Gaduridos

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[color=#FF0000]THE PEOPLE'S COURIER[/color]

SUD SPEAKS OUT ABOUT "FAMILY MORALS"

Gadur, Marligantos - Recently, Matinelle Sanchez, the leader of the SUD, spoke about the recent incest bill. She said that the crime was victimless unless it resulted in pregnancy. Many people in the SUD and SPP, including Matinelle Sanchez said that society needed to break the so-called "family morals" imposed on them and to establish a progressive society. Political analyst also commented on the SCP accusing the SUD of violating child rights was a mean of diminishing the SUD's reputation. Many sound-minded Gaduris, even some GFP and SCP supporters spoke out that the bill didn't violate human rights, since rape, both statutory and non consensual, is illegal.

Reported, October 4637.

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SCP UNION TIMES
RACE TO REPLACE XAVIER UNETTA BEGINS

Even though SCP parliamentary leader Xavier Unetta isn't planning to resign until the fall of next year the jockeying to replace him has begun. 7 MPs are reportedly looking into the position including the deputy leader Michael Haverson who had previously announced he was planning to retire from the parliament at the end of this term appears to be backtracking those statements this week. Among the other candidates include:
Cory Trix, Shadow Infrastructure and Transport Minister
Rocky Ware, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Shane Banderas, Shadow Minister of Finance
Ken DeSantiago, Shadow Minister for Education
Harriet Joulwan-Garcia, MP for Marligantos
Trevor Wasserman, MP for Salnaeta

Amongst those MPs Trix, Ware,Haverson and Joulwan-Garcia are seen as the more mainstream picks while DeSantiago and Banderas represent the more conservative and populist side of the party. Wasserman meanwhile represents a much more centre-left figure in the party and has revived a once thought dead SCP faction called the Hosian Left. While his election seems unlikely his presence does show how the SCP has become much more ideologically diverse over the last few decades.

April 4644

[XAT]

The Gadur Times

ANALYSIS: WHY THE NLP DISAPPEARED, AND WHY THE NLP NOW LOOKS SET TO RETURN TO GADURI POLITICS

Gadur, Marligantos - Under the leadership of Former Prime Minister Alavaro Tam during the turn of the century, the NLP once more made its mark on the history of the Federal Union. Within a decade, the NLP was able to help assemble a right-wing government, becoming the largest party in the Gaduri Right - within a few short years, the Gaduri Left, which had come to dominate the Gaduri political landscape, was swept aside by the NLP-led right-wing coalition - with Alavaro Tam becoming one of the youngest Prime Ministers in Gaduri history.

But the fall of the NLP into obscurity was as sudden as its rise to power - starting in the late summer months of 4610, Alavaro Tam seemingly disappeared from public life. Even in Parliament, where he was serving as Prime Minister, various Cabinet officials took his place, each possessing identical documents from the Prime Minister. Head of the Pernessia branch of the NLP, Courtney Young, famously termed these documents the "ink spill papers", referring to the amount of the document that was redacted - the only readable portions of the document were those that stated that the Cabinet member had the permission of the Prime Minister to act on his behalf - as well as an explanation that the redaction fell under the "national interest during wartime" clause, meaning that there were only two ways to obtain the unredacted version - either wait until the war was over, or a legal challenge would have to be mounted against the absent Prime Minister.

Even more puzzling to the Gaduri public, in 4611, the NLP Board, the interim leadership of the NLP given Alavaro Tam's absence, declared publicly that the NLP, the second-largest party at the time, would not be contesting the 4612 National Elections. When the Left-bloc swept back into the legislature after the Elections of 4612, they too were blocked from accessing the unredacted file, as members of the executive branch once again stated that the redactions in the document were in the national interest.

It wouldn't be until after the war against Kazulia was concluded, in 4615, that the truth of the situation would be revealed - during the summer of 4610, Alavaro Tam was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Given that the country was at war, Alavaro Tam had decided to keep this fact hidden from the public, so as to not damage public morale. Alavaro Tam would die in February 4613, at the young age of 45, prematurely ending his already-legendary political career.

