Valruzia

[Alain Delors]

VCRP Enters Grand Coalition Along Left-Wing Rival
December 4030


VCRP Chairman Miroslaw Czerniewicz alongside the new head of government, Ludwik Brobowski (PDPS), after they were sworin in by President Karina Kraszewska

After a bitterly fought general election campaign in which both sides have exchanged harsh barbs, the centre-left PDPS and the centre-right VCRP, once at enmity, have joined forces in a grand coalition after all other options failed to materialize. The cabinet proposal was supported by the Conservative Monarchists and the Social Liberals, with the recent rise of the far-right and the sheer necessity of forming any stable government bridging the ideological gap between the two largest parties. Although hardly born out of genuine affection, the uneasy alliance got off to a somewhat harmonious start, with both sides unanimously denouncing the vulgar tirade of Opposition Leader Reynard "the Barbarian" Rorschach (CSI), who had previously attacked President Karina Kraszewska (VCRP) in very personal terms over her toleration of the grand coalition. As a gesture of mutual good-will, the PDPS nominated its moderate deputy Ludwik Brobowski to serve as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, while its controversial leader Jan Pawlak was relegated to the Ministry of Justice. In exchange, Miroslaw Czerniewicz declined to assume the office of Deputy Head of Government, leaving this office to Dr Tomasz Szczesny, an eminent Professor of Politics at the University of Białograd who is seen as relatively centrist. Czerniewicz will, however, serve in cabinet just like his nemesis Pawlak, occupying the Department of Trade and Industry.

Miroslaw Czerniewicz, who remains VCRP leader, seemed to dial back his anti-PDPS rhetoric, responding to a question how he could suddenly join forces with a party who he had called "rabid red rogues" in the election by saying that "we are professionals who understand that what you throw at each other in a general election is sometimes a bit overblown, and that you shouldn't bear grudges for too long because of these rhetorical taunts." President of Valruzia Karina Kraszewska said that the grand coalition was "in the national interest" and "accomplished the impressive task of uniting a majority of Valruzian voters behind it, which is a challenge in such a fractured party system as ours." The President was mute over the CSI's accusations of her having betrayed her allies in the presidential election whose endorsement she had courted by positioning herself as a joint anti-socialist candidate, merely saying that "conditions change, and a good President must adjust to them with necessary amount of flexibility." VCRP Secretary-General Dominik Legerski was more outspoken, labelling the "Barbarian" a "professional man-child who obviously uses his vulgarity and sexism to compensate for the presumptively unsatisfying dimension of his private parts."

It remains to be seen whether the peace between VCRP and PDPS can possibly last once it comes to presenting joint legislation. "Populism is the main link that can be used to reach an agreement between these two otherwise ideologically contradicting parties", said renowned pundit Albert Adamczak. "Social issues are another area for finding common ground, and so is law and order politics, thus we can expect some common project to be found." Adamczak added that VCRP and PDPS might be well-advised to get used to working with each other because a second coalition might be necessary to prevent the far-right from entering government after the next election. "While both VCRP and PDPS have demonstrated that they are open to teaming up with the extreme left and right, they might take pride in presenting themselves as the sane parties amid a political landscape full of loonies. That requires them to cope with the prospect of working with each other for longer than they might have originally planned to."

[Alain Delors]

VCRP Sets Out to Cut Corporate Tax
July 4031



After the PDSP managed to deliver income tax cuts and spending increases for its working-class clientele, the VCRP's turn seems to have come as the government is expected to announce a reduction in the corporate tax rate, which currently stands at 35%. Although the Minister of Trade and Industry, Miroslaw Czerniewicz, had reportedly planned to implement the policy later in the term in order to boost his party's campaign in the runup to the next election, backbenchers pressured him to prepone it repeatedly. This week, mining oligarch and VCRP Sejm member Florian Jurkowski seemed to issue an ultimatum to the party leadership: "Consumers have more money in their pockets thanks to the government's tax cuts, and demand is rising. Now it must give us - I mean, businesses - the opportunity to produce more in order to satisfy them. How much longer are we going to wait? Let's do this!"

