by Windsor-Bainbridge » Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:43 am
[OOC: Forgot to copy this here. It's from 2887]
===HUTORI TELEGRAPH===
DUCHESS THOMPSON'S FIRST INTERVIEW AFTER RESIGNATION
2 February 2887
Since her retirement almost two years ago, Duchess Thompson has become unique in being the only CLP leader to continue leading her party after retiring from the position of Prime Minister. Of course, Dukes Thompson and Major retired whilst the CLP continued to hold a majority, as did Duchess Wright. Only Duke Havers suffered at the hands of the electorate, and he promptly resigned. However, Ducess Thompson believes there is need for her to carry on. Today, we caught up with her, and we can reveal she is as determined as ever to regain 32 State Square.
HT: So, Duchess, what have you been up to since you retired as Prime Minister?
DT: Well, as you could expect, I have been concentrating fully on politics. I am only 34 years old, and so still have the majority of my career ahead of me. I have spent much of my time in Parliament, debating with my parliamentary colleagues. Other than that, I have been able to concentrate on the things I didn't have time for in my 9 years as Prime Minister, namely reading, following Tchoukball and listening to music.
HT: You are the first CLP leader to continue as leader after resigning as Prime Minister. Why did you decide to do so?
DT: I became Prime Minister at the age of only 23, and, so being Prime Minister was really only the start of my life...unusually! I have much more to give to Hutori, and intend to be here for a while yet. During my premiership, I managed to manoeuvre the Party away from a strictly private sector line, introducing a mixed system in health and education. This proved to be extraordinarily beneficial to the country, and hope that it continues to be so. I want to remain as leader to continue down this sort of line.
HT: And yet, unusually, you decided not to be in the coalition Cabinet? Is this out of dislike for the UFC?
DT: Not at all. Of course, I suffered a lot of grief from them during my leadership - indeed, they were formed out of opposition to us. But it was I, of course, who initiated the coalition. But I sometimes think that, in a coalition system, it is easier to lead a party when you are outside of that coalition. Remember that, come election campaign time, all parties oppose each other. Had I been in government with the UFC in a minority capacity, I would have found that harder to do. So I decided to ask four of my colleagues to continue in government, and I would lead the party in a legislative and national capacity, rather than sitting in government.
HT: Is your support for the government unconditional?
DT: Well of course not, but quite what my exact conditions are, I am unwilling to say!
HT: What is your assessment of the current state of Hutorian politics?
DT: It's a funny sort of time at the moment, and I worry that we are seeing a return to authoritarianism. The CEP have proposed a whole raft of bills that would see the size of the state dramatically increased, and the UFC, despite their favouring civil liberties, recently made it illegal for an employer to fire his workers. The NWP, despite their apparent inability to construct proper sentences, remain present, and rumour has it that the Ultranationalists are set to return. It's a worrying time and there is trouble on the horizon, another reason why I am adamant that I will stay around to see that my values are continuously represented.
HT: So, no plans for retirement?
DT: [laughs] Absolutely not. Though, of course, my position as leader remains at the pleasure of the national membership and the Party Leadership Committee. As I say, I am only 34, still long before most of my predecessors started thinking about high office, so I have a long way to go yet. It's a fascinating position to be in.
HT: In one of your resignation speeches, you predicted that the CLP may never be the majority party again. Do you stand by that?
DT: [long pause] I think so. I know it's unconventional for a party leader to predict such a thing. But we've had such a long period at the top, unbroken for almost 40 years with the exception of one parliamentary term. Such things don't last forever. Also, the CLP tends to do better when there are fewer parties. When there is such a wide range of parties, the number of socialist bills that are produced tends to be overwhelming, affecting the opinions of the people. I therefore predict that we will become a party near the top, but never at the top again. I hope dearly that I am proven wrong.
HT: What contact do you currently have with you predecessors as CLP leader?
DT: Well, of course, both Dukes Havers and Major remain on the Party Leadership Committee and so we meet regularly. Neither sit in parliament anymore and so we are not in constant contact, although both have houses in Adelia and Kenai, and so when I am either at parliament or in my constituency, I see them often.
HT: Thank you for giving us your time, Duchess.
DT: It was a pleasure!