticus apart – give me a break!

[Czech Slavia]

"Mr. Trympov, I won't condemn the coup in Inquista precisely because I respect their national sovereignty. Nobody has the right to govern Inquista, but the Inquistans themselves! No foreigner should instruct them how to govern their country. I may disagree with their current government, but that is all, I won't intervene in their internal affairs.

I have no problem admitting that you are a consistent candidate when it comes to coups. Unlike some others, like Mrs. Merkel, who do not care for principles and oppose only those who they do not agree with. But you are very clearly not a national sovereignty candidate."

[Fremet]

First, I will address comments made by Ms Čikarová regarding my simultaneous support of the Condemnation of the Coup in Icholasen and that of denuclearisation. I do not expect any EU memberstate to disarm if such a threat remains. I cannot, in good conscience, push forward such an agenda. If anything, the consequences of this rogue state controlling the arsenal of Icholasen and threatening other nations should be cause in itself to call for legislative action towards denuclearisation. All the major projects I propose I do not expect to complete in my 4 months. These projects cannot be done RIGHT in just four months. What I will do is get the ball rolling on long-needed reforms establishing a climate where nations have time to adapt to the new norm.

If we have any expectation of implementing long-lasting reform, we must take a slow and steady pace. For disarmament, we will slowly reduce the stockpile allowances phasing into an outright ban.

In lieu of a stimulus programme that would only serve to create added strain on the European Budget and massively increase the size of the European bureaucracy, I instead will introduce a special loan programme to be administered by the ECB that will offer low and no interest long-term loans to memberstates to facilitate long-term development and provide a stable access to credit to provide a buffer to national budgets in times of need.

As far as the European Space Agency is concerned, I will seek to freeze the ESA's budget at its current level until a formal review can be conducted into the actual needs of the agency. I am greatly concerned about apparent conflicts of interest regarding its current agency director and the risk of misappropriation of funds.

Yes, I do support a more cohesive immigration scheme for the EU, but I know that such a program cannot be rolled out overnight. I have said time and again that the European Union must be used as the vehicle that helps to facilitate deeper connections between memberstates. In time, those connections can be expanded to the larger union. Projects on such a grandiose scale must be meticulously planned to the letter or we risk losing and and all support for these efforts in the future.

[Leagio]

"I will go into my stances. First, i would like to tackle on my stance on Gay marriage. One of the things that UDOHR does not cover a lot is the equal protection of people of different sexual orientations. In Leagio, I pushed in the recently adopted constitution for the equality of people of various sexual orientations and that includes gay marriage. Every human being has the right to be treated as a human and not an object of hate. I will push for the protection and legalization of gay marriage."

"Furthermore, focusing on the issue of Abortions and cannabis. I think that this is an issue that should be left to the people in the nations of Europe. The European Union cannot, in my opinion, take a stance on these issues because that is a way trample upon the sovereignty of the nations of this community in Europe. Especially the issues of cannabis, the issue of it falls under the commerce of the European Nations. overeignty shall not be an issue should be stripped by the EU Council."

"Now, i must agree with Miss. Merkel on her stance to Denuclearization. Nuclear weapons, whether they are in the UNSR, Icholsan, or any other nation, have, as a General in the Leagioan Army said, only one short-term goal of permanently destroying the land with radiation with no long-term goal when the fighting stops. However, the problem is seen that there thousands of nukes in the EU, and destroying them all properly in four or even eight months is like seeing Leagio First President come back from the dead. It cannot be done."

"The Nations of Europe have the right to work with other nations to build up infrastructure, but it should not be something that the EU should have to get involved with by using EU budget money. The budget for the ESA is at a high number that in my opinion should not be increased at all. The rest of the budget that the Director of the ESA wanted was too much as he failed to even convince the EU Council properly with a report on the necessity of such an increase; which would have hurt Europe economically as what if a global crash happens in Europe and many countries, as well as companies, need a bailout, then we would be in trouble."

[Inimicus]

"It's immensely interesting to see that rather than engage with the content of my proposals and answer the question I put to her, Ms Čikarová instead resorts straight to the ad hominem. I also question her slightly awkward definition of self-determination. If self-determination means a small clique of communists taking over full, total control of a major EU nation, before banning all democratic process and shutting said country down from the world stage, then sure. She's right. But as far as I'm aware, self-determination involves democracy. Involves dialogue. Don't fall for it, people."

[Czech Slavia]

"Mr. Cocx, I did answer your question. Your claims that I didn't do that are false. The current government of the UNSR did not shut the country down from the world stage, they were isolated by the EU. Self-determination means nothing less then the nation decides its own form of government. It doesn't require dialogue with foreing powers, Nicoleizians are equal with all the other nationalities. You are not their master, Mr. Cocx, to tell them how they should live their lives, they are perfectly capable to decide that themselves!"

[Icholasen]

Stephanie in her mid-debate outfit change

Stephanie: Well that was entertaining! You have 2 minutes per question. (OOC: 300 words but you MUST separate these with 3 dashes.) You may continue to debate and call people out on erroneous claims with a 1 minute (OOC: 150 word) statement. May the debate continue as I live for this drama!

Merkel:

You support the EU banning nuclear weapons. Do you think that that is realistic? And do you think that the EU should pay for the cleanup?

You are the only premier candidate to have a different policy over the Coups in Inquista/Icholasen. You support the condemnation of the coup in Icholasen but not the Condemnation of the coup in Inquista. How is this coherent?

Kerstin:

You have said the EU budget should not rise. If this is so, how do you propose to pay for stimulus packages to poorer EU nations?

There are a few areas where you disagree with your ELDR Colleague Jasper Winston. For example, he supports increasing the ESA budget, the Anti-Space Weaponry Act, and he wants a unified standard curriculum for European schools and you oppose all of these. Is he wrong? And if he is wrong, why do you endorse him?

Cikarova:

You do not think gay marriage should be guaranteed by the EU, you oppose making immigration easier and expansion of the UDoHR, how exactly are you different from the so-called reactionary Trympov?

You are the only candidate here to not support either coup condemnations (Icholasen and Inquista). If there was a coup in Czech Slavia, would you or would you not want similar legislation condemning the insurgents in your country?

Cocx:

You support a Green New Deal, which you describe as ‘where nations come together to strengthen their environmental standards’. Do you think this project would also need money and investment? Or can it function just through, seemingly, voluntary changes?

Wouldn’t a large EU rail project help your green new deal?

Trympov:

You propose decreasing the EU budget and ‘returning the money to the nations’. What would you say to someone whose job is tied to EU funding and is worried about their livelihood being lost?

You think pro LGBTQ legislation has gone too far. But do you think LGBTQ rights need to be scaled back?

You have until 14:00 PM BST on the 30th of August.