Pre-election meeting, outside the Purple House, 10:30 AM (open to everyone)

[Faustling]

There was a lot of people gathered on the grass in front of the Purple House. The audience, that included the media, the politically active and plenty of curious and influential citizens, was composed of at least a hundred people. In front of them, on a small scene was the main characters of the meeting. In the center stood his majesty Francis III behind a podium. On his left was the current cabinet with all its ministers and on his right was representatives from all the major parties.
Francis waved his hand as a sign for everyone to settle down, it was time to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen," He began "A new election is soon upon us and we are once again gathered for one of our traditional pre-election meetings. I am joined by prime minister Cross and his ministers who have guided our country until now and for that I thank them. They have however, decided not to run in the next election which bring me to my other guests" He paused for a second and gestured to his right. "Our future will dictated by another party led by one of these gentlemen. Thus, I shall conclude this speech right now and let them continue. First each of them will hold a short speech to present their parties' ideas and goals for our country. Then the members of the press will get to ask them questions. When all of that is finished we will celebrate our past and future with an outdoor lunch. That's all, ladies and gentlemen, lets welcome the first representative. Thank you."

Francis took a step back and joined the audience in their applause as the first party representative walked up to the podium.

OOC: Things should be fairly clear, right? Each party leader holds a speech and then I'll NPC some journalists to ask questions.
Those of you who aren't leaders of a party can be in the audience and either think stuff or talk to the people sitting next to you.

[Rahvin]

Daniel stood, as the King walked back from the podium to stand between the various political figures. Daniel approached the podium. His fingers curled around the square top, and he looked out over the audience. Some of Confundia's brightest sparks were here today.

"Citizens of Confundia," he began, "I ask you to take this opportunity to do one thing, and one thing only: take a look, a good, honest look, at the world around you. Look into the gutters, into the back streets, into the doorways at night. From our high vantage points, is it not easy to overlook the rot that infests our cities?" He gripped the podium, staring into the crowd. His voice rose with his enthusiasm as he continued. "But we cannot afford to remain blind to this sickness! Action, as unpalatable as it may seem, must be taken, or we will ruin Confundia in our blindness!"

"The rise of celebrity culture, the dominance of reality television and the preponderance of apathy throughout society are all evidence that intelligence and politics are failing. We live in a time where what a sports player or supermodel says has more impact on the world and global culture than what the prime minister says. If this is allowed to continue, the fall into a society of idiots will be inevitable.

"Now is the time to take action. Now is the time to make a change in the world. Now, my fellow citizens, is the time to be an active force for the betterment of society. Ban imbecilic, moronic television programs. Boycott fashion shows. Ignore celebrity culture. Remove the obvious warnings to the terminally stupid - if they cannot work out how to open a bottle of Calpol, then don't they deserve to fall ill? If people need to be told not to drive off cliffs, then why are we letting them drive in the first place? If people need to be told not to touch mains electricity, then why do we need them in our society?

"Why do we allow ourselves to be held back by incompetents and stupidity? Why do we allow modern culture to destroy the very bedrock of our society? Why are we stuck where we are instead of leading the world into a glorious future? I'll tell you why: because eighty percent of the population of this nation wouldn't know what intelligence was if it walked up to them and punched them in the face!"

Daniel stepped back slightly, his features calming. His eyes swept the audience again while he gathered himself.

"There is, ladies and gentlemen, an infestation of idiocy in this land. But now is the time to reverse this slide. Certain standards must be held. Help the SEC make a better future for us all."

With that, he turned and walked slowly back to his seat.

[Zyks]

preffering to stand as one of the crowd, Alan watches the proceedings. Sneering slightly at the mention of the previous government

Well if he thinks they've done a good job, he'd better think again! Perhaps the previous governemnt should be eugenicised too? Or is that too extreme maybe? In any case, it's time for a change.

When Daniel goes up to make his point, Alan perks up, smiling at the SEC's concepts on how bad things have become, how destroyed society is. The pitch to the crowd sounded good to him, and he waited patiently to the end, to see what the average man thought of it.

