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Dear Reader
This is the result of an interview with all four candidates for the Chancellorship that the Supremoclast Mission considered as still having viable enough odds to win. His High Grace Markus Delotte and His Grace Alastair Mac Conall agreed to an interview, while His Grace Augustin Reinard did not reply to our request, nor has His Lordship Hengest Harhold, though we did not expect either of them to reply for very good reasons. This interview shall have commentary, the commentary is placed ahead of the actual recording of answers, so that the Supremoclast Mission can give an unbiased critical review of both candidates (and the absent ones). It is important to note here that the Supremoclast Mission does not have a preferred political candidate. If anything, both candidates were willing to work with our mother Church to the same degree, so there is no political sense to striking a preference. Equally however, we will not be bargained into flattery with these parties by vague promises of co-operation on the merits of spiritual morality of the Empire. This article is written with a fire-brand style more akin to the curates of the Savarolesta Republic. We are harshly critical, not to dissuade or make enemies, but to primarily challenge our political candidates to be better, and to challenge our voting Nobles to be informed. We suspect however that all votes have already been allotted, and that we are merely proclaiming things into a race that was already decided last week when the last secret meeting was held and favors were exchanged. In that sense, exposing the tacit ignorance of full knowing of the voters for what they are voting for, matters. It matters that the common people and the servants of these nobles can point at the votes and say 'You have no integrity, and this vote shows that you serve yourself above the Empire'. But, first, we shall highlight the two candidates who opted not to participate in this 4 man interview.
Regarding Hengest Harhold
The truth about Hengest Harhold seems to be that he is a foil candidate for Mac Conall. This is because we have deduced, after witnessing speeches and events at Noble estates for campaigning Chancellors, that both Mac Conall and Harhold are playing a Distributive Negotiation with the voting public. Mac Conall and Harhold's political positions at a baseline look fairly identical, a pseudo-purist approach to racial theory and religion, a jingoist stance against the Allorn Empire, no commitments to finances beyond vague directives, and no actual answers to challenges to their agenda. This is where Distributive Negotiation comes into play however, where the side of His Lordship Hengest Harhold takes an extreme fixed position, knowing it will not be accepted. Hengest Harhold, as a slapstick figure of a political heavyweight, is not actually bargaining for votes for himself, but for Mac Conall. It is safe to state because of the animosity and capriciousness that Hengest Harhold has shown over the years, that there is exactly less than zero chance of him ever running for Chancellor in the Empire. So, his political function, is to act as Mac Conall's foil, where he presents such a ridiculous political position that nobody could ever possibly agree with, to make Mac Conall's position seem more appealing, even though they are essentially campaigning on the exact same agenda, his Lordship's is however more filled with inflammatory language, also a display of theatrics to make Mac Conall seem more reasonable because he is more soft spoken. For all intents and purposes, we expect Hengest Harhold to get not even enough votes to make it into the run-off between the final candidates, and he should for all intents and purposes not be considered an actual political asset. It should be most curious to see where Hengest Harhold will land in the government should Mac Conall be elected. We suspect that Mac Conall has reserved the spot for Government Whip for him, as Mac Conall has indicated this will be a day 1 implementation, however it is succinctly also possible that Mac Conall will take the words and exposé of this article as sufficient deterrent not to seem so politically vapid.
Regarding Augustin Reinard
The truth about Augustin Reinard, is that there is no one truth, but two distinct truths. One truth is that Augustin Reinard is the fox, the fox that waits for the mink (Delmotte) and the ferret (Mac Conall) to fight, before it does its bite. This truth proposes that while Delmotte and Mac Conall have been shooting volleys at each other, and degrading each other, that the stability and non-involvement of Reinard is the most appealing option for votes. Indeed, after doing interviews with both candidates, the absence of words from Reinard actually seems to speak in his favor, because it implies a level of mysticism and 'being above it all' when comparing them to the relatively childish Great Duke and Duke, treating this election like a personal popularity contest. This truth proposes that Reinard will steal a surprise victory from under the other two candidates, and it also proposes that the fox has been silently working in the background, brokering deals and swaying votes to his side while the others aren't looking. The other truth however, proposes that the fox has lost his charm, and has become a lame and sickly animal that hides in a den before the wolves prowl. Could it be that the absence of his words and speeches means that he is not truly in the race like the others? Has he already conceded on his loss, and will his votes only aim to divide the anti-Mac Conall voters? This election is a make or break moment for the reputation of the Duke Reinard. Over the past years he has built up a reputation for being a studious and sharp negotiator and abuser of the political faux-passes, but where does all this legacy lead if not to the highest office in the country? Indeed, should Reinard fail to take this position, it pulls into question his entire political legacy, a review that would cast new light on past actions as merely having been at the cusp of extreme luck, rather than skill. Only time will tell whether this fox prowls, or hides and scowls.
Question: A simple question. Who do you serve as Chancellor?
A straightforward question that didn't really expose anything. Neither candidate looks better or worse.
Delmotte: "All subjects of his Imperial Holiness, common and noble both."
Mac Conall: "The Simple answer would be that the chancellor serves the emperor. Through service to the emperor the chancellor serves the spirit, the empire and all those under its banner at once."
Question: If you could choose one candidate from the current list defined as "potential for winning" that would be the most disastrous candidate to win, who would it be?
The first matter to have a proper discussion on, given the replies that immediately set the tone for the rest of the interview. Delmotte, like expected, attacks Mac Conall and Harhold, and makes a fair point, that a political agenda aimed at war based on rumor, is a very bad one indeed. Furthermore, one could even state it is provocative, as stating with any nation that 'War is inevitable', causes any spies of said nation to pass this along, thus rushing the nation into war to get a pre-emptive strike off, thus validating the points Mac Conall and Harhold made, a political post-truth, something that is a lie when it is uttered, but becomes truth after it happens. Mac Conall did the exact same thing, accusing Delmotte of being a bad candidate, but something interesting happens in his reasoning. Mac Conall harkened back to Louis Delmotte, who is generally reviewed as "The best Chancellor since the Kades", but also remembered for hosting barely any Assemblies, and an inactive Ministry. After fact-checking the matter, we have concluded that Mac Conall is using a political dog whistle here to try and draw controversy over Delmotte. He states he does not believe Delmotte will initially rule as a Despot, but has no doubt that "if an opportunity presented itself to do so, he would take it". Mac Conall is attempting to avoid labeling Delmotte as a despot, by using another political post-truth, something that remains a lie when it is made, but becomes true after the fact.
