The Crusader (An Interview with Scott)

[Lumine]

"Reform" launches ultimatum:

Atlasia gets its own Gang of Four

[Lumine]

Reform Party erases YT?

Young Texan suspected to have lost power struggle

[Lumine]

The Rise of Reform:

Reform Party continues to find astounding success

[Lumine]

Wow, you guys never covered PUP but you covered Reform. SMH

Considering how satire and scandals is what I love to cover the most (along with the odd interview), consider it a compliment!

Lumine, you are awesome lmao

Thank you!

[Lumine]

June 2018 Presidential Election (Poll)

Note from the Editor: The following poll is not meant to be a scientific, weighted reading of how the June Election might go, it is more of an exercise on current public opinion, predictions and the general ideas the public might have on an election which is still far, far away.

Also, I was actually rather surprised at having a decent result here, it did caught me off guard.

Is Atlasia headed on the right direction?

NO: 45%
YES: 33%%
Undecided: 22%

Should President Fhtagn run for another term?

NO: 67%
YES: 15%
Undecided: 18%

Who do you want to run for President?

(Candidates gathered by party due to many single votes,
candidates with more than one vote emphasized)

Various ALL: 23%
(Lumine: 18%)
Various FED: 21%
Various PUP: 21%
(TSA: 5%)
(Weatherboy: 5%)
Various IND: 11%
Various PAX: 5%
Various LAB: 5%
Other: 11%
Undecided: 3%

Full List: Lumine (7), TSA (2), Weatherboy (2), single votes for Santander, Truman, Yankee, Mr. Reactionary, Pericles, TheSaint, 1184 AZ, Mike Wells, Fhtagn, Winfield, Haslam, Poirot, Peebs, Wulfric, Henry Wallace, Blair, wxtransit, DFL, Adam Griffin, ZuWo, LouisvilleThunder, Siren, and a few current non-citizens. 

Who do you not want to see running for President?

Pericles: 21%
Fhtagn: 12%
YoungTexan: 8%
DFW: 8%
Lumine: 5%
PiT: 5%
TSA: 5%
DTC: 5%
Mr. Reactionary: 3%
LouisvilleThunder: 3%
AZ1184: 3%
Bagel: 3%
Other/None: 16%
Undecided: 3%

Who do you think will become the next President of Atlasia?

Mr. Reactionary: 15%
LouisvilleThunder: 11%
Pericles: 7%
Lumine: 7%
Fhtagn: 4%
PiT: 4%
The Saint: 4%
Unknown: 26%
Other/Unnamed: 22%

Which is the single most important issue for you?

Game Reform: 11%
Foreign Policy: 11%

Education: 7%
Activity: 7%
Inequality: 7%
The Budget/Deficit: 7%

Gun Rights: 4%
Gun Control: 4%
Discord/Transparency: 4%
Environment: 4%
Toxic Game Environment: 4%
The Future: 4%
Partisanship: 4%
Kindness: 4%
Abortion: 4%

Other: 14%

[Lumine]

The Crusader is pleased to announce new interviews are finally coming back this weekend, with Lt. Governor Mike Wells and Senator Pericles. We also extend a warm welcome to the Atlasian Star into the media world, and wish them the best.

[Lumine]

A Interview with Pericles:

Lumine and Senator Pericles sit down to discuss current politics:

Lumine: Welcome to The Crusader, Senator, it’s a pleasure. I think we can agree you weren’t necessarily a protagonist in Atlasia before your presidential run, and yet you have taken a far more prominent role since then. What do you make of the last three months for you personally?

Pericles: I have indeed become more prominent in national politics recently and am a new player on the scene. That doesn't mean I was inactive before-I had plenty of accomplishments prior to my presidential run, just I was the kind of person who was focused on doing their job and not electioneering. I believed that the left had the leadership in place to do well and just assumed things would be OK. However, when I actually looked into the situation, it was clear that things wouldn't be OK by themselves and that there was a role I needed to fill. I'd have loved for Labor to have had a presidential candidate ready so I could just keep on being a Senator-but Labor was in no position to win and really had no future. So I decided to step up and take the opportunity, and I'm proud of the campaign I ran. This has been a very interesting and invigorating experience and I believe my campaign sent a clear message to the political class and Atlasia and the left are better off because of it.

Lumine: For the first time in quite a while there’s several left and center-left parties fighting for supremacy, quite a fascinating sight. Why is PUP the choice for you as opposed to Labor or Peace?