During his tenure as NLP Chairman, Alavaro Tam had basically been unopposed within the party - in many ways, he was what held the NLP together. In his will, Alavaro Tam had endorsed his long-time political ally and personal friend, the General of the Gaduri Freedom Guard, Ortega Conde, to be his successor as Chairman of the NLP. This would be quickly confirmed, and within days of the will being read, Conde had become the Acting-Chairman of the NLP.

Conde, however, had just returned from the war in Kazulia, where he headed the Gaduri Freedom Guard. The legalization of paramilitaries by the Federal Union had been extremely controversial, and Conde, as the General of the largest and most effective of the paramilitary groups, became a political target of those who rejected either the legalization of paramilitaries outright, or, in other cases, the implementation of the paramilitary system. Most notably, this worsened the already strained relationship between the SCP and Conde - and with Conde now Chairman of the NLP, this led to animosity between some rank-and-file members of both the NLP and the SCP.

Furthermore, with Alavaro Tam now dead, the politics within the Tam Family had shifted as well - the new leaders of the Tam Family decided to focus their attention on business pursuits rather than political pursuits, which led to a decrease in the amount of funding and support that the NLP got from the Tam Family - and its many wealthy allies, which made up the economic backbone of the NLP.

With inter-party politics taking a turn for the worse, and with funding being cut every several months, Conde eventually had to come to the table to negotiate with the Tam Family, hoping to regain access to the financial and social connections that the NLP relied upon to continue to function effectively. Instead, however, the NLP was put on a "life-support" budget - in the negotiations, Conde was only able to secure enough funding to keep the skeleton of the NLP running. And so, the NLP faded into obscurity in the arena of national politics.

Recent developments, however, could be indicative of the NLP's revival as a national political party. With the death of Alfonso Tam, the heir apparent of the Tam Family holdings would appear to be Carlos Tam. Though he only turned 18 several months ago, Carlos Tam already runs a nationally renowned political podcast (Two-Fifty Plus One) - a podcast that he started when he was only 14. His desire to pursue politics, however, was always stopped by the business-focused elements within the Tam Family - but with his recent inheritance, Carlos now has the material resources necessary to restart the NLP, should he wish to do so.

Though nothing has been confirmed as of yet, there have been reports of the elderly NLP Chairman Ortega Conde meeting with Carlos Tam recently behind closed doors, and numerous defunct NLP offices are also currently undergoing renovation. Experts from across the Tam Family's business Empire have also been spotted entering the NLP Headquarters in Gadur, and the NLP website has recently been redesigned.

Whether these activities are the precursor to a revival of the NLP as a national political force, however, remains to be seen.

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Reported, August, 4645.

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SCP UNION TIMES
SCP CAUCUS VOTES NEW LEADER

After many months of discussion and speculation the SCP caucus held an election for there leader. The process requires that a member must be nominated and seconded in order to be placed in nomination, once nominated the caucus will vote in rounds. During the first round all members will be placed to the ballot, once the first ballot is closed the nominees with less than 5 are eliminated. After the first round the person in last place is eliminated every round with ties resulting in all tied members being eliminated unless no candidates remain. These rules were enforced as 10 MPs were ultimately nominated and seconded. Those candidates and the ballot results are below:

Michael Haverson, Deputy Leader of the Party
Cory Trix, Shadow Infrastructure and Transport Minister 
Rocky Ware, Shadow Minister for Agriculture 
Shane Banderas, Shadow Minister of Finance 
Ken DeSantiago, Shadow Minister for Education 
Harriet Joulwan-Garcia, MP for Marligantos 
Trevor Wasserman, MP for Salnaeta 
Jose Luis Sanchez, MP for North Vintalli
Rachel Donnelly, MP for Salnaeta
Simeon Unetta, MP for Marligantos and brother of Xavier

Ballot 1:
Haverson- 17
Ware- 10
Banderas- 7
DeSantiago- 6
Trix- 6
Wasserman- 4
Unetta- 4
Joulwan-Garcia- 3
Luis Sanchez- 3
Donnelly- 2

2nd Ballot:
Haverson- 23
Ware- 19
Banderas- 7
Trix- 7
DeSantiago- 6

3rd Ballot:
Haverson- 24
Ware- 23
Banderas- 7
Trix- 4

Following the 3rd ballot Haverson announced he intended to serve only one more term unless he was elected Prime Minister or elected into the government. Following that announcement Ware dropped out of the race, it is reported that Ware will be pick all future ministerial positions during this term. Haverson also announced that Cory Trix will serve as his Deputy Leader. Banderas commended Ware and Haverson for working together yet refused to drop out feeling the parties populist should have a chance at voting for his campaign.