There are further complications with the stance made here by Mac Conall. The first being, Louis Delmotte did not actually rule alone. When reviewing activity records, Louis Delmotte had a very active advisory council that he met with frequently. Furthermore, the duty of the Assembly to self organize is actually with the Assembly. While it is true that the Chancellor can also call for Assembly, and it is certainly true that Louis Delmotte only called for Assembly once, the fact that he did so in far less capacity than Jared Bancroft means nothing, because the Assembly retains the right to self organize and can do so without being impeded by the Chancellor, and they rarely if ever did. The Emperor established that the burden of Assembly does not lay with the Chancellor, it is not the Chancellor who is a despot, if the Assembly does not mobilize itself. Furthermore, the Chancellor derives his or her (or their) authority from the Emperor, a figure with absolute Imperial prerogative. The Chancellor rules by extension of the Imperial mandate placed on them by the Emperor, so to call that theoretical absolute authority despotic, is equal to calling the Emperor despotic. The very job description of the Chancellor is that they really can and are ethically safeguarded ruling alone, not that Louis Delmotte did (Editor's note: Hengest Harhold actually ruled as a co-dictator and dictator for a while, however Mac Conall made no mention of this whatsoever, because we presume it would be politically disadvantageous to expose how authoritarian-like inclined his interest groups actually are). Furthermore, the absence of Ministerial activity was not a sign of despotic rule of Louis Delmotte, but of the ineptitude of the Ministerial cabinet at the time. The only true criticism that can be levied on the matter of despotism towards Louis Delmotte (Editor's note: There are many criticisms of Louis Delmotte's rule, and the soft approach of calling him the best Chancellor since the Kades, will be attacked in a further question), is that he likely played friends-politics with the Ministerial positions and did not shuffle useless Ministers out of office when they failed to do the basic prerequisites of their positions, because he was constantly under threat of having a vote of no-confidence against him in a contentious political period, and needed to use these political positions to play appeasement. A final point actually raises the question whether it will be Mac Conall who is the despot, not Delmotte, as Mac Conall has committed to a Government Whip position on day one. Government Whips are always intended to whip the ministers in line with what the Chancellor wants, a form of autocracy that Jared Bancroft for example did not engage in, who in review is seen as one of the most egalitarian leading Chancellors who relied more on the Assembly and Ministers than his own authority. Is Mac Conall attempting to smoke-screen his own autocratic tendencies by dog whistling controversy over Delmotte? We consider it likely.
In retrospect however, neither candidate really survives this question unscathed. Both engage in an attack when an opportunity is presented, instead of making a diplomatic platitude or silent omission like Reinard tends to. It is just unfortunate for Mac Conall that he used an easily disproved political dog whistle, and exposed his fixated obsession with degrading Delmotte while ignoring Harhold for doing the same and more, lending more credence to the idea they are working together. (Editor's note: We did not have time to inquire what part of Delmotte's agenda would be 'bad for the Empire' as Mac Conall states, for the sake of keeping the interview within an hour's time. It is likely that Mac Conall would have recited Delmotte's diplomacy-first approach to the Allorn threat, as Delmotte hasn't actually promised much in terms of policy, something that will be seen time again and again in this interview as well.)
Delmotte: "It is difficult to contrast between Duke Mac Conall and Count Harhold. Both his grace and his lordship use an unsubstantiated rumor propagated by an unknown individual with no legitimacy to justify their fear-mongering, which I have no doubt will lead to Regalian men and women in service to the military being thrown to the proverbial meat grinder."
Mac Conall: "Hard to say but given the choice of the two candidates I think would do a poor job, I must say that I believe the most disastrous of them would be Markus Delmotte. Especially if he intends to rule either like his father or how he has described the various times we have debated and or discussed."
Interviewer: "I wanted to come back to an earlier comment you made about Markus Delmotte. You stated "Especially if he intends to rule like his father or how he has described his rule". Contemporary records and review record Louis Delmotte as "The most successful Chancellor since Kade control", referring to the fact that there are very few political critiques to be made of his rule, save from not addressing the Ellador question, Ithanian Taxation, or the integration of the Elven Principalities into the Regalian Empire. He resolved an impossible peace-solution with the north, addressed the crises of the city at the time with little loss of life, and brought the budget to close-break even after inheriting more than a million regals in state debt from previous administrations. In what sense do you consider a continuation of his father's tenure to be a bad thing for the Empire, when it has demonstrated to be a better thing for the Empire than most of his predecessors?"
Mac Conall: "I have a great respect for what the Former Lord Chancellor Delmotte achieved, and while I think he achieved great success his key fault was ruling alone. No man is an island and no one man can hope to rule such a mighty behemoth as the empire. That I believe to be the former Lord Chancellors key fault. The lack of ministries and assistance given to him I believe stunted his potential as a Lord Chancellor. And while I feel he did remarkably well given the circumstances he faced and that situation he placed himself in given the lack of ministers. While he had an advisory council and a capable one at that. I cannot stress how much I believe a lack of ministers managing specific areas can stunt a Lord Chancellors government. I doubt that his son will be able to do the same if he intends to follow his father and rule alone."
Interviewer: "So in summary, when you mean to compare him to his father, you suspect he might rule as a despot."
Mac Conall: "I wouldn't go so far as to say that. But I would say I have no doubt of the mans ambition, and I have no doubt if an opportunity presented itself to do such he would take it."
Question: The past year, finances have been divided and subdivided over financial funds. By this time, effectively all funds have run empty, except the Northern Development Fund. Some argue that the North is no longer in the position to rebel, and it should be safe to renege on a peace settlement where the North was afforded this NDF as compensation for being neglected by decades of financial investments in the South. Do you have plans to remove the NDF as part of austerity?
A simple question. Delmotte considers the NDF an untouchable financial institute, Mac Conall all but promises he intends to reduce the money going to the under-developed north of the Empire. Another point to make here, is that in contrast to Delmotte who commits himself to not setting the precedent that deals with the Empire are only as temporary as the Chancellors who run it, Mac Conall makes no such commitment and actually states he will break commitments and treaties if he deems it necessary.
This question clearly puts Mac Conall in a very bad light, especially with Velheimers, or anyone who considers the honorable integrity of the promised word and reliability of the Empire's treaties important.
Delmotte: "If I set the precedent of reneging on deals made by past administrations, we will all soon find that those who deal with the Regalian State in the future will be less pliable to listening to our reasoning. It is not a matter of whether the North is in a state to rebel, but whether it is appropriate to debase the integrity of the Regalian State by making liars of ourselves. So no, I do not intend to remove the Northern Development Fund."
Mac Conall: "At this moment in time I have no plans to remove the NDF, but I would like to re-examine the term and amount paid into it monthly. However that doesn't mean I won't consider it in the future. I will take any step needed to see the empire through the coming storm. And if that means removing the NDF then so be it. I will do so for the good of the empire."
Question: Some argue that the Alms Ministry is a financial burden on the state that is unnecessary. They argue that charity is within Unionist doctrine and as long as there are Unionists, there shall be an individual burden to perform charity, not requiring a state office to do this with state finances. Some even argue the presence of the Alms Ministry causes nobles to feel less social inclination to be charitable, as a state institute fulfills that role for them. Do you agree with the sentiment that the Alms Ministry is currently a luxury expense that the state budget cannot afford?
A simple question with a simple contrasting outcome. Delmotte considers the Alms Ministry something that cannot be compromised upon, while Mac Conall calls the Alms Ministry a leech on government and effectively promises to cut into their finances and transform it. Since Mac Conall did not commit in a later question to keep the Alms Minister, we deem it likely that he intends to cut the founder of the Alms Ministry, Duchess Sorenvik, from her position also, as any attempt to diminish the work of her institute is likely to result in resistance from here. We reached out to the Duchess for commentary on Mac Conall's statements:
Interviewer: "Firstly, Mac Conall has directly called the Alms Ministry a 'leech on the government', what is your response to this statement as the Alms Minister and the founder of this institution?"
Sorenvik: "The current sentiment about there being "too many funds and not enough cash" is likely echoed from the last Noble Assembly, but in case that he was talking about the Alms Ministry directly, it's simply untrue. Not only has every candidate I've spoken to shown nothing but support for the Alms Ministry, but we also don't even have our own fund. I purposely avoid keeping one, as a security measure against fraudulent use. The Alms Ministry's projects at this point have been overwhelmingly supported by private donors, not by state funds, through either our fundraising events or by reaching out to individual families in person or by letter. I even plan to make a twenty-five thousand regal donation to (the Alms Ministry), by the end of the month. The single instance of heavy use from Regalian state funds has been the creation of the new Alms Sanctuary, which will not only have extended housing for the poor, but is a necessary security feature of our city. In the event of an emergency, this Sanctuary, and the Garrison, will be crucial in protecting both common and noble citizens from harm, and as such is as much a security expenditure for the city as an Alms one. We are not a leech on the government; I believe we are among the most efficient uses of government money currently."