No more than two days later, Miroslaw Czerniewicz unveiled his plan to cut the corporate tax rate by eight points down the way to 27 percent. "We will give businesses a considerable relief and allow them to create more jobs and goods, contributing to the boom our economic changes have produced", he told the Sejm after a cabinet meeting. The PDSP is thought to be on board as well, granting the VCRP its share ofthe deal. However, apart from tax adjustments, the pace of deregulation has been slow, angering some VCRP supporters and donors who call for privatization and curbing the power of unions. Czerniewicz has resisted these calls for now, preferring to maintain coalition harmony. In order to placate the voices of discontent a bit, he proposed to eliminate pollution standards and abolish smoking restrictions, which is not expected to create a rift with the PDSP.

As taxes continue to fall, economists have warned that the government is paying too little attention to the growing size of the deficit. The government remains unimpressed nevertheless, emphasizing improving growth figures instead and arguing that economic progress will outweigh a bigger national debt. Tomasz Szczesny (VCRP), Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers, stated that the government was expecting the deficit to "fade away" as the economy grows, declining to affirm the need for austerity measures. Given that the spending increases and tax cuts the government has implemented have proved popular with voters according to polls, the administration is not expected to change course anytime soon.

[Liu Che/Zhuli]

Justice for the Fatherland

With near unanimous approval, the Justice for the Fatherland Act passed the Diet. The act, promising wide sweeping law and order reforms, is the most significant law passed in the current Diet outside of the budget increases and tax decreases. This puts the KMS in good standing given their initiative, despite their loss on the Hosian values bills.

KMS chairman Eduard Hornik, having submitted a wide ranging agriculture and environmental bill, which will make farming more sustainable and deregulate a great deal of environmental protection to the regions, promises continued progress with submitting the entirety of the KMS platform to the Diet. Hornik says, "Even if our bills do not pass, we are learning what the parties will accept, giving us a better chance at success in the future. God is on our side, just as he is on the side of the one true king."

True justice will come to the Fatherland upon the approval of the referendum for a constitutional monarchy. While most parties support the referendum and the constitutional monarchy as a whole, official wording for the referendum has not been finalized. The Conservative Monarchists would prefer to include recognition of the House of Marek as the true and rightful monarchs on the referendum, ensuring that Cyril z Marek becomes the nationally recognized king. Rumor has it, in order to boost popularity and gain more support from those concerned with foreign affairs, Cyril is pursing marriage offers with a princess from Deltaria, Luthori, or Endralon. A royal marriage would serve to not only bring Cyril prestige, but gain international support from the international monarchist community. Until then, lies will continue to be spewed about the rightful king and his dear friend Melanie, a deaconess in the Aurorian Patriarchal Churuch.


King Cyril and Deaconess Melanie preparing for a devotional session to address the terror that comes with the darkness

[Reddy]

Brobowski Takes Over Party
November 25, 4031

Chairman of the Council of Ministers Ludwik Brobowski has solidified his position following his unopposed election to replace Justice Minister Jan Pawlak as party leader. Prior to his election, the two were effectively leading a diarchy over the party and the Social Democratic ministers, causing some confusion and irritation given Pawlak's preference for firebrand tactics and language in contrast to Brobowski's more measured use of words and preference for consensual politics. Then came allegations about a pardons for donations scam in the Justice Ministry, which Pawlak claimed were false and had been planted in the media by his intra-party rivals. While he was not personally implicated, it damaged his image as a champion of the working people. Fearing a poor performance by the Social Democrats in local elections next December, the party's grandees placed pressure on Pawlak to step down as party leader. He will however remain in Cabinet until the next election.


