Editor's note: Mr. Godwin undertook this interview with the Honourable Mr. Howard Stevenson in the time after the 1822 general election, before the line-up of the Coalition Government was fully announced. It was not published at the time as Mr. Godwin wanted to follow up with the Honourable Mr. Stevenson before publishing once it became known that he had become a minister in the Second Heerlo Ministry. This interview is therefore belatedly published in honour of this retiring public figure. As this interview took place prior to the Honourable Mr. Stevenson receiving a ministry, he is therefore throughout referring to without the 'Honourable' honourific. No offence or insult is intended as the styles employed here were accurate at the time. The views expressed here by the Honourable Mr. Stevenson do not necessarily reflect the views of the Haven Herald nor any of its staff.
I was pleased to accept the invitation to interview the unsuccessful senatorial candidate for the Pulian Advancement Union in Pulias, Mr. Howard Stevenson. We met in one of the capital's beautifully manicured parks on a sunny day with wisps of white cloud dotting the sky; it was a very picturesque setting and felt almost blasphemous to be engaged in work on such a pleasant day.
H. Godwin: Thank you for agreeing to meet me, Mr. Stevenson.
H. Stevenson: Thank you for coming to meet me.
H.G.: Firstly please accept my sympathies on not being elected in what was clearly a crowded ballot paper here in the capital.
H.S.: Many thanks, I would also like to congratulate you on your newspaper having an incredible boost in popularity, mainly thanks to you.
H.G.: Why thank you for saying so, Mr. Stevenson; that is very kind of you. May I ask: why do you think you were unsuccessful in your bid for election?
H.S.: Well, it was most probably a lack of campaigning. As you may have noticed, I was not as active as some other prospective candidates during election time. Many people did not know about me or my stance on many political issues. I had only one public appearance early in the campaign.
H.G.: I see. Most people simply know you as the Pulian Advancement Union candidate for Pulias in the recent election. Would you share to share some more details about your background for the readers?
H.S.: Well, let me start with my history before the Fall. I was born in a Pre-Fall nation called England, to my parents, Henry and Margaret Stevenson. Our family was not poor but it was not rich either. My father worked as an engineer and my mother, as a cook for a local restaurant. We had enough money to send me off to university where I studied engineering, and took after my own father.
I then detected a hint of sadness from Mr. Stevenson as he said the following:
H.S.: After I had finished university, the events that lead to the Fall began. Sadly, both my mother and father were killed in the riots and looting that transpired in the Fall. Now, with all of the confusion of the time, I managed to emigrate to the land we today call Pulias, and I met my wife Martha.
I noticed the cloud of sadness lift from his person as he remembered events much happier than those of the Fall:
H.S.: She was my sunshine. My light. She brought me out of my depression from losing my parents. Out of my depression, I found a good job as an engineer and put my university degree to use. After I began earning a steady income, I proposed to Martha and she accepted. I ran for the Senate because I wanted to make sure that nothing like the Fall would never happen again, as it was the incompetence of the old politicians that had caused the anarchy and killed so many people.
H.G.: You've had a very interesting history, might I say, Mr. Stevenson. It is a shame a candidate of your earnestness was overlooked by the voters of Pulias. By way of comparison, Senator Mischa won the same number of votes as you did here in Pulias. Given that many voters mistook Senator Mischa for a candidate of your party, how does it feel to know that had you run in Coventry you would be a Senator in this term of government?
H.S.: I feel like it is best not to dwell on the past, as I was not elected, and sadly, if I spend too much time thinking about it, it will drive me bonkers. I would also give the same advice for the political scientists out there!
He laughed abruptly at the thought. I allowed him the moment of levity before I continued.
H.G.: How then do you feel knowing that Senator Mischa has renounced his seat in the Senate?
H.S.: I personally, do not take it as an insult, as I know how family matters can be. I do however, hope he does come back to Pulias and continues his political career, as the Honorable Gurra did.
H.G.: I've spoken to many voters in my home city of Haven of Peace. Would it surprise you to learn that some of them indicated you as the candidate they would most prefer to vote for, despite your party's candidate for Prime Minister running for reelection in their city, given that you were running in an entirely different city?
H.S.: It surprises me incredibly that that is the case. I have always thought that the Honorable Heerlo was a bit more popular than I in the Haven of Peace.
H.G.: He certainly enjoys a high level of popularity in the city, but there are some voters crying out for candidates other than the ones they received. How does it make you feel?
H.S.: Honestly, quite surprised. I did not think that the people of Haven of Peace would consider voting for me, even when not on their ballot.
H.G.: Well, they certainly wanted to vote for you, and were unhappy that they could not. Perhaps you and Senator the Honourable Heerlo should swap places next election?
H.S.: Perhaps!
We both laughed.
H.G.: Given that you are not a Senator and not bound by any party or ministerial positions, can you give me your honest appraisal of how the parties and candidates performed at the recent election?
H.S.: Well, shall we start with the two Senators who made headlines this year, the Honorable Senators Melda and Bazil? Both of them campaigned quite a bit and exchanged in a furious debate. I personally, believe that they have both earned their spots in the Senate as they are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in and what they were elected for. They both performed very well.
As for the elected Senators in Pulias, the Honorable Senators Barnard and Gurra. I will not talk about Bazil as I have already talked about him. Let us talk about Barnard. He was the most popular Senator by far, scoring the most votes out of any Senator. He is obviously very popular with the Pulians of Pulias City, and performed very well. The Honorable Gurra did not perform as well as Barnard and did not campaign as much.
As for Coventry, Augustus performed quite well and secured a seat in the Senate. And then, there is the Independent Senator. He did not campaign at all, nor did he present any of his beliefs about any political issues. I believe his platform was "vote for me and I will find aliens". He is the person people voted for because they had no other candidate. I give him zero out of ten.
Finally, as for the Haven of Peace, the Honorable Heerlo performed decently in the recent election, but he didn't campaign as much as he could have.
H.G.: Any standout highlights and lowlights?
H.S.: As I said, the Honorable Barnard was the most popular out of everyone, and a definite highlight. The independent Senator was a definite lowlight. Just a terrible political platform and no campaigning.
H.G.: Any policy positions taken by any parties, even your own, that you'd like see reversed, revised or otherwise changed?
H.S.: No, honestly. I would say that the PIP's warmongering policies be reversed, but it seems that the Honorable Bazil has cleared that up for us, and at this time, the Senator Augustus has not responded to your interview.
H.G.: Your party leader, Senator Barnard said the PIP and PAU will be forming government soon. Do you have anything to add to that?
H.S.: I feel that PIP was at an advantage on the government formation front because their beliefs are farther away from the PAU and the PPP than the PAU and PPP are.
H.G.: Do you ever intend to run for office again sometime in the future?
H.S.: I do intend to run for office again in ten years, but, I believe that will be my last time running.
H.G.: Can you tell me what your plans are now, given that the next election isn't scheduled to be held for ten years?
H.S.: I will definitely spend sometime with my wife, Martha, and calm down after the campaign, perhaps vacation to the frontier and see the beautiful sights.
H.G.: Having travelled to and from the frontier over a very short period of time I must warn you that the journey can be quite perilous. Thank you for your time and frankness. Best of luck with your future endeavours. Maybe we'll meet again in the 1832 campaign?
H.S.: Yes, I would think so, if your career continues.
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