Interviewer: "You have established that the Alms ministry is factually not a leech on the government, and I am presuming that you do not wish to comment on the inflammatory language Mac Conall used as derision against your work and institute, he has committed to actually foreclose the recent plans drafted for security facilities in the city that you and the Finance Minister agreed upon, while also criticizing your institute, stating it 'does not serve the whole Empire, only the capital and the Hadar war front right now'. Would you like to make a final comment on these promises/statements?"
Sorenvik: "We've been able to support all of our projects consistently with private funding. Admittedly, I am appalled that such comments could come from Duke Mac Conall. His support of the Ministry, even his cousin's employment in it, have not wavered since it began. Instead of responding to such divisive language, I'd like to prove him factually wrong a second time. We do extend our reach beyond the city; Duchess Milena Cadieux is our Outreach Manager, and was hired specifically to seek out projects for us around the archipelago, one of which is currently underway. We are, through private funding, sending carpenters and architects to Hadar, to rebuild some of their war-ravaged homes and businesses. An effort that is no doubt daunting, but that we believe must begin sooner rather than later, by whatever means we can accomplish. This is our third month of operation, and this outreach effort is merely the first of many to come. As always, my door remains open to any citizen who would like to suggest an outreach project for the city or the archipelago as a whole, and I eagerly await anyone who wishes to take initiative to meet with me.
And, as a final note on that comment about security within the city, I implore any Regalian to tell me why they would not approve of more measures to keep our people safe. During the last attempted siege of Grey Gate Prison, by several gang factions, do you know where I was? While every available fighting man and woman was standing in defense, the nobility and other innocent people trying to remain safe were in the barracks of Grey Gate. This is unacceptable. It was not a defensible position, and any one of the many climbing or flying criminals could have gotten in through the many windows. This was not the fault of any person; we had nowhere to go. The knights and the guards were needed to repel the criminals. The creation of a secure facility that is defensible, and large enough to fit as many people as possible, is crucial. The creation of a Brute Squad whose sole purpose is to defend the area, is crucial. Be it from Clickers scaling the walls, or dragons fighting overhead, or sewer dwelling criminals, or in the worst case, war coming to our doorsteps, the need is crucial. Only a great fool would not see this as fact."
In retrospect, this question really slaughters the position Mac Conall has. After fact checking with the Alms Minister, Mac Conall just seems tragically mis-informed about all manner of things he speaks about. Delmotte, while not promising any austerity or actual financial planning of the sort, remains relatively unscathed, though this hit against Mac Conall should not seem like an excuse to grow more fond of Delmotte. More questions follow. (Editor's comment: Mac Conall later states that financial data is only for the review of those with clearance for sensitive data. The Alms Ministry releases monthly finance reports to the public, and is transparent with everything. Mac Conall just chose not to read them).
Mac Conall: "I think that the amount of money the alms ministry receives and its duties are questionable at best. I believe that when I take office there will need to be a careful examination of the Alms ministry and why it feels it needs so much funding when currently it only operates within the holy city and on the war-front. However I do think that these so-called Alms Safe-houses it intends to build throughout the city have absolutely no place being state funded. Ideally I will transform the alms ministry from a leach on government funds into a conduit for noble charity to be channelled throughout the archipelago and the greater empire as a whole. After all it is the duty of a state ministry to serve the whole empire, not just the crown isle and the front in Hadar."
Delmotte: "I find it incredulous to suggest that the Alms Ministry is a luxury expense. The Regalian State is an institution that ultimately serves to bring about prosperity to the Empire's subjects. All of the Empire's subjects. How can we ever claim that the Regalian State is effective in its function if we neglect our impoverished subjects? No, I disagree with the statement."
Question: There are some in the political elite and spectating stands that believe political inexperience is a doomsday clock waiting to happen. Of the current four candidates for Chancellery, only one has had experience as a high government official before, and the others haven't even held the position of government Minister before. This proposes the situation that someone with absolutely no experience in upper echelons politics, will soon rule over 40,000,000 people. Will you support a bill in your tenure to make a requirement for all future Chancellors to have served at least a 2 month term as Minister before they are eligible to run for Chancellor?
Delmotte takes a very simple stance with his. He flagrantly disregards concerning statistics, and tells his voters that he is a gamble they should be willing to make, even if all signals state that this is a dangerous position to have. Mac Conall presents the situation in an even worse light. Mac Conall's entire rhetoric rests on the idea of political post-truths, he does not even disagree that he is a political junior and inexperienced right now, but deems the position of Chancellor one that one can 'learn on the job', by surrounding oneself with competent people. It seriously raises the question whether Mac Conall will actually be a Chancellor of himself, or whether he will become a conduit for his competent and experienced compatriots to rule through him.
Neither candidates survive this question without looking utterly ridiculous, arguing for their own exceptionalism and skill when none of it has been proven, both are political green-horns and use fallacious logic to expedite their appointment. The Vultarin mission feels very strongly about the concept of meritocratic experience and skill. While the Duke of Vultaro is a green-horn himself, the Duke is aware that his strength rests on the broadness of his shoulders, not the sharpness of his mind. He has established a strict system of meritocratic examination for government officials and regional governors that ensures proper education for those who aspire to these positions, and proper skills for those who hold office. This is why we find the situation in Regalia so repugnant, where the equivalent of a political child can run for the highest office of the Empire, and adults are somehow supposed to be satisfied with this. We say nay, we are not satisfied with the current wind-fall of candidates and would like to petition the Assembly to implement a law with post-haste that removes political newcomers from crucial offices in the Empire for their own good, but also the good of the forty million people that live in the Empire. Both candidates look terrible after this question. Delmotte proposes gambling, Mac Conall proposes insanity, both are beyond reason.
Delmotte: "The narrative that a candidate without experience will result in disaster is easily disproved with the example of my father. During the confirmation of his tenure as Chancellor, his Imperial Holiness regarded him as, verbatim, 'the most effective chancellor since the passage of Kade rule on the position.' Prior to his tenure as Lord Chancellor, the most experience he had was a terrible stint as Finance Minister that lasted just short of a month before he was ousted. So with the aforementioned in mind, no, I will not be passing such a law."
Interviewer: "The response is very diplomatic, but unsatisfactory. I'm going to stay on this question for a moment and offer some counter points for you to consider. Your father was indeed labeled the most effective Chancellor since the Kades, however that cherry-picks the data in favor of your point. The first non-Kade Chancellor without ministerial experience was captured in a foreign war and fired, the next long row of Consults and Proconsuls have all invariably been proven to have been corrupt despots with the exception of von Drachenburg. Your father's predecessors du Brierust, Peirgarten, both in review have largely 'mucked it up' so to say, neither had ministerial experience. von Drachenburg did relatively well in review, and there is already a rising commentary about the outgoing Bancroft Chancellor that he was politically weak and unable to control the Assembly in an authoritative manner. Statistically speaking, there are far more inept Chancellors than decent ones without Ministerial experience, and von Drachenburg even fulfilled many prior government roles, so he cannot even be counted as one of the good ones. Your father was, strictly speaking, an exception to the rule, not the argument that debases the point that is being made, and we cannot rely on exceptions to the rules giving us strong Chancellors when we need them. The concern of sending unequipped political juniors who were never raised with the idea to have them rule more than a local Duchy to Empire-wide control is very concerning. Especially if in retrospect to your father, you state he was the best since the Kades, I can easily respond that cement cookies are the best thing since chocolate chip cookies, but they are still only one step away from being dirt. Your argument is very unconvincing, and so I will rephrase the question. Are we to hope that you too will be an exception to the rule that is established as a hard fact? Are we to take that gamble?"