Pericles: I'm well aware that the left is in flux. As you may know, I was originally a Labor member, I was the party's last Senator. I really hoped that Lanor could survive and tried to revive it-you may not remember but I was quite stubborn about preserving Labor. However, I realised that Labor couldn't be preserve. Let's face it, Labor isn't making a comeback. Sadly, the Labor Party is dead. And PUP is the logical replacement for that role. We've got the broadest appeal and can unite the left, and we've got a lot of momentum, as well as being, as I've found, a very friendly, nice and great party. If you are anything left of centrist, PUP is the natural home for you. And if you need more convincing we've got a cool acronym and a cool mascot in the red panda.

Lumine: Now, you’ve been very vocal in asking for the resignation of Attorney General Oakvale, even if the Chief Justice is on record expressing his concern over attempts to meddle with the Ninja trial. Do you think concerns over your comments are warranted?

Pericles: No, people shouldn't be concerned. Ninja will be found innocent and so I don't need to influence the outcome of that process. However, the charges are unwarranted and unjustified. What I'm saying is that I've been proven right about Oakvale. He lacks the judgement to serve as Attorney General and enforce the law fairly. People who are bad at their jobs should be fired. Oakvale is bad at his job. Therefore, he should be fired. I think this issue allows people the chance to realise I was right about Oakvale and to reexamine whether nominating and confirming him was a wise decision. Because frankly, it wasn't.

Lumine: Let me ask you about the Discord issue. What do you think about the idea of conducting official business on Discord or another such platform?

Pericles: It absolutely is inappropriate. Formal official business has to be conducted on Fantasy Government, not any other forum or medium. Ninja0428 isn't a criminal but he did make a mistake in his actions on this issue. That's why I'm sponsoring legislation to resolve this issue by codifying this as a requirement under federal law and urging regional governments to do the same. This is how we should tackle this issue, rather than engaging in petty partisan point-scoring.

Lumine: Without wanting to get too personal, it is a fact that the latest Crusader poll on the June Election had you leading those who the public do not want to see running. Other Atlasians on the left have also been critical of your style as being abrasive at times. What would you answer to this perception?

Pericles: Ah, I do understand that not everyone loves me. First of all though, I'd like to add a caveat that only 21% of people actually don't want me to run. I'm not running, so lucky them, but I'm not an unpopular person. Sometimes though arguments can get heated and I am passionate in defending what I believe in, rather than just following the polls. I'm a principled person, and not everyone shares that. I do recognise that sometimes I make mistakes and occasionally in the heat of the moment I've said things I regret, and I acknowledged in my concession that I made errors in the campaign. But this issue is overblown, I've over performed in every election I've ever run it and I make a constructive, positive contribution to Atlasia.

Lumine: Senator, it’s not secret that you don’t seem to be in good terms (even remotely) with President Fhtagn, offering not only political and issue-based criticism but also ones that some have characterized as personal. So to shed further light on this, what is your single biggest concern or criticism towards the President?

Pericles: I would like to say that sometimes I did go too far there and that in particular was an error I made. However, it is valid to say that the President has been very negative and dishonest in her arguments. I do hope she can try and engage more constructively and honestly with Atlasians in the future, and I know that many people have said they've lost respect for her recently. However, primarily people should be focused on policy and reckon with which party has the best vision for Atlasia. And it's clear that the Progressive Union Party has that vision and the Federalists don't, and they're focused on negativity and point-scoring rather than having a strong vision or agenda for the coming term, so that's the real shame and something that isn't good for Atlasia.

Lumine: Finally, I’m bound to ask about this: What do you make of the upcoming June Election? Will you take an active role on it?

Pericles: June looks like it'll be a very interesting contest and one that is very important for Atlasia's future. I'm not running in it and I don't plan on running for President. However, I will support the PUP nominee, at least judging from our party right now we have a lot of good candidates and people who will do well as President, and I do plan on continuing to stand up for what I believe in in Atlasian politics. I'm running for another term in the Senate, and after that election I can think about June further and discuss how it's going to go. That's a bit far away though right now to be able to say much about, and you know, things change, so we'll see what happens.

Finally, as a comment, thanks for giving me this interview. It's been very interesting, and I'll keep being an avid reader of The Crusader. The press has a noble mission in informing Atlasians of the truth, and so keep up the good work both here and in the Senate!

