Reprinted fromIZQUIERDA- The Voice of the Kalistani LeftUpset in SP National Convention
Society of the Bretheren member Bennots-Plum ousts Premier Carrangus on the 32nd ballot for Party LeaderKaliburg, Ananto District
November 3, 3918The Socialist Party of Kalistan's National Convention this year was widely expected to be a pretty mundane affair. Support for the current direction of the RFP-SPoK government was expressed, Interim Chair of ODEN, Hank Dubwise spoke before the convention, various resolutions were offered and debated from the floor, mostly dealing around the Advancement of ODEN and KALNAPECO, and the Potluck, a fairly common mainstay at recent SP conventions, was enjoyed by most, though it seems that the majority of the leftovers which were donated to the National Food Bank consisted of various incarnations of Three Bean Salad. There was even a resolution offered which sought to ban the Three Bean Salad from future SP Convention Potlucks, but this motion ultimately failed because of the staunch opposition by the Suldanor and Odufaray delegations and the abstention of the Neveras Delegation.
SPoK Convention in Kaliburg last month, which led to the election of Jonas Bennots-PlumAll things were proceeding almost according to script when it came time to reaffirm Fredricka Carrangus as SPoK Party Leader going into the next election. At this point, a local activist from Neveras named Jonas Bennots-Plum rose to put forth his name. Bennots-Plum, whose great great grandfather moved to Kalistan from Mordusa in the late 3700s, and whose great grandmother married into the Bennots family, is particularly noted in Neveras for his work to spread the word of the Society of the Bretheren. He has had some minor success making converts of several hundreds of the unchurched in the District, and from there launched Annual meetings in each of the other 4 districts of Kalistan, aiming to reunite all the Betheren under one General Conference.
As Bennots-Plum put his name forward, several delegates rose in support of his candidacy. Carrangus' supporters, realizing the challenge immediately launched several procedural efforts to prevent or delay the vote. These delegates were not expecting a challenge to Carrangus' leadership during this convention. But Bennots' supporters gained control of the debate and were successful in calling the Question. Delegates who were on the fence supported Bennots' motions because, as they reported later, they thought the delay tactics of the Government bloc were underhanded and dishonest.
Voting went forward, and after the first ballot, neither candidate had a majority of votes. Speeches and debates immediately were entertained, as delegates broke into factions, one for Bennots, one for Carrangus, one for "delay" of the vote, and one for a late entry, Marina Delgado, who was one of the Ananto delegates and was the daughter of the former Governor. In total, 32 votes were called, with speeches between each, before enough delegates voted for Bennots to produce a majority on the floor. The deciding factor was Carrangus herself, who departed the convention in disgust after the 30th ballot. Her ardent supporters held on for one more vote, but ultimately, when it was clear that their candidate was not returning to the Hall, Bennots received the overwhelming majority of votes, making him Party Leader.
The Convention broke up after that point, as Bennots supporters left the Hall for late night carousing in Kaliburg. Meanwhile, the news of the election spread throughout Kalistan, and SPoK members in each major city held impromptu celebrations of the election. The most important aspect of the election was not the actual election itself but the near instantaneous increase in attendance at Bretheren Meetings in the following weeks. The Bretheren meetings, which numbered less than 10 nationwide before the election, have increased in number to over 50, with an average of 35 attendees per meeting, putting the number of regular Bretheren attendees at close to 2000. The remnants of the old Society of the Bretheren, throughout Terra, have been sought out for information, and what few tracts on the faith and practice of the Bretheren have been copied and sent for examination to Kalistan.
Jonas Bennots-Plum, New Leader of the Socialist Party of Kalistan and member of the Religious Society of Bretheren in KalistanBennots is on record as saying that the tenets of Kalistani Socialism run parallel to the tenets of the Society of the Bretheren. He has on a number of occasions pointed out that Socialists would naturally make good Bretheren, and Bretheren would make great Socialists. The message is clearly resonating with a certain segment of the SPoK, who has, to this point, supported radical secularism in the law. "There is no contradiction on this point," Bennots stated last February. "Individual religion has absolutely no business serving as the foundation of civil law." But, he was quick to point out, this does not mean that all members of the SP must eschew individual religious or ethical belief. "The Bretheren advocate an ethical method of resolving dillemas. Governing along ethical lines is something that the SP has long supported, and the Bretheren method of faith and practice supports that same end."
The SP is still by an large non-religious, and Bennots has publicly stated that the SP will not become a religious Party affiliated with the Bretheren. But it is clear that Bennots and his followers have fully joined the Society of the Bretheren, and will remain so, at the same time as they work for socialism in Kalistan. Carrangus will remain Head of Government until the President proposes a new Cabinet.