Delmotte: "Yes. You are to take that gamble."
Mac Conall: "I think that this problem stems from a trend we have seen recently in the peerage. One where a lot of the old-guard have been phased out to be replaced either by fresher faces or completely new faces. I think there is currently a lot of inexperience in the peerage. However I don't necessarily think that a bad thing. Inexperience can be tempered and were all great men not once inexperienced? I am one of those inexperienced candidates and I intend to temper my own inexperience by surrounding myself with competence and experience. In fact I actually find it very telling that none of the experienced members of the peerage are running, perhaps they can hear the proverbial clock ticking. But no I would not support such a bill, due to what I have stated and the fact I would not infringe upon the peerages right to both run and elect a Lord Chancellor."
Interviewer: "Well, no. Not all great men were once inexperienced. This Empire's rising foundations, the five Family Rebellion, set out a plan for the political elite that has been going on for nearly 300 years. Every Kade Chancellor, even the youngest at 16, was raised and bred with the intent to become Chancellor. While he had no official experience, from the age of 5 he was given lessons by his father, the previous Chancellor, to raise him as best as possible. Even the military masterminds of the Marshal cabinet spent more than a decade training and honing their skills at academies. By the time the Chancellor's position moved from the Kades to non-Kades, your family wasn't even ennobled yet. It is a general safe bet to believe that the majority of the nobles and people in the world believe that experience is not something you should be getting 'on the job', so to say, and that this is a bomb waiting to explode when it concerns a position as high-pressure and skill-dependent as the Chancellor. So in response to this question, am I supposed to write down that you think any position can just be taken by anyone with no experience or education in the matter and that it should be fine for them to learn on the job, if they are appointed to it or elected by higher powers? How are the voters supposed to read your comment on letting the arguably most important job in the world be handled by someone with no experience because it is 'fine for them to learn it on the job'?
Shouldn't you drop out of the race now, educate yourself and grow with as you say competency and experience, and then run for office? Should that standard not be applied to everyone?"
Mac Conall: "The whole reason I am running is because I believe I am the best man for the job, whether I am or not will be determined by the peerage. However I am not uneducated, I have attended the school of Marshalry and all the while has received education in both diplomacy, administration and economics. While it isn't the level of education most would expect of a lord chancellor I have my own advantages. I listen and consider all viewpoints. I bring with me a vigor and activity unseen in other candidates. I bring all this and more and while my inexperience is my key fault it is also something of a strength. As with inexperience comes ingenuity, and if there comes a point where my inexperience is a crippling factor to my term as chancellor I would encourage the peerage to remove me from the position if I do not step down myself. As for learning on the job, yes I will require some on the job learning. But due to the people I intend to appoint to what positions in order to help me I doubt that will have any meaningful effect on my tenure as chancellor should I be elected to the position."
Question: Over the centuries, Chancellors have gone from relatively old establishment figures to progressively younger candidates. In line with the previous question, will you support a minimum age for Chancellor campaigns, and if so, what age?
We hold a similar disdain for these responses, but nothing more ought to be said.
Mac Conall: "I would not support such a thing, however if after reading this the peerage see it fit to instate such a policy and it is the will of the assembly I would pass it into law. I think it's up to the peerage to choose who the Lord Chancellor should be and control the terms of the Chancellery."
Delmotte: "Without the presence of any data that would lend me an insight, any age I suggest will be entirely arbitrary. I am in agreement that a minimum threshold should be put in place, but I am yet to determine what that threshold should be."
Question: Even if the NDF was removed from the State budget, there are considerable tax problems. What measures of austerity, or increase in state income, will you campaign on?
Mac Conall can be commended for setting out an actual proposal to fix the budget deficit, however controversial it may be, Delmotte has no plan. We warn Mac Conall before hand that the Sovereign Tax has not been changed for centuries, because traditionally, the Sovereign realms do not actually receive that many benefits from being part of the Empire, save for exemption from the Navigation Acts, and the presence of regalian soldier garrisons to aid in the local defense of the Empire's borders. The matter of Federal integration has been pushed back time and time again as local governments assert suzerain autonomy over becoming just another province of the Archipelago's Empire, with only the recent acquisition of the Moor Kingdom south of the Archipelago succumbing to external pressure, because the last female ruler married one of the Princes. Delmotte's lack of actual financial commitments is concerning, we did research in the supposed plan to tax detrimental goods and services to the wellbeing of the Regalian state, but this seems like a hollow promise, as there currently is no actual financial record of detrimental goods and services in the financial sector. If Delmotte meant Void Artifacts and the like, they already avoid the import routine, so this would not help the deficit at all, and if he did not refer to them but for example Anahera Opiates, he may be remembered what happened last time the Opiate monopoly was suspended.
Delmotte looks much worse as a candidate in review here, unwilling to touch austerity measures in a feasible way, and proposing fantasy legislation for increasing income.
Mac Conall: "Revisiting the issue of sovereign state tax will definitely be on the table as well as seeking lines of credit in the event we need to consider deficit budgeting. Broadly speaking cutting projects within the archipelago and unnecessary spending will be paramount however I will have to first see the current budget and speak with the finance minister and hear her recommendations before I can truly take such actions"
Interviewer: "So to clarify, the Sovereign states can be sent a clear message that their taxes will increase if you win."
Mac Conall: "Depending on the state budget yes, but there will definitely be an effort to look specifically into the topic of Ithanian Taxation. However the sovereign states who do not wish to pay taxes will be offer alternatives they may find more to their liking."
Delmotte: "Increased taxation levied onto goods and services deemed detrimental to the wellbeing of the Regalian State, and to subjects thereunder is the first that comes to mind. I intend to communicate with the Minister of Finances to define what goods and services this taxation will effect, and what other measures can be put in place to compliment this effort."
Question: "If you are awaiting to see the data from the Finance Ministry after your election, why have you not done so already to inform yourself of your political situation before the actual election? Surely a Chancellor Candidate should already be informed of their position and work before they are even approved? Surely, a Chancellor who is surprised by the situation just after coming into office after having made no attempt to be pre-informed about the state of the Empire, is a bad Chancellor who takes no preparations?"
Mac Conall speaks in contradictions, first he states he has already spoken about the financial state, then he states that the Finance Minister cannot just disclose that information to anyone. He states he has taken efforts to pre-educate himself (Editor's note: He did not, see question about the Alms Ministry). Delmotte's response is diplomatic, but equally hollow. Both candidates come out unfavorable in this question, seeming uninformed, and only coming up with grandstanding, or quick commitments to seem less ill-informed about their position. They both have extensive lexicons to use when attacking each other, and have done research on undermining the other candidate, if only they had spent time researching the state of the Empire with equal vigor.
Editor's note: the Editor contacted the Finance Ministry and inquired with the Finance Ministry to comment. Here follows the exchange:
Interviewer: (after showing the quote from Mac Conall) "We are inquiring whether the finance minister considers the state budget to be sensitive data that is Chancellor's eyes only, or if the Minister believes that Mac Conall is throwing up an excuse for his lack of education, and that this statement with regards to the sensitivity of financial data was a false statement to ruse the interviewer"
De Azcoissia: "The finance minister considers certain intricacies of the state budget pertinent only to the chancellor & other such ministers such as the diplomatic core, however the finance minister has been open about the general state of things— and that deductive reasoning would allow anyone to pinpoint the largest cause of the financial strain. The Minister disagrees that Duke Mac Conall is excusing his lack of education, but rather is showing deference towards the structure of the bureaucracy, and perhaps wishes to be fully informed before he proclaims anything."
