Office of Henry Wallace -- Statement on the Formation of the People's Party

[Peanut]

Congratulations! I trust this will be an excellent Congress.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Congratulations!

[F. Joe Haydn]

A few days ago, a new political party was formed called the People's Party. As the new Vice Chair of the Party, I'd like to explain why we exist and what we hope to achieve.

In the present state of Atlasia, the average voter is often forced to choose between the two dominant political parties, the Labor Party and the Federalists. There are very few other options, and the intense rivalry between the two parties has led to incessant squabbling and partisanship. It has also led to the parties becoming obscenely corrupt, resorting to any methods, no matter how dubious or unethical, to win an election.

Much of this corruption is due to Discord, which has proven to be unpopular in poll after poll, and yet the big politicians still use it. The scheming, the patronage, and all the other unsavory deeds they do there so as to mask them from the public. They also conduct unofficial business there, and occasionally even official business, which has led to a drastic reduction of activity on the Atlas Fantasy Elections Boards.

Unlike the corrupt party leaders, we are truly responsive to the people. We are committed to hearing your voices, which is why we are a big-tent movement, meaning that anyone of any ideology is welcome in the party. Do not fret if you hold different ideological stances than those currently espoused by our party. Our current platform is totally malleable, subject to any sort of change the party members wish to see. Even though the party is at the moment protectionist, I am still a supporter of free trade, and who knows, it is possible that the party as a whole could go in that direction too.

If you are tired of corrupt politicians ignoring your concerns, tired of the unquenchable thirst for power of the political parties, and tired of the inactivity plaguing this country due to the malevolent influence of Discord, then this is the party for you.

[Dr. MB]

It has also led to the parties becoming obscenely corrupt, resorting to any methods, no matter how dubious or unethical, to win an election.

...this is called politics?

Much of this corruption is due to Discord, which has proven to be unpopular in poll after poll, and yet the big politicians still use it.

Since most people involved in Atlasia use discord it can't be "unpopular", and if they claim to be against it they're just hypocrites.

The scheming, the patronage, and all the other unsavory deeds they do there so as to mask them from the public.

It's impossible to run an Atlasian political party out in the open. Before Discord, there was IRC. Before IRC there were offsite forums, and forum PMs have always existed of course.  It's waaaaay easier to get people out to vote, get to know what they think, etc - and not taking advantage of those opportunities will only hurt you. Reading the last thing you wrote in this thread you said by refusing to use Discord you're "directly accountable to the people". The opposite's true, really. By refusing to use Discord it's harder to contact the people and it's really nothing more than a personal grudge on your part.

They also conduct unofficial business there, and occasionally even official business, which has led to a drastic reduction of activity on the Atlas Fantasy Elections Boards.

Official business, like holding votes, is impossible to conduct offsite so I'm not quite sure where you're getting that from. "Unofficial business" is a veeeeery broad term that could be interpreted many different ways, but in any definition I don't see how it's wrong.

Anyway, no hard feelings, you're a good guy, and good luck going forward.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

If more people joined People's Party and are in favour of free trade, the platform will be changed to acceptable to free trade", and i will be the sole member who would be in favour of protectionism. That's how politics evolve. I'm glad you accentuated the differences between you and the platform of the party. Together we will work to make Atlasia less corrupt and to decrease the use of Discord, and encourage the posting on the forum boards, although i will keep using Discord.

[YE]

What corruption? I’ve been kinda MIA lately so it’s possible I somehow missed something but usually in politics that involves money of sorts yet no one is being paid to play this game More than anything else, I think people (maybe not Wallace himself) are just bored of the status quo (which is understandable) but I’d rather have people just admit that upfront.

[F. Joe Haydn]

While most Atlasians use Discord, that does not mean they like it. Many use it simply because they feel that they're forced into it, because that's where the action happens. Most Atlasians who remember the game pre-Discord think that it has impacted the game for the worse, and only use it reluctantly because under the current system it is practically a requirement.

An institution disliked by a majority of citizens should not be a de facto requirement. And I don't think it makes you a hypocrite to abhor Discord but still use it given the circumstances. I, however, refuse to use it all, simply because I couldn't care less about what goes on there. We don't run for office to scheme with other politicians on how to keep our friends and ourselves in power, but to represent the people of Atlasia.

Now, I'm not saying that all politicians who use Discord are bad at their jobs. Many who use it feel forced into it, and even among those who use it willingly, some, I assume, are good people. The chairman and founder of this party even uses Discord, after all. Ultimately, though, even if there would still be corruption and inactivity without Discord, it merely exacerbates those issues and, overall, does more harm than good.