4th Ballot
Haverson-42
Banderas- 20

After his victory Michael Haverson reiterated this commitments for a single term barring a government and thanked Unetta for his years of service. He also suggested that no major shake up should be anticipated ahead of the upcoming general election. He promised to continue to promote freedom and family values during his time as leader.

March 4646

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SCP UNION TIMES
VOTER INTERVIEWS BEFORE THE 4647 ELECTION

The SCP Union Times has decided to interview 10 voters from across the nation 1 from each party and 5 undecided/independent voters on who they are planning to vote for in the upcoming general election:
Name: Jolyon Rennell
Party Affiliation: Social Conservative
Region: Salnaeta
Age: 33
Why are you voting for the SCP this year?
" I've voted for the Social Conservatives for many years it's sorta a family tradition. I'm a bit disappointed to see Mr. Unetta leave but I'll be happy to give Haverson a chance and I still feel they are the only party that will fight against the socialist."

Name: Ozzy Huxley
Party Affiliation: Socialist Union
Region: Pernessia
Age: 30
Why are you voting SUD this year?
"I've been a socialist since my college years and the only consistent party on ensuring socialist principles continue is the SUD. While I like the SPP in a general sense I find the SUD leadership more robust and exciting."

Name: Duana Bello
Party Affiliation: Gaduridos Freedom
Region: North Vintalli
Age: 38
Why are you voting for the GFP this year?
"Ironically that is a question I have asked my self more and more recently. The party leadership has been more or less asleep at the wheel for a few years and they have become more and more like the extremist in the SCP but I still feel there is something left voting for. Call me complacent but I still want them to represent my moderated conservative views."

Name: Rosalyn Rocchi
Party Affiliation: SPP
Region: Marligantos
Age: 44
Why are you voting for the SPP this year?
"No other party represents a Progressive suburbanite like myself either its the big city socialist or you have to vote for some conservative party who represents big business and religious zealotry.While I do hope they better differentiate themselves in the future they are a good mix for a voter like msyself. "

Name: Mario Thurstan
Party Affiliation: Neo-Liberal
Region: Marligantos
Age: 28
Why are you voting for the NLP this year?
" This is my first election and its largely because of the NLP. I akin myself as a moderate voter I see merits in both sides but no one has ever appealed to me the other parties have always been to extreme or undefined to earn my vote. Now I feel like theirs a party for me."

Name: Servo Ferraro
Party Affiliation: Undecided (first election)
Region: South Vintalli
Age: 24
Have you decided on a party you plan to vote for this year?
"NLP all the way! I feel like I am voting for a movement more than a party, they will get Parliament working again! I know my first vote is going to make the country a better place and that excites me immensely."

Name: Colombo Tittensor
Party Affiliation: Undecided (Formerly SCP)
Region: North Vintalli
Age: 42
Have you decided on a party you plan to vote for this year?
"I haven't quite decided yet. With Unetta gone and the cardboard man in his place I don't feel as motivated to support the SCP. Im split between the GFP and NLP or who knows maybe I will still pull the lever for the So Cons after all. I will say that I am happy to see the NLP make such a splash and put enthusiasm back into politics even if they do seem more moderate for my liking but I may get past that."

Name: Gordy Dexter
Party Affiliation: Independent
Region: Salnaeta
Age:55
Have you decided on a party you plan to vote for this year?
"Like most Salnaetans I consider my self to the left of the conventional centre but I have never found a home in any party. I was a fervent Socialist through my college years actually worked on Hollande Didez campaign back in the day. But as I got older I've gotten much more moderate and mellow in my beliefs. No party has really represented my views normally I'll throw in with the SPP but they aren't really very moderate anymore. So who knows maybe Ill shock my wife and vote NLP I mean it can't hurt right?"