It is the Editor's belief that while the Finance Minister excuses Mac Conall of intentional ignorance, she has certainly clarified that the Duke has not taken all efforts to be educated as of yet.
Mac Conall:"I have already spoken with the finance minister about the financial state we are currently in. I have full faith that the finance minister and her ministry is ready to brief the new chancellor whenever they take office however such information cannot merely be disclosed to anyone. No matter however from the talk I have already had with the finance minister I have formed my already stated plans and ideas however i will require the information to formulate how best to put them into effect. I have taken many such efforts to pre educate myself on the situation we are in. However hard data is hard to come by and I am sure no minister would want to share sensitive data with no one save the lord chancellor."
Delmotte:"You are making the presumption that I will be leaving this meeting until after I am elected as Chancellor. There is still time for me to communicate with the Minister of Finances before the election is held."
Interviewer:"So that is a guarantee I can place. If I ask the Finance Minister whether you have had a meeting with her if and when you take office, she is guaranteed to say yes, and if she says no, your political detractors can attack you over this."
Delmotte:"Sure."
Both candidates were asked on whether they consider the Altalar Crown of the world a bargaining chip, which Delmotte was lukewarm about, and Mac Conall more willing to bargain. Another question was asked about Religious freedom, and giving more authority to the churches to safeguard the spiritual morality of the people. Mac Conall strictly stated that Noble Privilege is more important to him than the spiritual morality of the nobility, while Delmotte refused to make commitments he could not keep. Both candidates have committed to working with an interfaith council to discuss the matter of spiritual sanctity, but neither show interest in actually making commitments to reverse the loss of Unionist spirit in the people. We have opted to dis-include the answers and questions in this report, as the answers were not wholly relevant to the other texts. Another question about Url right was posed, where Mac Conall differentiated between his late father and himself, but both candidates are of one mind that the current limitation on Url rights should remain where they are, so Url should expect no softening of government stances.
Question: Ministers are often the backbone of the political machine, though history has shown some competent and less competent Ministers. Are there any Ministers right now that you feel confident you can guarantee will still have their job a month after your election? I will not take a 'I will have to see about their performance after I come into office' as a response, you have been able to see their performance for the past half year, everything is out in public, and you will learn nothing more or less by becoming Chancellor. I need names, or a blank 'I offer no guarantees', which is an answer in and of itself.
Delmotte has identified Duchess de Azcoissia, Duchess Sorenvik and Duke Telarel as guaranteed Ministers. Mac Conall has identified Duchess de Azcoissia as guaranteed Ministers, while keeping his commitment on Duke Telarel vague from wording. Mac Conall also plans to implement a Ministerial Whip to ensure that all Ministers do what the Chancellor wants, while Delmotte made no such intention clear.
There is no true review of who survived this question better. Mac Conall seems more authoritarian, but both seem to have opened their cards on who are their supporters, though an interesting question becomes: Who do de Azcoissia and Telarel support, if they enjoy the support of both? Surely, it is a good day to be Finance MInisterial Duchess Madelyne de Azcoissia, who seems so well liked by all candidates.
Delmotte:"The Finance and Alms ministry are the only ministries which I can guarantee with absolute certainty will not be removed from their responsibilities. And Foreign Ministry."
Mac Conall: "I must ask for clarification, are you asking about the ministries or ministers themselves."
Interviewer: "I am asking about Ministers. The ones in charge of the Ministries. For example, if you state 'I intend to keep Madelyne de Azcoissia', then you are stating that you absolutely have no intention to remove Madelyne de Azcoissia for at least a month, and are willing to stick to that promise."
Mac Conall: "Well that's a brilliant Segway. I intend to keep Madelyne de Azcoissia as finance minister. I intend to not only keep but expand the foreign ministry with both its roster and powers being expanded. I intend to keep all the ministries actually and create more when and if allowed. However effective immediately I will be bringing back the Secretary of the Whip."
Interviewer: "I'd like to know more about that. What do you envision the whip will do? Ensure that all Ministers do what you command of them? That is traditionally what a whip has done."
Mac Conall: "Oh yes the whip is there to oversee the ministries and assist the Lord Chancellor in ensuring everything runs smoothly. I envision it as such."
Something very interesting happens in the next question. Note, in previous question, Mac Conall committed to "not only keep but expand the foreign ministry with both its roster and powers", a statement made after the interviewer clarified that the question was not about the Ministerial institutions, but about the actual ruling Ministers, the people in control of them. With that context, it could be gleamed that Mac Conall intended to keep Duke Telarel as Foreign Minister. However:
Question: Inversely on the previous question, are there currently Ministers you would definitely fire as soon as you come into office?
Delmotte states specifically just the word no, while Mac Conall goes into a vague political threat towards Duke Telarel. The wording being 'keep an eye on the foreign ministry, as if there is no serious change in tune, then under my tenure, there will be a new Minister'. Mac Conall has likely lost a vote in the Assembly from Telarel today.
Delmotte: "No."
Mac Conall: "Not for definite I still need time to think on the matter as it is a big decision to make. With that said I would keep an eye on the foreign ministry, as if there is not a serious change in tune. Then under my tenure there will be a new minister."
Question: Final question, Once the election is over, in the face of the many wars the Empire is embroiled in, will you commit to a minimum of 3 months of political peace where you will not try to undermine the government or have the Chancellor ousted in a no-confidence vote, or can we expect you to try and cause the removal of the elected official from early on to trigger a new election and give you new odds at winning.
In response to the last question, Delmotte commits himself to co-operation, but leaves the door open for resistance should the opportunity arise. Mac Conall commits himself to co-operation, while also committing himself to not orchestrating or participating in the political planning to remove whoever defeats him in the race. In review to this question, Mac Conall seems like the more appealing candidate willing to support a unity government, while Delmotte is too obvious with keeping his cards open and willingness to obstruct the government should he not be elected.
Mac Conall: "Three months is a long period of time. However I would be a hypocrite to preach unity and then say I would undermine whoever is elected. If I am not elected, for three months I will not seek to undermine the government or bring fourth a motion of no confidence against whomever is elected chancellor. However if they are ousted I will run again, but I will play no part in orchestrating such."
Delmotte: "I am wholly prepared to work alongside any of my opposing candidates if it is to the purpose of shepherding in prosperity for the Regalian Empire. I will, however, not idle by if said Chancellor proves themselves inept or corrupt during this period."
In general conclusion, the Vultarin Mission concludes this:
Harhold:
Reinard:
Delmotte:
Mac Conall:
Signed, Interviewer Reverend Idri Amadou of the Supremoclast Mission, and his Editorial team.
