New president Renee Buchanan has put her cabinet team together all in her first day in the new job. The president has nominated her predecessor TJ Norton (LRP) for the new portfolio of innovation, a merger of her old job of infrastructure with an emphasis on better technology and what she refers to as 'the ideas economy'.
Other cabinet nominations include former round 1 opponent Dennis McVicker (Libertarian) for commerce, Alex Pijanowski (SDP) returning to arts and Reg Ambrose (LRP) taking on attorney general. All have been presented for confirmation.
Stay here at the Express as President Buchanan's government takes shape and gets on with the job.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
BUCHANAN-HOCK ELECTED WITH 60% OF THE VOTE
For the past term they have served the republic in the Titulia Government building and they will continue to serve for another term: only now they will serve from next door in Liberty House.Former president Norton has moved out and new president Renee Buchanan and vice president Gregory Hock have moved into the executive office and residential building.
The final count had Buchanan at 21 votes (60%) to Wilberforce at 14 (40%) and secured a second term for the Liberal Republican Party in the driver's seat of the executive branch. The new president hasn't wasted any time getting to work and thanked the people of Titulia for their support.
"I am thankful for the trust placed in me and I look forward to the term", said the president.
Former president TJ Norton has praised his successor and viewed the work of the term ahead as 'positive'.
"Renee has certain gifts that can't be ignored .. probably more than I. I wish her all the best as she takes on the new role and I am available to provide every possible support .. as she did for me".
LRP political analyst Todd Richards called the result surprising in the wake of strong anti-government votes in the first round and said the climb in support was welcomed, but remains a mystery.
"Winding up she [Buchanan] increased the LRP's margin by a further 7% on top of last election. That concurs with the pattern of every election since Carmody with the one exception of the Merry/Ambrose campaign ran by the RNC", he said.
"I'm not going to dwell on it because it's a secret ballot and no one is ever going to know except ADMIN. Watching the strategy of the SDP campaign and factoring in other anti LRP sentiment there is some conjecture about how 'rank and file' the turnout truly was. There's no other explanation other than some split voting from the other parties who pledged to back Wilberforce. To reach this result that had to be the situation".
Taking in Richards' analysis, LRP secretary Malinda Noble remarked a growing interest in the LRP government's alternative was the recipe for victory.
"The strong outside support for the LRP had to come from people who remembered what life was like before we came along. This tells us that our message is working and we can't afford to take Titulia backwards", she said.
LRP members used today as a double celebration to also mark former president Norton's birthday in southern Brisbane.
The Express congratulates President Buchanan and Vice President Hock, along with thanking President Norton for his service.
Friday, September 24, 2010
SDP stalwart joins Liberal Republicans
Historical 'badboy' of Titulia Matthew Ingebritson has left the Social Democratic Party and joined the Liberal Republican Party.
LRP secretary Malinda Noble welcomed the former SDP leadership candidate and says she looks forward to pulling up a chair for him at the next State Conference after the election.
"It's warming to have Titulian experience in the party", she said. "Matthew has a place at the leadership table".
Newly installed LRP deputy leader and departing president of the republic TJ Norton joined in saying Ingebritson has provided the colour needed in the ailing state.
"Some of his ways are definitely out there but you can't say it's a dull moment with Matt around. Great to have him", the president said.
The LRP's new star recruit said he respected the SDP and all they achieved under former president Eric Meissner.
"The guys [SDP members] are awesome and theyre my brothas no matter what. The Liberal Repubs add the fun and have the toolbox to fix Titulia and I want to be part of it", Mr Ingebritson said.
It comes at a bad time for the Wilberforce campaign when it has yet to engage with the public at all and the LRP catching up for a showdown finish.
Stay tuned at the Express for continued coverage of the September 2010 election.
LRP secretary Malinda Noble welcomed the former SDP leadership candidate and says she looks forward to pulling up a chair for him at the next State Conference after the election.