[Tsaeb XIII]

As the head of the Selective Eugenics Council returned to his seat, Matthew rose and took to the podium. Mr Blake was definitely a charismatic figure, and his party had the right ideas. Admittedly, their intended implementation needed work, but they had potential.

"Good people of the nation of Confundia. Today you have come here, showing an interest in your nation's future, and for that I thank you. But look around; although there are a great number of you here, how much larger is the group of citizens absent? Why should those who refuse to even show an interest in who governs them, have a say in how they are governed?"

"For too long, the politicians of this nation has bowed to the will of those who care not about the prosperity of the nation; pampering those who care only about themselves. Why do people who fail to fulfil their responsibility to contribute to their nation, deserve the right to take aid from those who do?"

"The Big Brother party is willing to stand up for those who fulfil there responsibilities; regardless of their social standings. Should a man who is poor, but dedicated to helping his nation progress, be seen as lesser than a rich man who lives only for himself? I think not, and should the Big Brother party enter government, it shall never occur again. For those who help build our glorious nation shall be rewarded, and those who think not of the greater good shall pay the reward."

"This is the first of the building blocks of the Big Brother party. It is an issue which plagues our nation, and which we shall strive to remedy. But there is another dark stain which ruins the fabric of our beautiful nation which we shall strive to cleanse."

“There are groups within this nation which describe themselves as the protectors of liberty. They strive to keep criminals out of prison, to preserve the rights of those who would harm others, and encourage people to blame others for their problems, rather than take responsibility for their own actions. Do these sound like the people we want running our nation? Or do we want our criminals locked away, where they cannot harm those who have fulfilled their responsibilities towards others?"

"I implore you then, people of Confundia, vote for the Big Brother party, and help bring society back to one in which status is earned and lost on how a person serves their nation; not how they serve themself."

Matthew returned to his seat, awaiting the speech that was to follow. As far as he knew, it was to be made by the leader of the so-called 'Mustard-Seed Party'; and the presence of a certain Eric Shepard in their midst was more than enough for him to know the party must be little more than a joke.

[Zyks]

Listening intently to the Big Brother party leader, Alan thought quietly to himself

Sounds like communism to me. And anyway, if they come into power, won't everyone suddenly become commited to the country, to avoid punishment?

Even so, the ideas are sound. Perhaps we shall have a fair amount of competition in this.

[.Zagor.]

Near the back of the crowd Sirius was thinking of the huge wads of cash he'd be paid by either party, and decided it didn't matter who won.

[rekluse]

Derek clapped politely after the head of the SEC returned to his seat, despite the fact he found the group's policies to be a little harsh. The unintelligent may seem like a burden at times, but the SEC acted as though they were a plague against mankind - a blemish in need of removal. Derek figured moronic people had their place in society, and they generally caused no bother to him.

He listened intently to Rutherford's words next. Now this was something Derek could agree with. Those who fulfill their duties should be rewarded, that was the absolute truth in Derek's eyes. When Rutherford returned to his seat Derek clapped politely once more.

Derek glanced around as the crowd sat in wait for the leader of the Mustard Seed Party. He recognized a few faces, including that of a man he thought he saw around Mallowsburg from time to time. Derek nodded in recognition of him, and then turned toward the political figures up front once more.

[Darn Dame]

Lady Hawthorne’s driver had located her conveyance on the outskirts of the crowd as directed. It wouldn’t do for her to mingle amongst the crowd at this time. She scanned the gathering as the ceremonies were preparing to commence. She recognized several prominent figures of the community, both upon the stage and staggered amid the citizens of Confundia who had gathered for the political meeting.

Her gaze was pulled to center stage as their beloved King, his majesty Francis III, approached the podium. With one single wave of his royal hand, the crowd hushed. His Majesty greeted the citizens and briefly outlined the agenda for the event. He then resumed his position, and the first representative came forward to speak.

Lady Rose tilted her head and listened intently as Daniel Blake began his speech. He spoke eloquently and passionately before the crowd. Intermittently she scanned the faces of the onlookers as they watched the impassioned man speak. Various emotions played across their faces, some an echoed agreement, others in quiet difference, and more with apathetic nonchalance. Her own expression was carefully schooled in impassivity.