This is the result of an interview with all four candidates for the Chancellorship that the Supremoclast Mission considered as still having viable enough odds to win. His High Grace Markus Delotte and His Grace Alastair Mac Conall agreed to an interview, while His Grace Augustin Reinard did not reply to our request, nor has His Lordship Hengest Harhold, though we did not expect either of them to reply for very good reasons. This interview shall have commentary, the commentary is placed ahead of the actual recording of answers, so that the Supremoclast Mission can give an unbiased critical review of both candidates (and the absent ones). It is important to note here that the Supremoclast Mission does not have a preferred political candidate. If anything, both candidates were willing to work with our mother Church to the same degree, so there is no political sense to striking a preference. Equally however, we will not be bargained into flattery with these parties by vague promises of co-operation on the merits of spiritual morality of the Empire. This article is written with a fire-brand style more akin to the curates of the Savarolesta Republic. We are harshly critical, not to dissuade or make enemies, but to primarily challenge our political candidates to be better, and to challenge our voting Nobles to be informed. We suspect however that all votes have already been allotted, and that we are merely proclaiming things into a race that was already decided last week when the last secret meeting was held and favors were exchanged. In that sense, exposing the tacit ignorance of full knowing of the voters for what they are voting for, matters. It matters that the common people and the servants of these nobles can point at the votes and say 'You have no integrity, and this vote shows that you serve yourself above the Empire'. But, first, we shall highlight the two candidates who opted not to participate in this 4 man interview.
Regarding Hengest Harhold
The truth about Hengest Harhold seems to be that he is a foil candidate for Mac Conall. This is because we have deduced, after witnessing speeches and events at Noble estates for campaigning Chancellors, that both Mac Conall and Harhold are playing a Distributive Negotiation with the voting public. Mac Conall and Harhold's political positions at a baseline look fairly identical, a pseudo-purist approach to racial theory and religion, a jingoist stance against the Allorn Empire, no commitments to finances beyond vague directives, and no actual answers to challenges to their agenda. This is where Distributive Negotiation comes into play however, where the side of His Lordship Hengest Harhold takes an extreme fixed position, knowing it will not be accepted. Hengest Harhold, as a slapstick figure of a political heavyweight, is not actually bargaining for votes for himself, but for Mac Conall. It is safe to state because of the animosity and capriciousness that Hengest Harhold has shown over the years, that there is exactly less than zero chance of him ever running for Chancellor in the Empire. So, his political function, is to act as Mac Conall's foil, where he presents such a ridiculous political position that nobody could ever possibly agree with, to make Mac Conall's position seem more appealing, even though they are essentially campaigning on the exact same agenda, his Lordship's is however more filled with inflammatory language, also a display of theatrics to make Mac Conall seem more reasonable because he is more soft spoken. For all intents and purposes, we expect Hengest Harhold to get not even enough votes to make it into the run-off between the final candidates, and he should for all intents and purposes not be considered an actual political asset. It should be most curious to see where Hengest Harhold will land in the government should Mac Conall be elected. We suspect that Mac Conall has reserved the spot for Government Whip for him, as Mac Conall has indicated this will be a day 1 implementation, however it is succinctly also possible that Mac Conall will take the words and exposé of this article as sufficient deterrent not to seem so politically vapid.
Regarding Augustin Reinard
The truth about Augustin Reinard, is that there is no one truth, but two distinct truths. One truth is that Augustin Reinard is the fox, the fox that waits for the mink (Delmotte) and the ferret (Mac Conall) to fight, before it does its bite. This truth proposes that while Delmotte and Mac Conall have been shooting volleys at each other, and degrading each other, that the stability and non-involvement of Reinard is the most appealing option for votes. Indeed, after doing interviews with both candidates, the absence of words from Reinard actually seems to speak in his favor, because it implies a level of mysticism and 'being above it all' when comparing them to the relatively childish Great Duke and Duke, treating this election like a personal popularity contest. This truth proposes that Reinard will steal a surprise victory from under the other two candidates, and it also proposes that the fox has been silently working in the background, brokering deals and swaying votes to his side while the others aren't looking. The other truth however, proposes that the fox has lost his charm, and has become a lame and sickly animal that hides in a den before the wolves prowl. Could it be that the absence of his words and speeches means that he is not truly in the race like the others? Has he already conceded on his loss, and will his votes only aim to divide the anti-Mac Conall voters? This election is a make or break moment for the reputation of the Duke Reinard. Over the past years he has built up a reputation for being a studious and sharp negotiator and abuser of the political faux-passes, but where does all this legacy lead if not to the highest office in the country? Indeed, should Reinard fail to take this position, it pulls into question his entire political legacy, a review that would cast new light on past actions as merely having been at the cusp of extreme luck, rather than skill. Only time will tell whether this fox prowls, or hides and scowls.
Question: A simple question. Who do you serve as Chancellor?
A straightforward question that didn't really expose anything. Neither candidate looks better or worse.
Delmotte: "All subjects of his Imperial Holiness, common and noble both."
Mac Conall: "The Simple answer would be that the chancellor serves the emperor. Through service to the emperor the chancellor serves the spirit, the empire and all those under its banner at once."
Question: If you could choose one candidate from the current list defined as "potential for winning" that would be the most disastrous candidate to win, who would it be?
The first matter to have a proper discussion on, given the replies that immediately set the tone for the rest of the interview. Delmotte, like expected, attacks Mac Conall and Harhold, and makes a fair point, that a political agenda aimed at war based on rumor, is a very bad one indeed. Furthermore, one could even state it is provocative, as stating with any nation that 'War is inevitable', causes any spies of said nation to pass this along, thus rushing the nation into war to get a pre-emptive strike off, thus validating the points Mac Conall and Harhold made, a political post-truth, something that is a lie when it is uttered, but becomes truth after it happens. Mac Conall did the exact same thing, accusing Delmotte of being a bad candidate, but something interesting happens in his reasoning. Mac Conall harkened back to Louis Delmotte, who is generally reviewed as "The best Chancellor since the Kades", but also remembered for hosting barely any Assemblies, and an inactive Ministry. After fact-checking the matter, we have concluded that Mac Conall is using a political dog whistle here to try and draw controversy over Delmotte. He states he does not believe Delmotte will initially rule as a Despot, but has no doubt that "if an opportunity presented itself to do so, he would take it". Mac Conall is attempting to avoid labeling Delmotte as a despot, by using another political post-truth, something that remains a lie when it is made, but becomes true after the fact.
There are further complications with the stance made here by Mac Conall. The first being, Louis Delmotte did not actually rule alone. When reviewing activity records, Louis Delmotte had a very active advisory council that he met with frequently. Furthermore, the duty of the Assembly to self organize is actually with the Assembly. While it is true that the Chancellor can also call for Assembly, and it is certainly true that Louis Delmotte only called for Assembly once, the fact that he did so in far less capacity than Jared Bancroft means nothing, because the Assembly retains the right to self organize and can do so without being impeded by the Chancellor, and they rarely if ever did. The Emperor established that the burden of Assembly does not lay with the Chancellor, it is not the Chancellor who is a despot, if the Assembly does not mobilize itself. Furthermore, the Chancellor derives his or her (or their) authority from the Emperor, a figure with absolute Imperial prerogative. The Chancellor rules by extension of the Imperial mandate placed on them by the Emperor, so to call that theoretical absolute authority despotic, is equal to calling the Emperor despotic. The very job description of the Chancellor is that they really can and are ethically safeguarded ruling alone, not that Louis Delmotte did (Editor's note: Hengest Harhold actually ruled as a co-dictator and dictator for a while, however Mac Conall made no mention of this whatsoever, because we presume it would be politically disadvantageous to expose how authoritarian-like inclined his interest groups actually are). Furthermore, the absence of Ministerial activity was not a sign of despotic rule of Louis Delmotte, but of the ineptitude of the Ministerial cabinet at the time. The only true criticism that can be levied on the matter of despotism towards Louis Delmotte (Editor's note: There are many criticisms of Louis Delmotte's rule, and the soft approach of calling him the best Chancellor since the Kades, will be attacked in a further question), is that he likely played friends-politics with the Ministerial positions and did not shuffle useless Ministers out of office when they failed to do the basic prerequisites of their positions, because he was constantly under threat of having a vote of no-confidence against him in a contentious political period, and needed to use these political positions to play appeasement. A final point actually raises the question whether it will be Mac Conall who is the despot, not Delmotte, as Mac Conall has committed to a Government Whip position on day one. Government Whips are always intended to whip the ministers in line with what the Chancellor wants, a form of autocracy that Jared Bancroft for example did not engage in, who in review is seen as one of the most egalitarian leading Chancellors who relied more on the Assembly and Ministers than his own authority. Is Mac Conall attempting to smoke-screen his own autocratic tendencies by dog whistling controversy over Delmotte? We consider it likely.