Lumine: Thank you, Senator, a pleasure to talk to you.

[Lumine]

The Trial of Speaker Ninja (Poll)

Do you agree with the Attorney General's decision to file charges?

NO: 71.4%
YES: 21.4%
Undecided: 7.2%

[Lumine]

Labor Party is still dead:

Our top story tonight

[Lumine]

Breaking: Labor Party is still valiantly holding
on in its fight to remain dead

[Lumine]

A Interview with Mike Wells:

Discussing the Left, the Senate and Discord:

Lumine: The last time I interviewed you was back in February 2017, when you were Governor and running to be Labor Chair. How much would you say you’ve changed in the span of a year?

Wells: The past year was an experience for sure, in Atlasia at least. After losing the run for Labor chair, I believed I needed more experience. I spent a total of one year as governor, and I must say that I got a lot of experience there. I have already said this or something to this extent to others before, but I was always annoyed that I seemed to be more active than most of the people in the Assembly. I held everyone, including myself, to a high standard. In fact, I still do. In that sense, I suppose I haven't changed, but I think that even if the change isn't really clear on the surface, the perspective I have of Atlasia is of a much greater depth than it was a year ago (I can only imagine what it must be like for a Yankee) and the reasoning behind my viewpoints is coming from more experience as well. It may sound like I'm repeating myself there, but I think with some people, it seems to me like they manage to have the former but lack the latter.

Lumine: One of the most curious developments across the past year has been the decline and fall of the Labor Party, and the reconfiguration of the left as whole. What went wrong with Labor?

Wells: I don't think any one thing went wrong with Labor. Instead, it was a death by a thousand paper cuts, with some stab wounds as well, if I may mangle a metaphor. Looking back, I can see a bunch of things that could have been done better, starting with the February 2017 election, and moving forward from there. The most notable event in my mind is that we tried to expel AZ, which I think was a mistake. Of course, there were also things that Labor couldn't control, like dfw's insane campaigns, which pushed down Labor both in registration and number of officeholders.

Lumine: The Progressive Union Party has achieved some significant momentum over the last couple of months to arguably become the second most powerful party, but let me ask you this, why should Atlasians prefer PUP against alternatives such as Peace or Labor?

Wells: At this point, Labor isn't coming back, so I'm not sure why anyone would join it. Perhaps in five years or so it can be the new meme party for people to join, so I could see joining it then. As for Peace, I think Peace is a great party run by a collection of my favorite Atlasians, but I find that PUP also is great for having connections in Atlasia. By which I mean the reason I'm in it is so that I can have discussions with Trumanand dfw, who both have good insights into policy and Atlasia that are good to have. I suppose you could be in the Federalist Party for Yankee or in the Alliance Party for Lumine and it would be the same logic. But, PUP is the party that most fits my left-leaning ideology.

Lumine: You’re running for Senate, of course, in what promises to be a very engaging race. So let’s go to the more critical side first, what do you think Senator LouisvilleThunder has done wrong?

Wells: I don't want to get too negative when it comes to my opponent, but I have found that his activity isn't as great as he might claim it is. I think that he lacks in two important areas: debate and writing bills. When it comes to debate, he often offers very little in the way of support for his position and really just offers his position with something along the lines of "this is good for Atlasia" and some other nice sounding words. I assume that he keeps accidentally hitting post before finishing them and just leaving it at that. And there were two times, once while he was in the House on a bill regarding police brutality and another time just recently with the End to Privateering Amendment where he was the sole Nay vote without any other posts in the thread. Does he have an explanation? And the bill writing issue is basically the fact that he doesn't. And I do. Of course, I'm not trying to bring down LouisvilleThunder here. I think I'd be happy if I lost this campaign but made LouisvilleThunder a better Senator while doing it.

Lumine: And in the opposite side of the argument, what would you say you can offer to Lincoln as their representative in the Senate?

Wells: As Lincoln's next Senator, I will bring new ideas to the table. I think that with the issue of gun control making the rounds, measures to decrease gun violence are sorely needed. I plan on coming up with a solid plan to do that once I get elected to the Senate, that involves deterrences to gang violence and reaching out to people who want to improve and rehabilitating them. We must also focus on suicide prevention and better mental healthcare services to ensure that the high suicide rate is dealt with. If we are looking for specific instances of gun control, age restrictions and background checks are reasonable solutions to mass shootings. This is the bill I am currently researching and writing for Lincoln, but I think that it could easily get applied to Atlasia. And this is just one example of the things I want to do, I may turn to immigration after I'm done with gun violence.