Name: Doretta Marconi
Party Affiliation: Independent
Region: Pernessia
Age: 70
Have you decided on a party you plan to vote for this year?
" Family values have continued to be eroded in society and I have been come extremely concerned about that and I no longer feel the GFP has a mission to make a change in that department yet Haverson hasn't convinced me either."

Name: Vito Ash
Party Affiliation: Independent
Region: Marligantos
Age: 59
Have you decided on a party you plan to vote for this year?
" I haven't really decided between the SUD or the SPP yet. I think I would prefer a SUD PM over another Lackluster Super Progressive.Yet the SUD does kind of concern me with their extremist views"

October 4646

[XAT]

The Gadur Times

CARLOS TAM: NLP WILL CONTEST THE 4647 ELECTIONS!

Gadur, Marligantos - In a momentous announcement today, Carlos Tam has declared that the NLP, as a national political force, has been "dethawed". The reformation of the NLP, it seems, has now been declared by the new Acting-Chairman of the NLP.

Along with the pronouncement of what was in-effect the NLP's revival, came a new NLP Constitution. Much of it remains the same as the NLP Constitution used under the tenure of Alavaro Tam, the previous active NLP Chairman, but there have been two significant changes:

1) Decreased powers of the NLP Whips: Though the NLP Parliamentary Whips are, and always have been, the weakest amongst all the major parties, with individual Members of Parliament largely being given free rein over their votes in the legislature with no penalties, Acting-Chairman Carlos Tam has seen fit to further decrease the power of the whips, to the point where only "matters of Conservative solidarity" are subject to the might of the NLP Whips. The penalty for defying the whips in the NLP legislature has also been lessened from expulsion from the party for a period of 5 years, to a barring of the offender from holding any and all leadership positions within the party for five years - though they would keep the spot on the party roster.

2) The Decentralization of Abortion: The NLP has traditionally had few national policies in its party constitution - opposition to all forms of socialism and communism has one that has been long-standing, but others have generally only been situational, such as a stalwart policy to not disrespect any national symbol during wartime. This has changed recently, however, with the new NLP position on abortion. The issue of abortion has always been one that has divided the NLP caucus - the more conservative members of the caucus have traditionally opposed the expansion of abortion, the more liberal members have traditionally supported the status quo, while the majority of the caucus simply followed the party position at the time.

According to this new policy, "Regarding the NLP Position on the Contentious Issue of Abortion", the NLP will aim to devolve the issue of abortion to the local communities, as a compromise between the Conservative and Liberal positions. Though marketed as a path towards unity nationwide, as well as a move towards Federalism, a core tenant of the NLP, analysts can't help but realize that this policy of devolution would allow Carlos Tam to side-step the contentious issue of abortion, which nearly brought down the NLP at the turn of the century.

A public address by the Acting-Chairman of the NLP is expected shortly.



Reported, November, 4646.

[XAT]

The Gadur Times

STATEMENT FROM NEWLY PROCLAIMED ACTING-CHAIRMAN CARLOS TAM OF THE NLP

Gadur, Marligantos, NLP Headquarters:

To the past members of the NLP, welcome back - I hope I will not disappoint. To the new members of the NLP, welcome to the Party - we hope that we prove worthy of your new support. To the many mentors and experts of the NLP, both new and old, thank you, for providing your expertise in creating a better NLP, a vehicle for a better Gaduridos.

Around yourselves, you can see the ancient slogan of the NLP - "No More Tyranny!" - and that is really what we represent. The Socialist and Communist Elements of the Gaduri Left, since the days of the founding of this party, and even before that, have always sought to impose their viewpoints on the Gaduri public. That is not to say that all of those in the Left are anti-Gaduridos in their hearts - indeed, the vast majority of them have the best interests of the Federal Union in their hearts - but such elements do exist, who, with pure or corrupt intent, seek to destroy the foundations of our great Federal Union. This is what we must fight against.

I could lie - and paint a rosy picture of what the Federal Union looks like right now, but this is a speech in which I will be frank - the nation is sick. Now, the NLP has never been for one for mass government control, but even it has limits - those Socialist elements that I mentioned earlier appear to be dead-set on destroying the Federal Union's moral fabric. Nowhere was this more clear than the loosening of controls on incestuous relationships. Now, the SPP can go ahead and say that this is a victimless crime, but I ask - is the normalization of relationships between brothers and sisters - which may lead to the creation of deformed children one that is victimless for the culture of this country? I think not!