In retrospect however, neither candidate really survives this question unscathed. Both engage in an attack when an opportunity is presented, instead of making a diplomatic platitude or silent omission like Reinard tends to. It is just unfortunate for Mac Conall that he used an easily disproved political dog whistle, and exposed his fixated obsession with degrading Delmotte while ignoring Harhold for doing the same and more, lending more credence to the idea they are working together. (Editor's note: We did not have time to inquire what part of Delmotte's agenda would be 'bad for the Empire' as Mac Conall states, for the sake of keeping the interview within an hour's time. It is likely that Mac Conall would have recited Delmotte's diplomacy-first approach to the Allorn threat, as Delmotte hasn't actually promised much in terms of policy, something that will be seen time again and again in this interview as well.)
Delmotte: "It is difficult to contrast between Duke Mac Conall and Count Harhold. Both his grace and his lordship use an unsubstantiated rumor propagated by an unknown individual with no legitimacy to justify their fear-mongering, which I have no doubt will lead to Regalian men and women in service to the military being thrown to the proverbial meat grinder."
Mac Conall: "Hard to say but given the choice of the two candidates I think would do a poor job, I must say that I believe the most disastrous of them would be Markus Delmotte. Especially if he intends to rule either like his father or how he has described the various times we have debated and or discussed."
Interviewer: "I wanted to come back to an earlier comment you made about Markus Delmotte. You stated "Especially if he intends to rule like his father or how he has described his rule". Contemporary records and review record Louis Delmotte as "The most successful Chancellor since Kade control", referring to the fact that there are very few political critiques to be made of his rule, save from not addressing the Ellador question, Ithanian Taxation, or the integration of the Elven Principalities into the Regalian Empire. He resolved an impossible peace-solution with the north, addressed the crises of the city at the time with little loss of life, and brought the budget to close-break even after inheriting more than a million regals in state debt from previous administrations. In what sense do you consider a continuation of his father's tenure to be a bad thing for the Empire, when it has demonstrated to be a better thing for the Empire than most of his predecessors?"
Mac Conall: "I have a great respect for what the Former Lord Chancellor Delmotte achieved, and while I think he achieved great success his key fault was ruling alone. No man is an island and no one man can hope to rule such a mighty behemoth as the empire. That I believe to be the former Lord Chancellors key fault. The lack of ministries and assistance given to him I believe stunted his potential as a Lord Chancellor. And while I feel he did remarkably well given the circumstances he faced and that situation he placed himself in given the lack of ministers. While he had an advisory council and a capable one at that. I cannot stress how much I believe a lack of ministers managing specific areas can stunt a Lord Chancellors government. I doubt that his son will be able to do the same if he intends to follow his father and rule alone."
Interviewer: "So in summary, when you mean to compare him to his father, you suspect he might rule as a despot."
Mac Conall: "I wouldn't go so far as to say that. But I would say I have no doubt of the mans ambition, and I have no doubt if an opportunity presented itself to do such he would take it."
Question: The past year, finances have been divided and subdivided over financial funds. By this time, effectively all funds have run empty, except the Northern Development Fund. Some argue that the North is no longer in the position to rebel, and it should be safe to renege on a peace settlement where the North was afforded this NDF as compensation for being neglected by decades of financial investments in the South. Do you have plans to remove the NDF as part of austerity?
A simple question. Delmotte considers the NDF an untouchable financial institute, Mac Conall all but promises he intends to reduce the money going to the under-developed north of the Empire. Another point to make here, is that in contrast to Delmotte who commits himself to not setting the precedent that deals with the Empire are only as temporary as the Chancellors who run it, Mac Conall makes no such commitment and actually states he will break commitments and treaties if he deems it necessary.
This question clearly puts Mac Conall in a very bad light, especially with Velheimers, or anyone who considers the honorable integrity of the promised word and reliability of the Empire's treaties important.
Delmotte: "If I set the precedent of reneging on deals made by past administrations, we will all soon find that those who deal with the Regalian State in the future will be less pliable to listening to our reasoning. It is not a matter of whether the North is in a state to rebel, but whether it is appropriate to debase the integrity of the Regalian State by making liars of ourselves. So no, I do not intend to remove the Northern Development Fund."
Mac Conall: "At this moment in time I have no plans to remove the NDF, but I would like to re-examine the term and amount paid into it monthly. However that doesn't mean I won't consider it in the future. I will take any step needed to see the empire through the coming storm. And if that means removing the NDF then so be it. I will do so for the good of the empire."
Question: Some argue that the Alms Ministry is a financial burden on the state that is unnecessary. They argue that charity is within Unionist doctrine and as long as there are Unionists, there shall be an individual burden to perform charity, not requiring a state office to do this with state finances. Some even argue the presence of the Alms Ministry causes nobles to feel less social inclination to be charitable, as a state institute fulfills that role for them. Do you agree with the sentiment that the Alms Ministry is currently a luxury expense that the state budget cannot afford?
A simple question with a simple contrasting outcome. Delmotte considers the Alms Ministry something that cannot be compromised upon, while Mac Conall calls the Alms Ministry a leech on government and effectively promises to cut into their finances and transform it. Since Mac Conall did not commit in a later question to keep the Alms Minister, we deem it likely that he intends to cut the founder of the Alms Ministry, Duchess Sorenvik, from her position also, as any attempt to diminish the work of her institute is likely to result in resistance from here. We reached out to the Duchess for commentary on Mac Conall's statements:
Interviewer: "Firstly, Mac Conall has directly called the Alms Ministry a 'leech on the government', what is your response to this statement as the Alms Minister and the founder of this institution?"
Sorenvik: "The current sentiment about there being "too many funds and not enough cash" is likely echoed from the last Noble Assembly, but in case that he was talking about the Alms Ministry directly, it's simply untrue. Not only has every candidate I've spoken to shown nothing but support for the Alms Ministry, but we also don't even have our own fund. I purposely avoid keeping one, as a security measure against fraudulent use. The Alms Ministry's projects at this point have been overwhelmingly supported by private donors, not by state funds, through either our fundraising events or by reaching out to individual families in person or by letter. I even plan to make a twenty-five thousand regal donation to (the Alms Ministry), by the end of the month. The single instance of heavy use from Regalian state funds has been the creation of the new Alms Sanctuary, which will not only have extended housing for the poor, but is a necessary security feature of our city. In the event of an emergency, this Sanctuary, and the Garrison, will be crucial in protecting both common and noble citizens from harm, and as such is as much a security expenditure for the city as an Alms one. We are not a leech on the government; I believe we are among the most efficient uses of government money currently."
Interviewer: "You have established that the Alms ministry is factually not a leech on the government, and I am presuming that you do not wish to comment on the inflammatory language Mac Conall used as derision against your work and institute, he has committed to actually foreclose the recent plans drafted for security facilities in the city that you and the Finance Minister agreed upon, while also criticizing your institute, stating it 'does not serve the whole Empire, only the capital and the Hadar war front right now'. Would you like to make a final comment on these promises/statements?"