Then we have my record of activity, which was a major component of my announcement speech. I made activity a central part of that speech with the intent to draw a contrast between me and LouisvilleThunder, and the rest of the speech had a similar objective. However, I don't want to turn the campaign negative. We must focus on the merits of the candidates, and not their negatives. I think that my strong record of experience in Atlasia, my commitment to activity, and of course my character make me a great candidate for Senate.

Lumine: The Discord issue – let’s call it Discordgate for fun – has taken the center-stage these days, even involving a trial for treason against a sitting officeholder. Leaving aside private conversations, should Discord be a place for official business? 

Wells: I think that Discord should be an option that is always kept open, but I don't see many good reasons why we should do things on Discord when we have Atlas, and I don't think anyone wants things to happen on Discord, except dfw and maybe some others. One recent development as a response to the minor slip-up that Ninja made - and might I add that he was a fantastic Speaker regardless of one single motion - is that we are legislating the use of Discord. I don't think that is at all necessary but I am willing to work with it, and I have already with an amendment to the bill that Jimmy introduced.

Lumine: Mr. Wells, the latest Crusader poll on the June Election had you receive a vote in terms of candidates people want to see running. So what do you make of the June Election, and do you have any plans yourself to be involved in it?

Wells: I don't want to run for president in June. Some people have tried to recruit me very recently, and I have turned them down. I wish anyone who does run good luck on the election, and I think that PUP has a very good shot at winning the election. I hope that the election is enjoyable for everyone involved. It sure is exciting to see what will happen.

On that note, thank you Lumine for granting me the opportunity to participate in this interview. It was a good experience.

Lumine: And you have my thanks as well for a fascinating interview.

[Lumine]

Special South Senate Election - Poll:

Note from the Editor: Responses were limited, so please don't treat this as anything resembling an exact poll. Results are, however, rather interesting.

Who will you vote for in the upcoming Special Election? (South)

Mr. Reactionary: 45%
Weatherboy: 33%
Other: 11%
Undecided: 11%

What is your personal view of Mr. Reactionary? (South)

Favorable: 78%%
Unfavorable: 11%
Undecided: 11%

What is your personal view of Mr. Reactionary? (General)

Favorable: 70%%
Unfavorable: 15%
Undecided: 15%

What is your personal view of Weatherboy? (South)

Favorable: 78%%
Undecided: 22%

What is your personal view of Weatherboy? (General)

Favorable: 85%%
Undecided: 15%

Who would make a better Senator? (South)

Mr. Reactionary: 56%
Weatherboy: 44%

Who would make a better Senator? (General)

Mr. Reactionary: 46%
Weatherboy: 46%
Undecided: 8%

Both candidates have been subjected to Presidential speculation. If they contested the June Presidential Election, how would you vote? (South)

Mr. Reactionary: 45%
Weatherboy: 10%
Other: 45%

Both candidates have been subjected to Presidential speculation. If they contested the June Presidential Election, how would you vote? (General)

Mr. Reactionary: 39%
Weatherboy: 22%
Other: 39%

How would you describe Mr. Reactionary in one word? (General)

Efficient (2), Obsessive, Lawyer, Tryhard, Hardworking, Winner, Ok, Responsible, Lit, Alpha, Intelligent, Active.

How would you describe Weatherboy in one word? (General)

Don't Know, New, Who?, Fun, Coworker, Me, Ambitious, Lit but Oof, Betacuck, Progressive (2), Vague, Better Policy.

[Lumine]

The Road to June 2018:

Part One: The Open Election

Electoral season enters the realm of heavy speculation as the April midterms approach, and very much unlike the past election the current presidential contest has started very early as several would-be challengers to the White House are already preparing their own bids, securing support and potentially, making efforts to remove potential rivals from the thought to be intense competition. As a public service, The Crusader is at the moment considering extensive, constant coverage on this race from its beginnings all the way into Election Day, hoping to provide coverage on significant events, potential leaks and anonymous information, speculation on what is to follow, interviews with candidates and relevant figures in the contest, and perhaps even debates.

This is The Road to June 2018.