It is no secret that the NLP and the SCP has had their historic differences. It is, after all, in the name! The "Social Conservative" Party is never going to fully agree with the NLP, a socially moderate party. But I urge the leaders of the SCP, and to an extent, the GFP, to overlook these doctrinal differences in conservatism, and look at the bigger picture - the weakness of the Conservative movement never lay in its support - Gaduridos is not a socialist country! Rather, the left practice unity in legislative voting better than we do - and that is our downfall.

As you may know, and as our diligent friends in The Gadur Times has reported, I've made some changes to the NLP Constitution. Both changes pertain to our commitment to Federalism - we cannot claim to be a Federalist Party if simply let loose the whips whenever there is internal dissent. Nor can we say that we are Federalist if we ever call for a centralized response to an issue as morally polarizing as abortion. There will be members from the left and the right who criticize this decision - we all know this. But I will stand resolute - the NLP is open to negotiation, on both fronts, from the left and the right - but not on this issue, which has threatened to tear governments apart. For all legislation that does not propose a decentralization of abortion law, the NLP position will be abstain or oppose - depending on how radical the policy is.

The Election of 4647 is due in two months - some, in fact many, in my Cabinet have told me that engaging in this Election is a bad idea. That we don't have enough time. That we don't have the infrastructure. But elections, I believe, are not always won on dollars and cents, but on ideals - and the ideals of the NLP, as the past has proven time and time again - as the SCP poll has proven - are very powerful indeed. And if we fail in two months, we shall reorganize, and try again in 4 years - we stand for our convictions, whether it be in two months, or in four years.

Long live Gaduridos!
Long live the Federal Union!



Reported, November, 4646.

[XAT]

The Gadur Times

WHAT WILL CARLOS TAM'S TENURE AS NLP CHAIRMAN BE LIKE?

Gadur, Marligantos - First and foremost on most people's minds is that of the "revival of the NLP" under the Acting-Chairman Carlos Tam. Interestingly for the Acting-Chairman, internal NLP Election dates have yet to be announced, as would have been NLP tradition - when questioned on this, Tam has simply stated that the upcoming elections are the far more urgent matter, but that internal party elections would take place "soon after", refusing to provide a definite date.

As such, it would appear that Carlos Tam will be the Chairman of the NLP for at least, the foreseeable future. So what are the views of this ambitious young politician? Luckily, we have 4 years of footage from his now defunct political podcast to let us know.

Firstly, and foremost in the discussion regarding the moral fabric of the Federal Union, Carlos Tam is a fervent secularist - believing in the separation between Church and State. Though he did openly condemn the "incest advocation bill", as he termed it, this was likely more out of the disgust of breaking the traditional moral fabric of Gaduri society than due to any Church function. This is unlikely to present a major challenge to Carlos Tam within the party, as the NLP has traditionally been a secularist party, even during periods where it was under a Hosian Chairman, but will signal that NLP policy will be closer to that of Alavaro Tam, another secularist, rather than Adrian Tam, a Hosian partisan.

In terms of his political influences, there are 3 major factors to consider. First, Carlos Tam likely sees himself as a successor to Alavaro Tam, and appears to seek to strike the same tone and policy agenda as his granduncle. Whether this is because he is the next active NLP Chairman after Alavaro, or because he seeks to replicate his granduncle's success in electoral politics, remains unknown. His second major influence in politics has been Ortega Conde, the (now) elderly former General of the Gaduri Freedom Front, and close political ally to Alavaro Tam. Compared to Alavaro, Conde has always been a bit more radical, and a good deal more aggressive in his rhetoric. Given that Ortega Conde is likely to have much influence in the NLP under Carlos Tam, we can safely expect that the statements made by the party will be more aggressive in nature than when under Alavaro Tam, though the effect that this would have on policy will likely be minimal, given the lack of doctrinal differences between Alavaro and Ortega in the previous NLP era.

