Realpolitik of the Smoky Skies - The Reboot

A new institution, the Royal Academy of Music was founded in Pulias City yesterday.

The Tenterden Street academy is intended by its founder, Colonel John Fane to be the premier conservatoire in Pulias. Colonel Fane, a prolific composer and talented violinist as well as a colonel in the Pulian Army was assisted in the establishment of the Royal Academy of Music by the Dalmacian harpist and composer Nicolas Bochsa.

Colonel Fane spoke at the grand opening: "For too long Pulians have had to look enviously to other nations, such as Dalmace, and see their talented musicians and wish 'if only'. The founding of this Royal Academy of Music is our way of saying Pulias is no longer a cultural backwater; we will become the musical envy of this brave new world!"

Mister Bochsa also spoke, with a heavy Dalmacian accent: "All the peoples of Pulias should be very proud of this, the Academy. In time you will be the cultural equal of the world. It is my hope this Royal Academy of Music will be even more successful than the Dalmace Conservatoire."

When I asked Mister Bochsa if he would return to Dalmace to act as a musical ambassador for Pulias he appeared panicked at the suggestion and refused to make further comment, directing me back to Colonel Fane instead.

The Colonel made it clear that any Pulian citizen with a promise for musical talent should make the journey to the Royal Academy of Music "to ensure their skills are properly honed and harnessed".

There are reports today that the distant nation of Vedria has lifted its ban on coffee.

Before the Fall the ancient Kingdom of Sweden had made many attempts at banning the product over the past century, alternating with periods of heavy taxation. Attempts at prohibition continued even after the country's rebirth into modern Vedria because it was believed the beverage posed a public health risk.

Although official sources refuted it, a number of independent investigations had revealed the amount of coffee consumed in the nation of Vedria had not decreased despite the ban and that the coffee prohibition had in fact led to an increase in criminal activity as Vedrian citizens turned to criminal organisations to smuggle coffee into the country.

Vedrian government officials have not commented on the overturning of the most recent ban attempt but observers believe the government simply decided to stop fighting a battle they were losing and instead capitulated to the will of the people.

There was one minister whom I had not yet met in person and whom I longed to interview. He would be the jewel in my journalistic crown, as far as I was concerned, if ever I could get him to agree to an interview. The founder of the Pulias People's Party, the first Prime Minister of Pulias and current government minister: Senator the Honourable Gustavus Gurra.

First impressions are important, and I knew I had irreparably ruined mine: during my now-famous interview with Senator Melda I referred to Senator Gurra by implication as a member of the upper class. This is not correct and he took great offence. Senator Melda had personally berated me over the mistake. So I was very surprised indeed when Senator Gurra accepted my request for an interview.

We met at the Pulias People's Party headquarters in Pulias City. The venue seemed appropriate for a party claiming to be 'of the people, for the people, by the people' because it was very basic: a conference hall, a small office and a cafeteria. We met in the latter. I was expecting something more opulent, to be honest, but this was my first indication that perhaps the Pulias People's Party was a genuine 'for the people' kind of party after all.


H. Godwin: Greetings, Minister. Before we begin, please let me express my genuine apology for any offence caused by the incorrect information published in the Herald when I interviewed Senator Melda. He contacted me after the interview ran and expressed his and your extreme displeasure. It was entirely my fault for not researching more thoroughly, and a mistake like that will not happen again. I hope you will accept my sincere apology so we can put it behind us.

G. Gurra: That was an unfortunate mistake; there is no need to drag it any further. It is nice to finally meet you, Mister Godwin.

H.G.: And you, too, Minister: I've wanted to meet you for quite some time.

G.G.: I'm pleased that the feeling is mutual.

H.G.: Indeed it is. Now I know you've been back for some months now already, but welcome back to the nation. And congratulations for your election to the Senate.

G.G.: Thank you! As a self-proclaimed citizen of the world I feel at home wherever the wind takes me, but Pulias is and will always be my first home. It is an honor to get to serve the people of Pulias once again as their Senator.

H.G.: Can you tell me about your travels? You were gone from Pulian society for ten years. What is the wider world beyond our borders like? Have other nations recovered from the Fall as well as ours?

G.G.: There isn't that big a difference between life in Pulias and life outside actually. I lived in Eruch for a year, where I did some work at an orphanage nearby the tiny apartment I was able to rent, and it is a very beautiful city but also a very divided one. I saw many children who came from awful conditions living on the street, and while we might not have that particular situation here in Pulias we do have similar problems. Poverty and inequality torments our world and that is why I do the work that I do with the Pulias People's Party. We can't pride ourselves on being better in any way because that just isn't true. Wherever I have been, may it be Pulias, Eruch or Hong Kong, the ghosts of our past still live on.

H.G.: That's very interesting to hear. If I may ask about your party, it recently updated its organisational structure, replacing the 'Leader' title with a party president and secretary. Can you tell me more about this and why it was done?

G.G.: Well, our party has the aim to be as flat an organization as we can possibly be, so that our organization is a movement of the people and not just a select few. That is why we wanted to divide the senatorial and organisational duties of the leader into two separate roles: the President and the Secretary of the Party.

