The Economist ~ Iain Keers for National President

Day 1,680, 09:09 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by Spite313


Dear friends,


I never thought I’d be writing this article. Two years ago, in the wake of another set of congressional elections, I cast my hat into the ring for the position of President. At the time the UK was not only stuck in a rut, but it faced serious challenges in the form of a shifting alliance structure, stumbling military prowess and worst of all a new module from the eRepublik admins.

People who know me well will know I’m not the kind of person who runs for President. I don't like to run for a job if there's someone else who can do it, simply because it's a community game and we should promote new players. But I feel I have no choice but to step forward again now.

I’ve spent almost my entire life- over 3 years now of playing, in the UK cabinet. I think it’s something in the region of 37 or 38 terms in the UK government. For most of that time I’ve been an advisor, or a diplomat, or a vice-President. Whatever title you pin on me, my main role is as someone who’s been around a long time, knows a lot of people and can step in and fill any gaps.

When I look at the UK today, I see a fairly large gap that needs filling.


I also pledge to have less stupid animal pictures

A country is a bit like a ship. It’s got its crew, its marines, its captain. Each different person on board the ship has to know their role and be able to do it properly. In times where the water is clear and the calm, you can muddle through with a few people who don’t know the job. It’s even possible for a competent crew to work around an idiot of a captain, or a clever captain to manage with a half-baked crew. The problem comes when you not only face stormy seas, but the prospect of an inexperienced captain and a crew who are too busy with their own jobs to pull together and keep the ship afloat.

Departing from nautical allegory, let’s look at the road ahead for the UK. For all its vaunted military strength, ONE is lurching from one battle to the next with almost no communication or planning visible. The UK charged off into France the other day with the promise of ONE backing, and now it’s clear to all what that came to- so much hot air. I’ve stuck with the alliance a long time now but, to go back to my naval musings, it’s got more holes in the hull than the Titanic, and nobody seems that bothered about patching them. I quit HQ a few days ago, because the way I see it the only way to fix a broken ship is from the outside. As a leader of a sovereign country I can directly affect the makeup of the global scene in a way that I can’t as a mere advisor. Sometimes it’s necessary to get your hands dirty.

Into this we’ve got the aftershocks of a major divisional shake-up. The UK relies heavily on private individuals for its military clout. The actual army only delivers a small percentage of our actual damage, and we have to make do with mercenary soldiers to struggle through most battles. To have an effective military, we need more money, more supplies and more damage. All things that I can bring to the table.


more money = more boom

On top of this we have a weak and disjointed political sphere caused by the unhealed wounds between various political parties, factions and organisations. This is fed by an enormous amount of trolling and abuse. My government would be focused on healing those wounds, by any means necessary. My election last time was seen as a disaster for the other UK parties at the time, running alone as I did. They expected me to have a TUP cabinet, but when it came down to it the cabinet was spread evenly. That’s not just because I run a fair cabinet, but also a meritocratic one. I’m not frightened to use the right tool for the right job, and that isn’t going to happen if I’m restricted to just one party. As such I welcome members of all parties to government, and will happily speak to the leadership of any party about any issues they might have.

The flip side of meritocracy is that I don’t cater to wasters or power-mongers. If you want a pretty title so you can sit on it and smile, then good for you. But you’re not getting one from me. As President my cabinet members are expected to take the success or failure of their areas very seriously. I take a hierarchical structure to my government, with me at the top, then ministers, then their subordinates and so on. I expect my ministers to deliver results, and if they don’t, I’ll get someone else. Too many cabinets lately have been full of useless “names” simply for the sake of winning votes or quieting complaints, then these people have gone on to do nothing and keep privileges.


I don't want any weak links

Over the coming ten days I’ll be publishing articles which will be a mixture of manifesto and vision. It’s my hope that they’ll show you the direction hope to take without nailing me down to any particular course of action. What most people want from a leader after all is someone who can lead, make tough decisions, and act on the information they have at the time. However there will be some constants.

- Strong, accountable government
- Better financed and armed military
- A nation united whatever the cost


I hope that when it comes for you as an individual, a party or a military unit to decide who to back for leadership, you take all of this into account. I don’t promise to be the friendliest CP you’ve ever had, but I’ll make sure the UK has the medicine it needs to set it up for a year of security and strength.


Iain



Ps. I won't be using the "voters club" to vote up any articles during this campaign. All it does is wreck the media and doesn't reflect people's actual interest in articles. I know past candidates from my party have done so, but that's not me. I hope my fellow candidates will follow suite.