Chair's Address to the Convention
Members of The People's Party,
My first duty is to thank you all for the trust you've placed in me and Sawx for another term in the leadership, and to congratulate Simfan on his ascension to Secretary. I'm genuinely humbled by your support through thick and through thin, and I will again promise you all that I will work every day to uphold the founding ethos of this party and fight for the ideals we hold dear.
I also want to take a moment to applaud Flo, who is leaving the position of Secretary to focus on his work in the South. Through my entire tenure as Chair Flo has been a firm ally, a good friend, and an exceptional leader. He will be sorely missed in this position, but his spectacular record in the South speaks for itself and I know his people will be grateful that he can more fully devote himself to rebuilding the region.
My friends, since we last met we've had our ups and downs, our triumphs and our tragedies, our victories and our defeats. Highs and lows. Any third party in a system so often dominated by the clash of hardline ideologues and partisan rancor will have its peaks and its valleys in electoral terms. I was beyond disappointed that we fell short in our bid to retain a second Senate seat in that unfortunate special election, but I am proud that we fought the good fight and continued to punch above our weight, although we may have fallen short.
I know Atlasia may seem to be in a bit of a downturn right now. I've been around a long time, and believe me, it's not the first and I can't say it will be the last. These things are cyclical, and they are always a little depressing. On a personal note I must admit that I think passage of the districts bill may have helped stimulate activity, but I know that that ship has sailed - and I still believe we must repeal the wrongheaded Constitutional provision that allows a region to vote indefinitely on an amendments.
But the vision of The People that our great founders Duke and Cincinnatus, of a party of The People and for The People, not dominated by warring factions or slavish devotion to archaic and dogmatic ideologies, not run by clique or clan but by
you and working for
you, not just to tick boxes on a manifesto, is as strong as ever, and I see that ideal in action all around this nation. That is why we matter. That is what we are for.
I see it in Polnut, one of the finest statesmen in Atlasian history, coming to the end of a long and distinguished career in the Senate. Polnut has been the oldest and closest ally I have had my political career and I consider it an honour to have served with him in various roles.
I see it in Cranberry, the unassuming former Senator who lifted the nation from anarchy in Atlasia's darkest hour when he was called into an office he neither sought nor wanted. I see it in Duke, one of the greatest Presidents in our history, whose impact on Atlasia will be felt for a generation - and in Cincinnatus, who I hope to see return to active public life some day soon.
I see it in Averroes, another towering figure who returned to serve Atlasia at its hour of need and who has surpassed himself as Vice-President, bringing an oft-needed sense of fairness and pragmatism to the Senate and supporting and advising the President.
I see it in Turkisblau and Simfan in the Pacific, working in the Senate and the Governor's mansion to keep that too-often troubled region alive. I hope that the next Senate and the next term of the admnistration can see a renewed effort to revive my old home. The battle is not lost.
I see it in RFayette, braving the political winds to fight for what he belives in in a race few would have the courage to enter.
I see it in our local representatives, working day in and day out, often for little political rewards or plaudits, for a better region and a better nation.
I see it in Flo, working with a diverse assembly and an outstanding local Senator to revive another stagnant region and turn it into a thriving and vibrant South, freed from its oppressive and overbearing past mistakes.
I see it in Sawx, the best Governor his region has had in my memory and a leader of national calibre, navigating the currents of conservatism, socialism, nationalism with unparralled talent, and through his work as Vice Chair of this party, where he has done a remarkable job. I'm proud to call him a friend.
And, yes, I see it in President Bore - although a proud Laborite, he has been a great partner and a staunch friend to our party and its cause throughout his career, and has continued that as President, where he has done an admirable job and, with The People's Vice-President, Averroes, has more than earned a second term. He is someone who learned from the mistakes of the past and has not repeated them - the best endorsement of a second term for the President must surely be that, four months on, we hear no serious accusation that he too accommodating to the fringe left, as some among us feared.
Thank you, everyone.
Let's go and win this.Oakvale
Chair of The People's Party