"It's warming to have Titulian experience in the party", she said. "Matthew has a place at the leadership table".
Newly installed LRP deputy leader and departing president of the republic TJ Norton joined in saying Ingebritson has provided the colour needed in the ailing state.
"Some of his ways are definitely out there but you can't say it's a dull moment with Matt around. Great to have him", the president said.
The LRP's new star recruit said he respected the SDP and all they achieved under former president Eric Meissner.
"The guys [SDP members] are awesome and theyre my brothas no matter what. The Liberal Repubs add the fun and have the toolbox to fix Titulia and I want to be part of it", Mr Ingebritson said.
It comes at a bad time for the Wilberforce campaign when it has yet to engage with the public at all and the LRP catching up for a showdown finish.
Stay tuned at the Express for continued coverage of the September 2010 election.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Buchanan gives nod to McVicker for Commerce as her team takes shape
LRP presidential candidate Renee Buchanan has named round 1 opponent Dennis McVicker (RNC) as her choice for secretary of commerce should the contender achieve election on Sept 26. Calling the appointment 'consensus building', Buchanan is the only candidate to have made any headway on establishing a workable government.
"We can work together and there's a lot of space to merge both agendas into one platform", she said.
Responding to questions on campaign disagreements between Republicans and Linardists, Buchanan dispelled the internal wrangling as 'regular'.
"I'm running the campaign for Titulia and following the president's example of leadership to get people together who have ideas and experience to bring", she said. "What's discussed with other parties stays between us and them and I'm not going to comment unless that changes. I'm not interested in partisan game playing and taking Titulia back to the start this is about tomorrow and the future".
When asked why McVicker got the nod for the chief finance officer's role, Buchanan said she 'appreciated the debate'.
Rumour has it that she will be tapping Luxis Avaram (RNC) on the shoulder next for chief of staff.
"Dennis campaigned for a lot of suggestions close to what I want to achieve as president. We both agree there's a lot of work to do to make Titulia attractive to the outside world".
Buchanan said the main attraction issue was the slow uptake of infrastructure by previous administrations.
"Titulia should be more competitive in the online nation market and it's not even close. I have tried to recruit more friends from my rl [real life] political party and the one's that didn't sign up thought it looked like a school yard joke".
She took her hat off to Double D Constructions for its building program.
"This was one example of how government and business worked together and gave some life to the poor state of the city's development".
As secretary for infrastructure Buchanan was the president's point person in developing the first non expiring service packages to keep private enterprise developing the web sites and not letting them go out of date.
"Our sites need to be regularly updated and the service packages come with the expectation that it will now be done. A great result", she said.
A Buchanan-Hock government is taking shape with people in place to fill infrastructure, arts and now commerce. The coveted role of attorney general remains a mystery and unlikely to be taken up before the end of the election.
Reports say outgoing commerce secretary Gerry Brady and chief of staff Reformer (both SDP) declined Buchanan's invitation to serve citing life commitments (Brady) and no reason given (Reformer). Secretary Buchanan wished them well.
There are persistent rumours of a possible legal challenge if Wilberforce is elected, citing that the candidate is in breach of legislation and Admin rulings over failure to declare a vice presidential candidate before the end of nominations. This almost cost President Norton and SDP candidate Reformer in the last election until an allowance was accepted due to the new web site's difficulties with signing in.
The Titulia Admin has since confirmed via their weblog that no other sign in issues have presented and the only remaining issue exists with crossover to the old site. They have supplied an easy fix to that and Titulians have widely known about this for weeks now. As the old site services continue to migrate over, any problems with using the old site are now minimal with not much usage at all since the transition of propositions and polls.
Stay here at the Express for your complete coverage of the September 2010 election!
Ed: thanks to John Baxter and Todd Richards for contributing to this report.
"We can work together and there's a lot of space to merge both agendas into one platform", she said.
Responding to questions on campaign disagreements between Republicans and Linardists, Buchanan dispelled the internal wrangling as 'regular'.
