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I've been around eAustralia a long time, and have met a lot of people. Strangely enough one person I have never met is my boss, the Prime Minister of eAustralia H.Nelson. Sure, I've read his articles and posts, but apart from that we've never directly communicated. Expecting some others may be in a similar position, I thought an interview might be a good way to give you some insight into our PM and his priorities and plans.


Interviewee: H.Nelson (President / Prime Minister of eAustralia)
Interviewer: Chris Carnage (Deputy Minister of Information)

Chris Carnage: Firstly congratulations on your securing the top job in the country. As we all know your appointment was not in the most ideal of circumstances, coming as a result of the impeachment of former PM Docter Dry. Did you have any second thoughts about taking on the job?

H.Nelson: Thank you. Indeed, it is far from ideal to get inaugurated only a week before the end of an ongoing term, however, I didn't really have much choice but to adapt myself to the new situation as a result of the impeachment of the former Prime Minister.

The new circumstances arisen after the surprising outcome of the last Senate elections completely reshaped my plans for the month ahead. I was preparing for my upcoming Senate term then suddenly found myself at the head of the Executive. I was glad to see that the people I approached with cabinet positions were extremely quick to respond to my call and I managed to set up a well-functioning government in less than 24 hours.


Chris Carnage: How long have you been playing the game, what got you started, and what has kept you here?

H.Nelson: I've been playing for more than two years now and I have to admit there weren't any special motives behind my registration like “change the course of history”, “build your own business empire” etc. eRepublik used to be advertised with. I was merely looking for a game where I could kill some time, click one or two and maybe have some output as a result.

Then I got addicted to the concept; all the interaction the game required in order for you to survive (keeping in touch with your in-game friends, publishing articles to get your name out there etc.). Not surprisingly it is the community that still keeps me here.


Chris Carnage: What started as a training war with eNew Zealand has escalated into something far more serious. What is your position toward eNew Zealand, and do you foresee any opportunity for better relations?

H.Nelson: I always thought of eNew Zealand as a potential ally of ours so I didn't support any hostilities against them. However, it has clearly turned out by now that they have a completely different attitude to this relationship.

I do believe we should make every effort to close this war before our relationship suffers a lot more damage. However, provided that we have all the resources at our disposal I'm not against carrying out a countermeasure though I don't think occupying one or two of their regions would be a sustainable scenario in the long run.


Chris Carnage: I'm assuming your citizen is named after Horatio 'Hornblower' Nelson. What inspired you to take on this name, and do you have a favouriteQuote or anecdote about your RL namesake?

H.Nelson: You're right, Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson was an outstanding person and someone I admire for his strong dedication to his country and deep commitment to his duties. My favourite quote among the many ones is 'Thank God I have done my duty', which were Nelson's last words after he was shot by a marksman during the victorious battle of Trafalgar.


Chris Carnage: eAustralia has been described by some as a 'third world economy'. What key economic challenges are we facing, and how do you believe we should address them?

H.Nelson: On a global scale there is a crisis generated by recurring outside intervention. I'm sure a lot of players know what I'm talking about. This crisis is not a usual one like RL economic cycles but a slump that is due to the artificial changes to the economy.

However, these circumstances affect everyone so the winners of the game are the ones that adapt successfully. Current rules with production bonuses encourages countries to follow an expansionist policy which can be realised through either a diplomatic or a military approach. It is our call.


Chris Carnage: Can you tell us of an eAustralian citizen, alive or dead, you really respect or look up to, and why?

H.Nelson: There are a number of eAustralians who put the nation's interest ahead of theirs and I believe this is the example a true patriot must follow. In a certain way I respect every citizen that matches these criteria but out of the many I personally look up to is one of the first players I met here; the one and only Corny-ratbag.
Unfortunately he is not around any more but he was someone I always admired and I was proud to have as a friend of mine.

Thanks H.Nelson for your time, and thanks dear reader for persisting with this article. Please vote and leave a comment if there's something you'd like to comment on or ask about and I'll try to get you an answer. Please also shout this article so all your friends will see it.


Minister of Information
Mr Crumpets


Deputy Minister of Information
Chris Carnage