Chairman of the Council Ludwik Brobowski

Brobowski has been long associated with the party's moderate wing and the bulk of his Ministers are considered to be moderates as well. Despite the occasional conflict, he has managed to maintain reasonable relations with his VCRP coalition partners and President Karina Kraszewska. With a considerable number of the party's more leftwing activists and members defecting to the newly founded Greens, the far left National Progressive collective and a handful perhaps to the far right National Legion, the Social Democrats are now dominated by moderates and Brobowski will likely face minimal resistance in re-branding the party as a somewhat more moderate, centrist social democratic movement.

This means support for corporate tax cuts, a less extreme position on protectionism and more moderate public positions on social issues. He was careful to secure the election of his ally Finance Minister Jerzy Czuma to succeed him as deputy leader, likely desirous to keep any leftists left in the party, outside of the party leadership.

[Kubrick]

National Legion to lean more on "will of the common folk"
Far-right radicals under Gniewek steer towards populism to reach a broader audience.


Leader of the National Legion Janusz Gniewek at the Second Gathering of the Legion, a large party event announcing the course for the coming two years.

December 4031 - In the word of party leader Gniewek the Second Gathering of the Legion was a "great success". During the last one and a half years the party has seen a large influx of new members, showing that the campaign of Gniewek is having some effect on rallying people towards his cause. Yet the party is still small and is doomed to stay small with its radical ideology. To battle the negative reputation Gniewek has implemented a new course for the party together with a new colour and logo. The new party will present itself in a shroud of bright yellow, a colour not yet present on the Valruzian political scene. "The dark green, while the traditional colour of my own local party grouping, is perhaps not fitting for the grand politics of the entire nation" said Gniewek. "Also, those Greens use green. Which makes sense but we do not want to be associated with them by any means, they are the complete opposite of what we believe in, they are the leftist danger that wants to make our society crumble." Several radical members of the Social Democrats have even defected towards the National Legion with promises that the party would look out more for the common man. It seems that Gniewek has kept his part of the deal by proclaiming that the National Legion "will guard the nation, our principles and the will of the common folk, for none of these Metzists and liberal shills look out for you anymore, all they care for are their own fat pockets and that is why I pledge to you that the National Legion will bring proper change: Valruzia for Valruzians and a government for Valruzians" is what Gniewek said in a fiery speech. The new members from outside the far-right political scene will help cement the reputation of the National Legion as a more mainstream political party, yet the stain of racism and anti-Yeudism does not fade easily.

[Kubrick]

Growth in membership for National Legion
Mild approach a "ruse" say experts.


Members of the National Legion during a parade as part of Gniewek's campaign in his hometown of Tirtul.

May 4032 - The National Legion is steadily growing in numbers since the reformation by Gniewek and the small group of radical defectors from the Social Democrats. The new style of the National Legion with revamped ideology is slowly finding more support within Valruzia. The party now maintains more leftist views regarding social-economic matters to win the hearts of the lower classes with Gniewek speaking out in favour of better healthcare provided by the state, lower taxes for lower classes and other matters that were previously unthinkable for the Legion. Yet the conservative, fascist and authoritarian ways of the Legion have not disappeared. The National Legion is still firmly religious and opposed to all "progressive nonsense" as Gniewek puts it being campaigned for by the Nationals and Greens.


A youth camp organized by the National Legion, several of these camps have sprouted up all across Valruzia.

Yet controversy still surrounds the party. Not many have forgotten the fact that Janusz Gniewek is a known racist and anti-Yeudite who is not ashamed of his feelings. The rising anti-Ahmadi sentiment within the party also causes worry with political experts. Zygmunt Hus, professor emeritus in politicology at the University of Białograd, stated that "the new more centrist approach is a ruse, a veil to hide the truth of the National Legion, for in truth the Legion is still the same as before but now there has been a switch to populism to win that desired popular vote, the party leadership has not been changed since these reforms so it is hard to believe that a man like Gniewek has suddenly changed his own convictions". Whether it is a ruse or not, the tactic does seem to be working as membership is steadily increasing. Another big part of the rise of the National Legion is the local involvement. All across the nation the National Legion organizes 'scouting camps' for youths. During the warmer months of this year, starting now, kids are welcome to enjoy several weeks of fun and games under the watchful eye of National Legion members. Professor Hus also warned against this, calling the camps a potential place for political indoctrination. Spokespersons of the National Legion have stated that the camps are "politically neutral".