The title of our first update is, of course "Open Election". Over the past year the June, October and February Elections have all been limited somewhat by the presence of an incumbent in the race (DFW and Fhtagn), placing attention on challengers to the sitting President which, for separate reasons, did not overthrow the ruling party despite spirited battles waged by NeverAgain, Clyde, Lumine, Truman, Pericles, Spiral and others to reach the White House. This election is therefore significant in the sense that for the first time since February 2017 it does not feature an incumbent seeking reelection, as President Fhtagn has once again asserted that she is not running for President in June.

Some early challenges, such as significant speculation on several PUP officeholders and of course the brief contemplation of former Senator TSA, have been ruled out on different grounds. Already several potential candidates have announced lately that will not seek the Presidency (denials we are inclined to believe), and the list of non-candidates include, crucially: Senator Pericles, staunch critic of the President and the former PUP nominee; Representative wxtransit, rising star in the Alliance; Representative weatherboy, who had expressed his interest before a defeat against Mr. Reactionary for a Senate seat; Senator Haslam, who appears dedicated to moving to regional politics for now; Mike Wells, who noted he had been approached before refusing; and Siren, whose deregistration removes the likely Peace nominee from the equation.

So who could be running, or look like a plausible candidate this election cycle?

When it comes to competitive primaries, all eyes appear to be set in the Federalist Party as an invisible (or not so invisible) race to become the heir to the President has started early. For the first time in months (perhaps years) the Federalist Party can finally boast of a large, competitive field of potential standard bearers which may be dependant on some aspects on what decision is taken by Vice-President PiT. Part of the Federalist Old Guard, PiT can boast of good approval ratings and of a good, responsible reputation even amongst his enemies, but whether he is actually inspiring enough for the famously unruly Federalist base remains to be seen. The other most likely "loyalist" candidate would obviously be Sec. of State Mr. Reactionary, considered to be about as loyal to the President as humanly possible and who would boast an interest number of strength's as a candidate. The main question, of course, would be whether his views would allow him to win a Presidential Election under the current electorate.

It does not stop there, of course. Senator LouisvilleThunder is seen as having quite a following and a more populist mold than other Federalist candidates, and may be rather competitive in a primary. And, as a longshot, some would suggest Delegate TheSaint to be among those dreaming of the White House, having already delivered a number of speeches suspiciously tailored to appeal to the Federalist base which would suggest his potential interest despite his relative lack of experience. Details remain contradictory at this early stage, but some digging by The Crusader leads us to believe at least two possible candidates have started making their own moves to be eventually nominated by their party for yet another Federalist term.

Cemented as the main party of the left following the February Election, the Progressive Union could boast as of early March of having a deep bench much like the Federalists, and yet the field has cleared in a rather speedy manner. One by one candidates such as Mike Wells, TSA, Pericles and weatherboy have ruled themselves out, and Senator Pericles very unsubtly gave away the secret to the PUP nomination by stating "I can confirm that a major PUPer, who has run in a presidential election in the last year, will announce their run for the presidency. No further comment on that person's identity." Accounting for those standards, it would be awfully obvious either former President Truman or former President DFW will be announced as the PUP nominee, their party expected to fall in line accounting for the clout and electoral potential of either men.

This leaves, of course, the smaller parties in Alliance, Labor and Peace, plus potential independents eyeing a run for the White House. In the Alliance, wxtransit's announcement that he would not be a candidate, and the latest RL issues regarding DFL would take away two of the likely candidates, and the list narrows even further when Senator Not_Madigan has expressed his intention to run as Vice-President with an *unknown* presidential candidate yet to announce. This, of course, leaves only past nominees Lumine and Spiral, neither of which appears likely to run for President in this cycle. The Peace Party lost what could have been a highly competitive candidate in Siren, leading us to conclude that, should the highly popular Peebs not run for President, the party will be likely stuck with a symbolic candidacy if a candidate emerges at all. On the independent side there are no clear options at the moment, although there has been some limited speculation that Winfield might attempt another presidential run.

As we can see, already at the dawn of April the field has narrowed significantly unless some unexpected surprises show up (and we should remember February 2017 was certainly an election of such surprises), and the maneuvering behind closed doors is very much a reality. Who will announce or rule him/herself out next?

[Lumine]

One quick note about denials, most candidates typically aren't running until they are.

True, and if this were real life I would certainly not believe the "I'm not running" statements. However, at the moment I don't have that much reason to not believe those since it's not like Atlasians are being asked in public all the way if they will run or not, so there is no clear incentive to stating you're not running without being asked.

