by UniSocAll » Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:20 am
The Right, Green, Salacious Machine that is Ishmael Bukharin
Interviewed by Robin Clementine
MAGRATHEA, November 3068
10-time Chancellor candidate, leader of the right-SCI movement and rise for 3 decades, helper and council to the creation of the IEF, 6-time runner-up for Chancellor and 2-time Ike of the Year. A long career, with many accomplishment, but little accolades, IAN gives Ishmael Bukharin the spotlight, as we talk with him about Ikradon and the SCI in the last 3 decades.
Mr. Ishmael Bukharin, first off, thank you for this opportunity! Now, let's talk about your marvellous career. At the time that you became the leader / chancellor-candidate of the SCI, it was going through renovations. What was your role in righting of the SCI? And how and when did you originally joined the party?
Well, to be honest, the party itself was having a crisis of ideology. With the newly arrived and blossoming Syndicalist Party, much of our disaffected members were leaving in favor of the new SynPar. I, along with several other chief party directors, felt that it was time for a deep introspection to decide the future of the SCI, and indeed the future of Ikradonian Politics. Much is hazy of my early days. As a youth, I was a raised by parents who supported the centre-right FFP, so naturally, when I left for college, I was taken in by the free-wheeling leftist movement and marijuana (hence the hazy youth). After that I had been to some rallies for the RM-S party, but was slightly disillusioned by the lack of.... well, assertiveness. So, I gravitated towards the farther end of the leftist spectrum, to a party that seemed to care much more about principles, to the Synarchist Council. A few local political campaigns, some clerking in Congress in Magrathea, then an elected MP in congress, then ultimately to HoS nominee.
Since 3027, you have been the leader of the SCI for over 30 years, with your last election in 3057. Through it all you have experienced many events, the rise and fall of SynPar, the URA-saga, some DT-drama on cloning, isolationism of USA, first non-LL cabinet in decades and of course, the formation of the IEF, and the first right government in centuries. How have these affect you, the SCI, if they had any effect at all.
Oh, indeed, I have seen and even presided over some of the greatest changes to our party and our nation. It has been an interesting ride. We did enjoy the fall of the SynPar, not so much for regaining our voters, who I'm sure fell in line with DT and CFP, but for the nostalgic feeling of surviving past our old rival. The URA years were slightly chaotic. On the one hand, we desired to form close bonds with our rightist fellow parties, but on the other, it went against some of our core beliefs as a party just solidifying after many years. On the issue of DT cloning, we didn't mind much, we've always supported cloning and internationalism, so neither did we mind a clone, nor one not made in Ikradon. We were very glad to announce the opening of the IEF, it was a good feeling standing there with compatriots in a strong bloc against the LL. The transition could not have been made, however, without the aid of the USA. They helped us cement a non-LL government, which people in Ikradon must really have approved of.
Speaking of the IEF, the SCI definitely had a leading role in the creation and formation of the IEF, what was your role?
I was more hands-off on the creation of the IEF. I was consulted about the strategy and implementation of it, but the real force behind that was our SCI national party chair and candidate for Head of Government, Yuri Tatarin. He is a real idealist, we go a long way back. He really wanted the ideals of the right and centre-right parties to be represented and held up as a strong bulwark against LL oppression. I believe he made his message clear.
Looking back at your long career, we see that you participated in 10 HoS elections, and finished 2nd 6 times! An unprecedented amount. But do you look back at any, or all of those, and wished you were elected, or wished you had done something differently in the campaign? And what would you have done if you were elected chancellor.
Well, hindsight is 20/20. Indeed, a bit more moderation may have helped siphon some votes from our fellow rightist parties, but in the long run, the centre-right is in the minority (possibly growing as we can see), but we still have a disadvantage compared to the entrenched LL voter base. They clearly have had a strong lead in the HoS elections for many many years. As Chancellor, I probably would have done exactly what my friend, Yuri, just accomplished, a more solid LL opposition. But who has time for "What ifs?" Bah.
As someone who has experienced politics that long, what do you think of politics today in Ikradon? And t about the capitalism-ing happening now in Ikradon?
Ikradonian Politics today seems much more vibrant and alive than it has in the past. Perhaps my IEF bias showing through, but a strong opposition to the LL has brought out the vigor, and in some cases violent tendencies (CFP), that a strong democracy craves to give itself meaning. I fear that the capitalist surge in Ikradon will slow down. If the IEF maintains a majority in the next election, it will probably be only a small one, if not a complete turnover to a slight leftist majority. While people do call for change, some are only willing to make small changes. When those changes occur, people are usually more willing to return to a status quo. I think that perhaps the moves toward a freer economy may have been slightly too much for an electorate to handle. But I guess we'll see in the next election.
Any one moment that you may be proud or not-so proud of?
Unfortunately, I was a member of the party during those few years when we went slightly mad and changed our name to the SCI Total Control Paradigm. I thought it was just an April Fools' Gag from former Head of State, Stepan Vlarich, but he turned out to be a bit more serious than we thought. It might be better that he died when he did. *chuckle*
We have reached the end of the interview, any last thoughts or opinions for the peope of Ikradon?
I wish all Ikradonians to keep an open mind and a cool head. And thank you for humoring an old bureaucrat, I much enjoyed the opportunity to be interviewed.
We thank Mr Bukharin for the opportunity and interview, and wish him all the best. Certainly an icon for the right in Ikradon, and the driving force for the SCI in the last 30 years.