"I'm running the campaign for Titulia and following the president's example of leadership to get people together who have ideas and experience to bring", she said. "What's discussed with other parties stays between us and them and I'm not going to comment unless that changes. I'm not interested in partisan game playing and taking Titulia back to the start this is about tomorrow and the future".
When asked why McVicker got the nod for the chief finance officer's role, Buchanan said she 'appreciated the debate'.
Rumour has it that she will be tapping Luxis Avaram (RNC) on the shoulder next for chief of staff.
"Dennis campaigned for a lot of suggestions close to what I want to achieve as president. We both agree there's a lot of work to do to make Titulia attractive to the outside world".
Buchanan said the main attraction issue was the slow uptake of infrastructure by previous administrations.
"Titulia should be more competitive in the online nation market and it's not even close. I have tried to recruit more friends from my rl [real life] political party and the one's that didn't sign up thought it looked like a school yard joke".
She took her hat off to Double D Constructions for its building program.
"This was one example of how government and business worked together and gave some life to the poor state of the city's development".
As secretary for infrastructure Buchanan was the president's point person in developing the first non expiring service packages to keep private enterprise developing the web sites and not letting them go out of date.
"Our sites need to be regularly updated and the service packages come with the expectation that it will now be done. A great result", she said.
A Buchanan-Hock government is taking shape with people in place to fill infrastructure, arts and now commerce. The coveted role of attorney general remains a mystery and unlikely to be taken up before the end of the election.
Reports say outgoing commerce secretary Gerry Brady and chief of staff Reformer (both SDP) declined Buchanan's invitation to serve citing life commitments (Brady) and no reason given (Reformer). Secretary Buchanan wished them well.
There are persistent rumours of a possible legal challenge if Wilberforce is elected, citing that the candidate is in breach of legislation and Admin rulings over failure to declare a vice presidential candidate before the end of nominations. This almost cost President Norton and SDP candidate Reformer in the last election until an allowance was accepted due to the new web site's difficulties with signing in.
The Titulia Admin has since confirmed via their weblog that no other sign in issues have presented and the only remaining issue exists with crossover to the old site. They have supplied an easy fix to that and Titulians have widely known about this for weeks now. As the old site services continue to migrate over, any problems with using the old site are now minimal with not much usage at all since the transition of propositions and polls.
Stay here at the Express for your complete coverage of the September 2010 election!
Ed: thanks to John Baxter and Todd Richards for contributing to this report.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Politics and psychology examined in online experiments
The recent revelations and changes in the political environment now put the race into a new perspective, with Buchanan well on her way to filling her potential new government and Wilberforce off in the scrub.
Titulia's legal and medico-legal circles met last last night to discuss the growth in political and psychological development as the experiment goes to a whole new level.
LRP analyst Todd Richards calls the race 'enthralling' while many are trying to avoid falling asleep.
"It isn't what you might expect an election to look like", he said. ".. but you need to look on the bright side of this".
"We often speak about how Titulia is a place of learning and an experiment. This is another part to that. In the real world we'd see how policy shapes the outcome, where in this election we're learning about the fascinating political mechanisations that determine reaction rather than a candidate's or party's manifesto".
LRP president Reg Ambrose compared the race to The Manchurian Candidate.
"It does appear that Todd and Luxis [Avaram] have found a key element that no one seems to have previously explored in any great detail. The sporadic swing vote to an absentee nominee that not many people know about is magnificent".
"The other most recent example of politically strategic warfare was seen in the James Matthews confirmation, where the debate focused on personal events and other interests instead of focusing on the credibility of the nominee".
"This is a valuable academic starting point to study the electoral psychology of the entire on line political conclave. It's thought-provoking".
On the verge of completing her second doctorate LRP development committee chairwoman Cara Dellahunty agreed, although urged caution so as not to wrongly interpret the paradigm.