[Reddy]

Brobowski Calls For 'Big Democratic Tent'
July 2, 4032

Chairman of the Council of Ministers Ludwik Brobowski has called for the creation of a 'big democratic tent' in Valruzian politics. Brobowski said he and other moderate operators in the political sphere were deeply concerned about the 'rise of extremism, left and right'. He called on consensus seeking and democratic party to form a front in time for the 4033 elections to field a joint presidential candidate and enter the legislative elections in alliance as well against what he called the 'extremist parties'. Without directly naming the so called extremists, the Chairman made use of party colours to attack his opponents.

We have to ask ourselves - do we want to see purple shirted thugs who attack their own party leader and appear to have militaristic inklings in them, win any more seats? Do we want to see yellow shirted racists recruiting our youth to the yellow cult of hate? What of those in aqua blue, clearly high on cheeseburger and demanding the right to show pornography to the nation's children on television and creation of paramilitaries amongst other tools of anarchy? Or earth warriors in green, ready to destroy the economy at the altar of ideological purity? We must reject and resist extremism in whatever color. This is why I announce that as a first step, the PDPS will endorse the re-election of our fantastic President Kraszewska. She is a force for stability and moderation in politics. Her importance in maintaining democracy in the crucial period after the elections cannot be praised enough.

It remains unclear if Brobowski's idea will be accepted by other parties. He already has a working relationship with his coalition partners in the VCRP and the Social Liberals who support his minority grand coalition. his statement did not mention the Monarchists and some believe that this means he is willing to invite them into his'big democratic tent'.

[Liu Che/Zhuli]

Referendum Proposal Voting Begins, One True King Unveils Crown Jewels

Early this morning, Eduard Hornik submitted to the Diet a proposal for a referendum on Valruzia becoming a a constitutional monarchy. Since their foundation, the Conservative Monarchists have pledged to support monarchy and introduce it through the most democratic means possible, a referendum. While it is true that Cyril z Marek is king by divine right, in the modern era of democracy, the monarchy should also have the support of the people. To the KMS, obtaining the support of the people will not only give the monarchy greater legitimacy, but make it last longer as an institution.

Hornik states:

The people crave their customs and traditions, especially when they provide a solid foundation for the nation. However, they also desire to rule themselves. Through a referendum, we will not only be restoring an institution the people can look to for unity and pride, but we will be celebrating the wonderfully developing democracy we live in. Through this act, Valruzia will be a testament to Terra of how a democracy should work. I encourage all Valruzians to vote 'yes' on the referendum should it pass the Diet. After all, Valruzia was created based upon a royal marriage uniting two peoples and two noble families. Without our king, we remain divided.

In concordance with the vote on the referendum, Cyril z Marek publicly unveiled the Ducal Crown Jewels of Hulbark (Chulbark) and Valruzia, jointly making up the Royal Crown Jewels of Valruzia. Custom dictates that a legitimate monarchy must have the support of the nobility and participate in a coronation using both sets of regalia. It is hoped that by allowing the public to view the jewels, they will support the "delightful distraction" of monarchy.