She politely clapped along with the multitude as Daniel Blake left the podium. The next scheduled speaker, Matthew Rutherford, approached the podium.

“Good people of the nation of Confundia….” began Mr. Rutherford.

Lady Rose listened carefully to the passionate political rhetoric. The politician promised a better future for Confundia, as did Mr. Blake. The question was which avenue would be most expedient and successful?

Lady Rose scanned the faces of the gentlemen seated behind Mr. Rutherford and hovered over King Francis. With some determination, she moved her admiring gaze back to the speaker. When his speech drew to a close, Lady Rose mimicked the crowd with her applause.

Experience had taught her to weigh any decision very carefully before committing to anyone or anything. As she waited for the third party to speak, she did so again, analyzing each man’s speech and assessing how their agenda might affect Confundia, and ultimately, her and her mother.

[LokiWolf]

Standing in the back of the crowd Mercy rolled her eyes, What are they completely crazy, there's not even a hint of security around here

[David Greenspan]

David Greenspan of the Fiscal Conservatives Party of Confundia steps up to the podium and starts his speech.

Citizens of Confundia, there are issues facing our great nation. Our economy is not doing well. We are bleeding away jobs, and we are bleeding investment opportunities. We need to fix this and ensure employment and opportunity for prosperity for our citizens. The way to do this is to ensure that there are good opportunities to invest and incentives for companies to create jobs.

You have been offered a choice in this election between the frying pan and the fire. A radical group that wants to watch your every move, put the government into the bedrooms of our nation (and everywhere else too). Or a selective eugenics council that thinks the solution to unemployment is too kill of those who are "too dumb" to hold a job. Neither of these groups even bother to mention the economic difficulties we face and the impact they have on your daily life.

The Fiscal Conservatives of Confundia offer a better option. A sensible moderate path. Good sound economic policy, fiscal values, and protection of law. We'll protect your privacy in your homes and bedrooms, we'll need reasons and legal approval to spy on you. We won't kill off people for having interests that some describe as dumb. If 80% of us are so dumb as the SEC is apt to claim then aren't they going to be killing people most of you know? If they disapprove of celebrities in general are they going to be killing the ones you like? The solutions to our problems are not to purge scapegoats but to put innovators and thinkers into government to solve the difficulties we face.

I come from a strong educational background, I've been very successful in my academic career and my business career. I have a wonderful family and a great family life. I'll admit I have fewer difficulties right now than many, but I ask the voter not to hold my background against me. I know I have ideas and understandings that can fix our economy without purging individuals, without spying on every last one of us.

A vote for the Fiscal Conservative party of Confundia is a vote for no purges, and a vote for no unwarranted and unfounded spying. Thank you and always remember, We are the "Right" party.

[Tsaeb XIII]

As the latest candidate spoke, Matthew was amazed at just how ignorant some people were. It was no wonder that the nation was in its current state, given that people were willing to support politicians such as these.

This Mr Greenspan seemed to have completely misinterpreted the ideals of the Big Brother party at least - nowhere did the party say they planned on spying on people in their houses. But sensationalism has always drawn votes, and it seemed to be working for this particular man.

Matthew was tempted to leave at that point, but in order to maintain a civil environment for the function, he simply remained seated, preparing responses to the drivel for later encounters.

[Rahvin]

Daniel fought to keep the scowl from his face. It wouldn't do to show his true feelings in a public arena like this. No - in the world of politics, appearance was all.

As he digested the Conservative's speech, his annoyance turned to silent amusement. They were all playing the same game here. Greenspan was preaching to the more apathetic members of the audience, the ones who were in positions to actively benefit from society's downwards spiral and the ones simply too lazy to back the major changes needed to correct it; just as he and the SEC targeted those people disatisfied with their lot, the hard-working classes who had to watch money that should be rewarding those who truly benefitted society frittered away on who-looks-best-this-week celebrity crap. And just as the Big Brother party appealed to the authoritarian voters, people who thought society was becoming too free.

Despite himself, Daniel let a slight smile touch the corner of his mouth. Moderates like Greenspan and the Conservatives were just obstacles, and any obstacle could be overcome with the right approach and tools. All that was left to do was to work out what those tools would have to be.