Dr Dellahunty has over 31 years of legal practice, 12 of them as a specialist attorney working with victims of sexual abuse particularly with children and adolescents. She holds a PhD in Laws and is completing a doctorate of criminal psychology.
"It could be worth investigating further however it could also be a case of malingering".
"Malingering is a behavioural exhibit often found in defendants who might be wary of answering questions, providing false testimony to fill in the gaps or as a tactic to evade challenging examinations of events. There have been many cases where malingering also presents as a form of trickery, a fabrication of an episode or a misleading display of emotion called 'bad faking' ".
"I would be careful not to over-interpret it. It could qualify for further study, or on the other hand it may be as simple as young adults in their mid 20s self-creating illusions or fictitious scenarios as a way to have fun. That is perfectly normal for young people to experiment providing it stays within a reasonable cordon of virtual reality".
Titulia's current president and long time citizen TJ Norton also opted to take face evaluations with a grain of salt.
"If you ask 5 people any one question you'll probably get 10 different answers. That rattles many a cage but at the end of the day it's all part of our very diverse culture", he said.
"I have always disagreed that the Republic is built with a single mind or focus. It's what you get out of it and along the way you either become a sycophant or remain an individual. The ones that wind up in between are usually the most successful .. with each of the extreme fighting from the outside in. That annoys the hell out of the power players but slowly they're getting to understand that the experiment is not one size fits all".
"The doppelgangers .. alternate personalities and their primary identities are common knowledge to anyone that's been in Titulia for a while. At first even I found it annoying but with the low activity you'll learn it's actually a good sign of dedication and spice for the rest of us to feel like we're actually part of something bigger .. even though the actual population in truth is more like 25 rather than 40 or 50".
Round 2 started just under two hours ago and will end on the 26th.
Titulia's legal and medico-legal circles met last last night to discuss the growth in political and psychological development as the experiment goes to a whole new level.
LRP analyst Todd Richards calls the race 'enthralling' while many are trying to avoid falling asleep.
"It isn't what you might expect an election to look like", he said. ".. but you need to look on the bright side of this".
"We often speak about how Titulia is a place of learning and an experiment. This is another part to that. In the real world we'd see how policy shapes the outcome, where in this election we're learning about the fascinating political mechanisations that determine reaction rather than a candidate's or party's manifesto".
LRP president Reg Ambrose compared the race to The Manchurian Candidate.
"It does appear that Todd and Luxis [Avaram] have found a key element that no one seems to have previously explored in any great detail. The sporadic swing vote to an absentee nominee that not many people know about is magnificent".
"The other most recent example of politically strategic warfare was seen in the James Matthews confirmation, where the debate focused on personal events and other interests instead of focusing on the credibility of the nominee".
"This is a valuable academic starting point to study the electoral psychology of the entire on line political conclave. It's thought-provoking".
On the verge of completing her second doctorate LRP development committee chairwoman Cara Dellahunty agreed, although urged caution so as not to wrongly interpret the paradigm.
Dr Dellahunty has over 31 years of legal practice, 12 of them as a specialist attorney working with victims of sexual abuse particularly with children and adolescents. She holds a PhD in Laws and is completing a doctorate of criminal psychology.
"It could be worth investigating further however it could also be a case of malingering".
"Malingering is a behavioural exhibit often found in defendants who might be wary of answering questions, providing false testimony to fill in the gaps or as a tactic to evade challenging examinations of events. There have been many cases where malingering also presents as a form of trickery, a fabrication of an episode or a misleading display of emotion called 'bad faking' ".
"I would be careful not to over-interpret it. It could qualify for further study, or on the other hand it may be as simple as young adults in their mid 20s self-creating illusions or fictitious scenarios as a way to have fun. That is perfectly normal for young people to experiment providing it stays within a reasonable cordon of virtual reality".
Titulia's current president and long time citizen TJ Norton also opted to take face evaluations with a grain of salt.