[SelucianCrusader]

CSI PROPOSES ENDING PUBLIC EDUCATION
Seeks to replace schools with free online game subscriptions


What the Barbarian looks like in the "WoW" video game

BIALOGRAD - While preparing for next year's elections, the Common Sense Initiative has bought forward a motion to abolish public education entirely. With the "Public Education is for Beta Males Act", CSI leader Reynard "the Barbarian" Rorschach has come up with a "revolutionary" new idea on how to remove and replace public education, which he describes as a "nest of cultural meztism and religious fanaticism", with a free subscription to the online video game War of Worldcraft (WoW) that he claims will teach youngsters "all they need". The Barbarian is apparently a dedicated gamer himself:

Supreme Marshall of the Diet,

Public education must be abolished since its a nest of cultural meztism and religious fanaticism. Its not natural for our young to sit on their ***es and be imprisoned 7 hours a day with a bunch of professional sadists when they are full of energy. It also costs a lot for the taxpayers. It so happens that I have come up with the perfect solution to how to educate our young in their stead:

There is a game on the internet called War of Worldcraft (WoW) that I play almost every day which teaches schoolchildren all they need: maths, Luhoran, sports, war, fighting, the need for big b**bies to be popular if you're a woman - boys to be real alpha males in general. Perfect for future soldiers and real men. I propose we shut down public education entirely and instead give every child a free subscription to this game - this would be much cheaper for us than employing teachers. And much more fun for our children.

ZOMG I HAZ L33T POLITICS ROFLMAO U PINK-HAIRED LEZBO ****S

Reynard the Barbarian
Master of Common Sense™

[Alain Delors]

Czerniewicz Reaches out to Brobowski, But Stops Short of Formal Alliance
August 4032


Will the coalition between Czerniewicz (left) and Brobowski (right) enter the next election as a unified force?

Following the suggestion of Chairman of the Council of Ministers Ludwik Brobowski (PDSP) of forming an electoral alliance of the so-called "pro-democracy" forces in the face of a perceived surge in extremism on the left and right, VCRP Chairman Miroslaw Czerniewicz has replied in a muted way, striking a careful balance between the demands of competing factions of his party. While the moderate pro-business wing dominated by the oligarchs and big money donors has warmly received Brobowski's proposal, the national-conservative and populist faction has called for keeping the doors to the likes of CSI and NL open.

"We thank the PDSP for reaching out, and we are aware of our responsibility, as democrats, to reply with force to the surge in extremism. I will therefore promise this much: should the current coalition, with the possible addition of the Conservative Monarchist Party, receive another majority in the next general election, we guarantee to support a continuing partnership between our parties with regards to government formation", Czerniewicz said in a press release, effectively calling for a second term for the PSL-endorsed grand coalition, possibly backed up by the monarchists. "At the same time, a formal alliance is more than our grassroots and a big chunk of our Sejm caucus can agree to. In the end we remain at different parts of the political spectrum, and we believe that we can bring more voters into our grand coalition tent by competing for supporters separately on the parliamentary level."

President Kraszewska embraces PDSP support



The VCRP will, however, accept the PDSP's endorsement of incumbent President Karina Kraszewzska. The President herself took to the press today and, in a rare deviation from her neutrality, heaped praise on the coalition parties for their "prudent steering of public affairs", stating that she hoped that "the sensible and pragmatic course that has emerged to guide Valruzia's fortunes after the last elections will be retained in the future." Kraszewska added that she felt honored by the Social Democrats' endorsement and interpreted it as a sign of "national unity". She also warned against the "rampant radicalism we have experienced in recent months", urging voters to reject "the voices of revolution and political warfare". The President remained neutral on the upcoming monarchy referendum but made it clear that she would not object to adjusting to a redefined role for the Head of State as a representative of the monarchy. Whether she will win re-election, according to experts, depends on whether she can assemble a different electoral coalition than the one that propelled her to her last term while still uniting a majority of voters "Last time around", pollster Tymon Skibinski says, "she won as the supposedly right-wing, anti-socialist candidate with the help of the CSI. Now that she has tacked to the center so radically, it remains to be seen whether her newfound support on the centre-left will outweigh losses on the right flank."