H.G.: I see. From an outside perspective it looks an awful lot like self-aggrandisement: giving yourselves special titles.

G.G.: I don't see how it is self-aggrandisement to divide duties of co-ordinating our party more equally.

H.G.: So instead of an increase in duties within the party it's a decrease of Senator Melda's. Do these changes speak to hidden internal party instability? Did Senator Melda need to cede some of his power to you for some reason?

G.G.: Senator Melda is a firm believer in our flat party organisation and the old role of a Leader has always been mostly a representative one anyway. There was no personal reasoning behind this, but rather an idea to abandon any hierarchical party structure that was hanging around.

H.G.: I see. In that case, tell me more about your thoughts on the Deputy Prime Minister. As founder of the Pulias People's Party, how do you think the party has been run under his leadership? Or 'presidency', I suppose?

G.G.: Comrade Melda has done an excellent job representing our party this year, that's all I can say. Thanks to his work and self-sacrifice the party has been able to, and will continue to, accomplish many good things.

H.G.: Do you hold any concerns about his temperament? There are some in the community who believe his abrasive style makes his professed pacific tendencies less believable or authentic.

G.G.: No, I don't. The Pulias People's Party works towards making this world a place of peace and justice, and we have the right to be angry about its current state. We need to stand up for what we believe in, in what is right, because if we just sat down quietly we would let the people down. Our pacifism is the idea that peace will prevail, but this world we live in is not at peace. We condemn the use of military warfare, but we must attack the ideals of the old world to achieve true freedom.

H.G.: As the former Prime Minister, the first Prime Minister of modern Pulias, in fact, were you surprised in the recent election to be upstaged by Senator Bazil of the Pulian Imperial Party? Are you concerned that a political novice received more votes that you?

G.G.: I am concerned that such a large number of voters have been lured in by the imperialist agenda, whose representatives might use fancy words of equality and freedom but in the end only work to serve themselves and their hunger for power. Whether or not he has held a seat before I couldn't care less about: when I was elected Prime Minister I too was a "political novice."

H.G.: Well, on that subject, do you have any comment on the rise of jingoistic parties like the Pulian Imperial Party, and before that the now-defunct National Expansion Party?

G.G.: It is deplorable but not at all surprising. This world has been ruled by jingoistic propaganda throughout history and it takes time to change old views. Ideas of wars having a just cause are of course common, how else could the absolute governments of the old days justify sending their own people out to die on the battlefield? But we must realise that we, the people of the world, all hail from the same beginnings — we are all the same and killing each other will never change the world for the better.

H.G.: Speaking of changing the world, some political commentators have expressed concern that the new government looks to be using the Senate as a rubber stamp for their executive decisions, instead of allowing the Senate its proper role in reviewing and debating legislation. More specifically, they point to the example of the recently-passed Ministerial Reform Act 1822, and that the Deputy Prime Minister steamrolled the Senate by pushing the bill through without allowing any debate or amendments to be considered. What do you say to that?

G.G.: We in the Cabinet find this situation unfortunate, and that is why Senator Melda has opened debate on the matter of the Ministerial Reform Amendment Act 1822 that was proposed by Senator Augustus of the Pulian Imperial Party. Currently, the constitution of Pulias doesn't express in much detail how the work in the Senate is to be done and we in the Cabinet currently seek to find a solution to make the Senate a more democratic legislative assembly.

H.G.: Now that you've been reelected to the Senate, do you hold any aspirations for the party presidency?

G.G.: If the members of our party decide that they have that confidence in me in the future, I would of course accept, but I do not hold any aspirations as for what my future in the party will be like. My one and only aspiration is to do the best job I can for the people of Pulias.

H.G.: Do you have any plans to become Prime Minister again anytime in the future?

G.G.: I have no such plans. If the people's will is for me to represent them as their head of government, I would be more than happy to do so. That matter is not up to me to ultimately decide.

H.G.: As Prime Minister in the interim government you worked with the Pulian Advancement Union. Can you tell me if you've noticed any differences between working with them then and now in the current coalition government?

G.G.: The Pulian Advancement Union have done good work in Pulias, and we are happy they too seem to value progress and peace as much as we do. I haven't perceived any differences in working with them now as compared to working with them in the past.

H.G.: The Deputy Prime Minister recently held a town hall meeting in Haven of Peace to engage with the voters. What are your thoughts on that?

G.G.: As Senators we are the people's representatives and it is our job to ultimately do what they need us to do. The Town Hall meeting is a great example on how we in the Pulias People's Party work to engage with the people themselves so that our movement is one of the people. For example, my office here at the party headquarters is always open for voters to come in and talk to me about any current issues or other matters when I'm here.

H.G.: Having such an open door policy must come at a price. As the former Prime Minister, you must be accustomed to living in the spotlight. Can you tell me how your family has handled your political career?

G.G.: Well, I don't have much of a family actually, except for my daughter that is. But she is a tough bird and seems to have no problems with me being the public person that I am.

H.G.: Thank you very much for meeting with me today.

G.G.: Thanks to you too. Do you know your way out? This building can be a little hard to navigate sometimes . . .