"If you ask 5 people any one question you'll probably get 10 different answers. That rattles many a cage but at the end of the day it's all part of our very diverse culture", he said.
"I have always disagreed that the Republic is built with a single mind or focus. It's what you get out of it and along the way you either become a sycophant or remain an individual. The ones that wind up in between are usually the most successful .. with each of the extreme fighting from the outside in. That annoys the hell out of the power players but slowly they're getting to understand that the experiment is not one size fits all".
"The doppelgangers .. alternate personalities and their primary identities are common knowledge to anyone that's been in Titulia for a while. At first even I found it annoying but with the low activity you'll learn it's actually a good sign of dedication and spice for the rest of us to feel like we're actually part of something bigger .. even though the actual population in truth is more like 25 rather than 40 or 50".
Round 2 started just under two hours ago and will end on the 26th.
Election: Round 1 over with Buchanan-Hock on top with 47%
His bags were packed and he was ready to go. It's official: a stone's throw away from an early exit, it was expected that President Norton couldn't get out of Liberty House that easy. The departing chief now has to postpone the moving vans for another three days while Titulia goes to second round voting to decide who will succeed him.
Candidates Dennis McVicker (RNC) and James Inglis (CP) exited the contest polling second-last and last out of the dubbed 'field of four'. That crowd has narrowed to two with LRP's Renee Buchanan and Linardist Gregory Hock taking out the lead with a massive 47% of the vote compared with camper Will Wilberforce a good 19 percentage points behind on 28%.
Round 1 was put to bed with a startling admission from the Social Democrats. According to SDP leader Reformer, candidate Will Wilberforce has been on holidays since nomination. This sent LRP secretary Malinda Noble to the closest microphone to stick it to her liberal counterpart.
"On holidays? I suppose Gucci make chai lattes as well", Noble said dispelling the quote.
Meanwhile, the outgoing president called for cooler heads in comment.
"Look I've been where these two are now [Buchanan and Wilberforce] and I understand that it's going to take a while longer to sort through it", he said.
When asked what he thought of the Wilberforce vacationing during the contest, Norton was empathetic to the concerns.
"I admit that the holiday excuse does come across as somewhat disingenuous and I can appreciate how the citizens are feeling in taking the inactivity as disrespect. Busy or not - Mr Wilberforce is asking for the people to elect him to the highest civilian office in the e-nation", he said.
"His supporters might think that's appropriate but I would fall short of saying such opinion is reflective of the regular, active citizenry. A little humility on his part would go a long way and a simple apology for coming late to the game ought to fix it and quell the temperatures a little. He's a good guy deep down I'm sure and he would understand that".
The election continues. Stay tuned at the Express.
Candidates Dennis McVicker (RNC) and James Inglis (CP) exited the contest polling second-last and last out of the dubbed 'field of four'. That crowd has narrowed to two with LRP's Renee Buchanan and Linardist Gregory Hock taking out the lead with a massive 47% of the vote compared with camper Will Wilberforce a good 19 percentage points behind on 28%.
Round 1 was put to bed with a startling admission from the Social Democrats. According to SDP leader Reformer, candidate Will Wilberforce has been on holidays since nomination. This sent LRP secretary Malinda Noble to the closest microphone to stick it to her liberal counterpart.
"On holidays? I suppose Gucci make chai lattes as well", Noble said dispelling the quote.
Meanwhile, the outgoing president called for cooler heads in comment.
"Look I've been where these two are now [Buchanan and Wilberforce] and I understand that it's going to take a while longer to sort through it", he said.
When asked what he thought of the Wilberforce vacationing during the contest, Norton was empathetic to the concerns.
"I admit that the holiday excuse does come across as somewhat disingenuous and I can appreciate how the citizens are feeling in taking the inactivity as disrespect. Busy or not - Mr Wilberforce is asking for the people to elect him to the highest civilian office in the e-nation", he said.