The third major political(?) influence that Carlos Tam has is that of his training in the running of businesses. This has always been a factor when considering NLP Chairmans originating from the Tam Family, as all members, from a young age, are taught the standard conducts of business. Specifically, they are generally taught the "take no flak" personality, where any attack is countered with overwhelming force. This has been a staple of NLP communications since its inception - though they remain cordial, even to their political opposition, for the most part, an attack on the NLP, or any member of the NLP, by any other party, is generally met with a long and fiery speech of condemnation from the NLP. We expect that this tradition will continue under Carlos Tam.

Economically, Carlos Tam is a traditional NLP Chairman/politician - following the ideals of the invisible hand of the free market in as many situations as possible. In that respect, Carlos Tam will likely follow the economic policies of his predecessors.

This is, of course, just an analysis - what happens to the NLP under Carlos Tam remains to be seen.



Reported, November, 4647.

[XAT]

The Gadur Times

HOW DOES THE NLP WIN THEIR ELECTIONS?

Gadur, Marligantos:

The constituency that makes up the NLP voter base, is, in many ways, a political anomaly within the Federal Union. As such, we thought that we would take a deep dive into the electoral strategy of the NLP.

The core territories:
In every election that the NLP has ever contested, they have never lost the seats in Gadur's City Center, the Southern metropolitan coast of South Vintalli, nor those seats in the Pernessian hinterlands, outside the industrial zones. In fact, the NLP has never won anything less than a majority in these regions, and never anything less than a supermajority in the seats in Gadur's City Center. This is the core of the NLP as a political party - the high-tech regions of Gadur and South Vintalli, as well as the anti-Communists in the Pernessian hinterlands. This is generally also where the major power brokers in the NLP come from.

Strong NLP Presence
Marligantos outside of central Gadur, the Pernessian industrial border towns, and South Vintalli as a whole fall under this category. Relying on anti-communist rhetoric, socially moderate policy, fiscal conservatism, and militarism and nationalism, the NLP is able to penetrate into the generally Left-dominated cities and win a number of seats. This is really what sets the NLP apart from the other conservative parties - the social moderate/liberal policy, as well as the pro-science stance of the party.

Battlegrounds
Salnaetia as a whole, as well as urban North Vintalli falls under this category. This is where the NLP focuses most of their efforts in outreach - in other words, these are the swing seats, for both the conservative coalition as a whole, as well as the NLP itself. Salnaetia, due to the large volume of trade that they do with Gadur, is slightly easier as a NLP target seat, due to the many business connections that the NLP has at their disposal. Still, this Federal State in particular is generally a tough fight for the NLP.

Low NLP Presence
North Vintalli as a whole, and the worker towns of Pernessia are traditional leftist, and sometimes, even socialist strongholds. This naturally does not lend itself well to the NLP, which runs directly against these viewpoints. Few, if any, seats here are won by the NLP.

If Carlos Tam wants to repeat the NLP surges of his predecessors, he will have to secure Salnaetia and Urban North Vintalli - they can be said to be the predictors of nationwide NLP performance - if they fail there, the chances of a NLP victory are slim indeed.



Reported, November, 4647.

[XAT]

The Gadur Times

NLP WINS BEST RESULT IN ITS HISTORY!

Gadur, Marligantos - In a stunning victory, the NLP has managed to secure 32.98% of the vote in the recent Parliamentary elections, swinging the balance of power in Parliament back in control with the conservatives, 127-123.

Having surpassed his ancestor in securing 83 seats nationwide, Acting-Chairman Carlos Tam has called for the immediate creation of a conservative government for Gaduridos. Per the belief of the analysts, the bellweather for this election appears to have been the results for Pernessia, where the NLP was able to tie the Socialists with 15 seats apiece.

After this tremendous victory for the NLP, Acting-Chairman Carlos Tam has announced that elections for the position of NLP Chairman would occur in July - likely hoping to ride the momentum of winning the greatest victory that the NLP has ever had.

As the results were announced on election night, the buildings of Central Gadur lit up with the NLP slogan - "No More Tyranny!"

Acting-Chairman Carlos Tam has also indicated that he would be interested in a meeting of the conservative parties post-election, in order to ensure that the Gaduri conservative movement remains united.



Reported, January, 4647.