It may change, particularly about the midterms, but I will treat public denials as true for the time being just for fun.

[Lumine]

Labor revival?

Windjammer remains Laborite after merge vote

[Lumine]

Atlasia mourns Labor Party:

Thousands go to the streets to express their feelings

[Lumine]

Some friendly advice from The Crusader on this Midterm Election:

Don't give corruption a free pass,

Make Nyman a better place.

[Lumine]

A Interview with Scott:

Lumine and Scott discuss Fremont politics and personal legacy

Lumine: Welcome to The Crusader, Scott, I'm really glad to have you here for this interview.

Scott: Great to be with you, Mr. PPT.

Lumine: So, first things first, what do you make of the current results in Fremont?

Scott: Well, we still have another day of voting to get through.  But right now, I think we have a great shot at getting both Centre candidates (i.e. me and Goldwater) elected to the new Parliament, and I'm pretty confident in our chances.

Lumine: The concept of the Centre Party certainly seems to have caused some impact in the national and regional debate, even attracting figures such as Goldwater. What would you say is the appeal and biggest strength of Centre?

Scott: First, I should give you a little backstory: when I decided to create Centre, I wanted to use the new party to break the partisan paradigm that currently exists federally and regionally in our politics.  People are very accustomed to having a generic left-wing party, a generic right-wing party, and then the occasional centrist party - which tends to get a bad rap as a loose coalition of 'elite Atlasians' who don't stand for anything other than getting each other elected.

With Centre, we offer the people something very different: as an agrarian party, we're raising attention to issues that other parties gloss over or underemphasize - namely, the wellbeing of rural Atlasians and Fremontians, and the preservation of our lands and way of life.  But Fremont is also a very diverse region, which is why we favor localized decision-making and community organizing.  That way, rural and urban Fremontians will be able to govern themselves according to their shared interests.

But first, we need a government that represents all Fremontians and we need an environment that's good for cultivation and industry.  And I think that's something that most people can agree on.

Lumine: And in the opposite sense, what would be its biggest weakness?

Scott: As things stand now, definitely our registration numbers.  Currently, Goldwater and myself are the only ones registered within our party!  But this election is a great first test for the party and we look forward to expanding our appeal in the new Parliament.

Lumine: There's always multiple narratives that can emerge from a single election, but we haven't heard that much commentary on the recent Midterms. What is your take from the results and the campaign process?

Scott: Well, I think the people spoke loud and clear in the last elections, particularly with the unseating of the two scandal-embroiled senators from Fremont and Lincoln.  I think it shows that ethics matters in these elections, and that goes beyond partisan labels.

Lumine: Scott, it wouldn't be unfair to say you've had a long and distinguished career in Atlasia, so let me ask you this: what has been your proudest moment as a public servant? And which has been the worst?

Scott: I was really proud to have had an instrumental role in the drafting of the RRPHA, particularly the creation of AtlasCare.  The process of negotiating and writing the legislation itself took months, but in the end we were able to pass something that everyone was proud of.  But many people including Speaker Yankee, then-Senator PiT, President Dfw, and numerous others deserve a great deal of credit for that, as well.

My worst moment was definitely having to resign as then-IDS Emperor in the fall of 2014 which coincided with my leave from the site. That happened because the forum was going through a particularly toxic phase at that point and people were being driven away from the game left and right.  I like to think most - most - of us who were involved at the time have since matured and moved on.

Lumine: One of the most fascinating events of the past few months has been the gradual shift of the party system into a more diverse one, although some would suggest another era of two big parties may be on the making with the controversial Labor-PUP merge. What do you make of it?

Scott: As a Peace Party member, I would say we're nowhere near the point of becoming a two-party system again.  I hope that remains the case for years to come.  Although I, like many former and current Laborites, deeply lamented the dissolution of such a distinguished institution in Atlasian politics.

Lumine: Of course your interest seems to be geared towards regional politics at the moment, and particularly the regional legislature. But I'm bound to ask, what do you think your future in Atlasia looks like at this point?

Scott: No clue. I made a return to local politics in Atlasia because I hadn't been involved in them since 2014.  Right now, my focus is getting our new party representation in Parliament so that we can pursue our agenda legislatively.  After that, I'll look toward what's ahead.

Thanks so much for having me, Mr. PPT.  This interview has been a great pleasure.

Lumine: Thanks to you, Scott, it's been a pleasure to interview you.