"His supporters might think that's appropriate but I would fall short of saying such opinion is reflective of the regular, active citizenry. A little humility on his part would go a long way and a simple apology for coming late to the game ought to fix it and quell the temperatures a little. He's a good guy deep down I'm sure and he would understand that".
The election continues. Stay tuned at the Express.
McVicker/RNC gaffe: Richards calls for accountability
The Republican National Committee was caught off guard last night Australia time. Departing president and expectant new deputy leader of the LRP TJ Norton claimed the RNC's rebuff of presidential candidate Dennis McVicker's membership in the party as a 'farce'.
The Liberal Republican Party's chairman of the justice and public law reform committee Todd Richards has called on RNC leader jp9893 to fess up.
"It's not possible that the RNC leader did not know Mr. McVicker was a member. He has been a member for a period of time", Mr Richards said.
Mr Norton said McVicker's membership wasn't news but was shocked by party officials working in the conservative press would publish that they didn't have an member in the presidential race.
"The RNC has maintained right up until they were forced into damage control yesterday that they didn't have a candidate in the race. Whether they were endorsed or not is not the issue - this isn't legal camp or a play of words it was a flat out distortion bordering on a lie".
Mr Norton has joined the LRP committee's call for accountability in the election process by displaying the political affiliation of all candidates on the electronic ballot paper.
"This used to happen on the old site. I welcome the Administrator's update that voters will also be marked off in a way that de-identifies the candidate they voted for on the new site's facility .. but it's only a half measure of transparency without displaying political party identification", said Norton.
"The people of Titulia vote in a variety of ways - including for a candidate's political affiliation. Not every candidate, campaign and media outlet - with all due respect - has done this".
Mr Norton has informed the Express that the Administrator provided this on the old site since the first election of the Republic.
".. it is a large part of Republic culture. It's not fullproof to the detection of electoral standings behind the scenes but at least will continue to give some indication of how candidates group".
Committee chair Richards has pursued the need for the return of this facility.
"I was a citizen when this was provided. If Admin put this in place themselves, there is no legal reason to prevent them from doing so again without further legislation", he said.
The Express asked Mr Norton whether he believed mandatory party identification in a contest could be compared to Nazi era nationalism of political declaration.
"What you're talking about is the persecution of political parties by forbidding them access to the same political rights and contests as other parties. I agree that's something that Titulia does not support and we're safe from those kinds of practices", he said.
Mr Norton said the Constitution of the Republic guarantees that all citizens have the right to join a political party and the rules that govern membership specifically are purposely not spoken to in the Constitution.
"I think the Administrator showed a lot of wisdom there", he said. "No political party would be satisfied with every citizen being a member for whatever reason and the Republic has no business mandating that - that's up to the individual parties to decide. This is not what we're advocating", he said.
"What is understood in the electoral process, and I think this is carried with cross-partisan consensus, is that every detail in a candidate's Titulian life is subject to scrutiny - whether the candidates appreciate that or not is out of the scope of law".
"I personally don't agree that such access should be in the form of disclosing personal details but since the Administrator has recently ordered that as forbidden practice in future instances - I don't see it becoming a widespread problem. That is to say .. if violators value their continued citizenship. Everyone is entitled to keep their personal and virtual lives separate. If they wish to disclose outside information in the Republic - that's on them".
Summarising the initiative, Norton called for 'transparency' in the elections process.
"The start, middle and finish of the push is situated with a traditional lodgement of a nomination. Please name me one country, state or local race in an industrialised nation where a candidate does not have to disclose their political candidature - party, endorsement or independence?", he said.
"Through their own words or election material, none of the candidates in this month's race bar Secretary Buchanan have formally declared party membership"
"Despite the force of law - Secretary Buchanan has been the only candidate who has declared their Vice President during the nomination period. Reformer and I made that error last election but luckily the special prosecutor investigating those range of issues was merciful because it was the first election on the new site and we had an inactive predecessor. It's hard to argue that allowance should be made now after the lesson to the parties from last month's experience".
"Whatever I .. they .. them or other people individually think about this is an important, yet incomplete part of the larger look at the issue - Titulians on a whole want more accountability and transparency in the political process".
First round voting will conclude within the next 8 hours.
The Liberal Republican Party's chairman of the justice and public law reform committee Todd Richards has called on RNC leader jp9893 to fess up.
"It's not possible that the RNC leader did not know Mr. McVicker was a member. He has been a member for a period of time", Mr Richards said.
Mr Norton said McVicker's membership wasn't news but was shocked by party officials working in the conservative press would publish that they didn't have an member in the presidential race.
"The RNC has maintained right up until they were forced into damage control yesterday that they didn't have a candidate in the race. Whether they were endorsed or not is not the issue - this isn't legal camp or a play of words it was a flat out distortion bordering on a lie".
Mr Norton has joined the LRP committee's call for accountability in the election process by displaying the political affiliation of all candidates on the electronic ballot paper.
"This used to happen on the old site. I welcome the Administrator's update that voters will also be marked off in a way that de-identifies the candidate they voted for on the new site's facility .. but it's only a half measure of transparency without displaying political party identification", said Norton.
"The people of Titulia vote in a variety of ways - including for a candidate's political affiliation. Not every candidate, campaign and media outlet - with all due respect - has done this".
Mr Norton has informed the Express that the Administrator provided this on the old site since the first election of the Republic.
".. it is a large part of Republic culture. It's not fullproof to the detection of electoral standings behind the scenes but at least will continue to give some indication of how candidates group".
Committee chair Richards has pursued the need for the return of this facility.
"I was a citizen when this was provided. If Admin put this in place themselves, there is no legal reason to prevent them from doing so again without further legislation", he said.
The Express asked Mr Norton whether he believed mandatory party identification in a contest could be compared to Nazi era nationalism of political declaration.
"What you're talking about is the persecution of political parties by forbidding them access to the same political rights and contests as other parties. I agree that's something that Titulia does not support and we're safe from those kinds of practices", he said.
Mr Norton said the Constitution of the Republic guarantees that all citizens have the right to join a political party and the rules that govern membership specifically are purposely not spoken to in the Constitution.
"I think the Administrator showed a lot of wisdom there", he said. "No political party would be satisfied with every citizen being a member for whatever reason and the Republic has no business mandating that - that's up to the individual parties to decide. This is not what we're advocating", he said.
"What is understood in the electoral process, and I think this is carried with cross-partisan consensus, is that every detail in a candidate's Titulian life is subject to scrutiny - whether the candidates appreciate that or not is out of the scope of law".
"I personally don't agree that such access should be in the form of disclosing personal details but since the Administrator has recently ordered that as forbidden practice in future instances - I don't see it becoming a widespread problem. That is to say .. if violators value their continued citizenship. Everyone is entitled to keep their personal and virtual lives separate. If they wish to disclose outside information in the Republic - that's on them".
Summarising the initiative, Norton called for 'transparency' in the elections process.
"The start, middle and finish of the push is situated with a traditional lodgement of a nomination. Please name me one country, state or local race in an industrialised nation where a candidate does not have to disclose their political candidature - party, endorsement or independence?", he said.
"Through their own words or election material, none of the candidates in this month's race bar Secretary Buchanan have formally declared party membership"
"Despite the force of law - Secretary Buchanan has been the only candidate who has declared their Vice President during the nomination period. Reformer and I made that error last election but luckily the special prosecutor investigating those range of issues was merciful because it was the first election on the new site and we had an inactive predecessor. It's hard to argue that allowance should be made now after the lesson to the parties from last month's experience".
"Whatever I .. they .. them or other people individually think about this is an important, yet incomplete part of the larger look at the issue - Titulians on a whole want more accountability and transparency in the political process".
First round voting will conclude within the next 8 hours.
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