Sorenvik: "We've been able to support all of our projects consistently with private funding. Admittedly, I am appalled that such comments could come from Duke Mac Conall. His support of the Ministry, even his cousin's employment in it, have not wavered since it began. Instead of responding to such divisive language, I'd like to prove him factually wrong a second time. We do extend our reach beyond the city; Duchess Milena Cadieux is our Outreach Manager, and was hired specifically to seek out projects for us around the archipelago, one of which is currently underway. We are, through private funding, sending carpenters and architects to Hadar, to rebuild some of their war-ravaged homes and businesses. An effort that is no doubt daunting, but that we believe must begin sooner rather than later, by whatever means we can accomplish. This is our third month of operation, and this outreach effort is merely the first of many to come. As always, my door remains open to any citizen who would like to suggest an outreach project for the city or the archipelago as a whole, and I eagerly await anyone who wishes to take initiative to meet with me.
And, as a final note on that comment about security within the city, I implore any Regalian to tell me why they would not approve of more measures to keep our people safe. During the last attempted siege of Grey Gate Prison, by several gang factions, do you know where I was? While every available fighting man and woman was standing in defense, the nobility and other innocent people trying to remain safe were in the barracks of Grey Gate. This is unacceptable. It was not a defensible position, and any one of the many climbing or flying criminals could have gotten in through the many windows. This was not the fault of any person; we had nowhere to go. The knights and the guards were needed to repel the criminals. The creation of a secure facility that is defensible, and large enough to fit as many people as possible, is crucial. The creation of a Brute Squad whose sole purpose is to defend the area, is crucial. Be it from Clickers scaling the walls, or dragons fighting overhead, or sewer dwelling criminals, or in the worst case, war coming to our doorsteps, the need is crucial. Only a great fool would not see this as fact."
In retrospect, this question really slaughters the position Mac Conall has. After fact checking with the Alms Minister, Mac Conall just seems tragically mis-informed about all manner of things he speaks about. Delmotte, while not promising any austerity or actual financial planning of the sort, remains relatively unscathed, though this hit against Mac Conall should not seem like an excuse to grow more fond of Delmotte. More questions follow. (Editor's comment: Mac Conall later states that financial data is only for the review of those with clearance for sensitive data. The Alms Ministry releases monthly finance reports to the public, and is transparent with everything. Mac Conall just chose not to read them).
Mac Conall: "I think that the amount of money the alms ministry receives and its duties are questionable at best. I believe that when I take office there will need to be a careful examination of the Alms ministry and why it feels it needs so much funding when currently it only operates within the holy city and on the war-front. However I do think that these so-called Alms Safe-houses it intends to build throughout the city have absolutely no place being state funded. Ideally I will transform the alms ministry from a leach on government funds into a conduit for noble charity to be channelled throughout the archipelago and the greater empire as a whole. After all it is the duty of a state ministry to serve the whole empire, not just the crown isle and the front in Hadar."
Delmotte: "I find it incredulous to suggest that the Alms Ministry is a luxury expense. The Regalian State is an institution that ultimately serves to bring about prosperity to the Empire's subjects. All of the Empire's subjects. How can we ever claim that the Regalian State is effective in its function if we neglect our impoverished subjects? No, I disagree with the statement."
Question: There are some in the political elite and spectating stands that believe political inexperience is a doomsday clock waiting to happen. Of the current four candidates for Chancellery, only one has had experience as a high government official before, and the others haven't even held the position of government Minister before. This proposes the situation that someone with absolutely no experience in upper echelons politics, will soon rule over 40,000,000 people. Will you support a bill in your tenure to make a requirement for all future Chancellors to have served at least a 2 month term as Minister before they are eligible to run for Chancellor?
Delmotte takes a very simple stance with his. He flagrantly disregards concerning statistics, and tells his voters that he is a gamble they should be willing to make, even if all signals state that this is a dangerous position to have. Mac Conall presents the situation in an even worse light. Mac Conall's entire rhetoric rests on the idea of political post-truths, he does not even disagree that he is a political junior and inexperienced right now, but deems the position of Chancellor one that one can 'learn on the job', by surrounding oneself with competent people. It seriously raises the question whether Mac Conall will actually be a Chancellor of himself, or whether he will become a conduit for his competent and experienced compatriots to rule through him.
Neither candidates survive this question without looking utterly ridiculous, arguing for their own exceptionalism and skill when none of it has been proven, both are political green-horns and use fallacious logic to expedite their appointment. The Vultarin mission feels very strongly about the concept of meritocratic experience and skill. While the Duke of Vultaro is a green-horn himself, the Duke is aware that his strength rests on the broadness of his shoulders, not the sharpness of his mind. He has established a strict system of meritocratic examination for government officials and regional governors that ensures proper education for those who aspire to these positions, and proper skills for those who hold office. This is why we find the situation in Regalia so repugnant, where the equivalent of a political child can run for the highest office of the Empire, and adults are somehow supposed to be satisfied with this. We say nay, we are not satisfied with the current wind-fall of candidates and would like to petition the Assembly to implement a law with post-haste that removes political newcomers from crucial offices in the Empire for their own good, but also the good of the forty million people that live in the Empire. Both candidates look terrible after this question. Delmotte proposes gambling, Mac Conall proposes insanity, both are beyond reason.
Delmotte: "The narrative that a candidate without experience will result in disaster is easily disproved with the example of my father. During the confirmation of his tenure as Chancellor, his Imperial Holiness regarded him as, verbatim, 'the most effective chancellor since the passage of Kade rule on the position.' Prior to his tenure as Lord Chancellor, the most experience he had was a terrible stint as Finance Minister that lasted just short of a month before he was ousted. So with the aforementioned in mind, no, I will not be passing such a law."
Interviewer: "The response is very diplomatic, but unsatisfactory. I'm going to stay on this question for a moment and offer some counter points for you to consider. Your father was indeed labeled the most effective Chancellor since the Kades, however that cherry-picks the data in favor of your point. The first non-Kade Chancellor without ministerial experience was captured in a foreign war and fired, the next long row of Consults and Proconsuls have all invariably been proven to have been corrupt despots with the exception of von Drachenburg. Your father's predecessors du Brierust, Peirgarten, both in review have largely 'mucked it up' so to say, neither had ministerial experience. von Drachenburg did relatively well in review, and there is already a rising commentary about the outgoing Bancroft Chancellor that he was politically weak and unable to control the Assembly in an authoritative manner. Statistically speaking, there are far more inept Chancellors than decent ones without Ministerial experience, and von Drachenburg even fulfilled many prior government roles, so he cannot even be counted as one of the good ones. Your father was, strictly speaking, an exception to the rule, not the argument that debases the point that is being made, and we cannot rely on exceptions to the rules giving us strong Chancellors when we need them. The concern of sending unequipped political juniors who were never raised with the idea to have them rule more than a local Duchy to Empire-wide control is very concerning. Especially if in retrospect to your father, you state he was the best since the Kades, I can easily respond that cement cookies are the best thing since chocolate chip cookies, but they are still only one step away from being dirt. Your argument is very unconvincing, and so I will rephrase the question. Are we to hope that you too will be an exception to the rule that is established as a hard fact? Are we to take that gamble?"
Delmotte: "Yes. You are to take that gamble."
Mac Conall: "I think that this problem stems from a trend we have seen recently in the peerage. One where a lot of the old-guard have been phased out to be replaced either by fresher faces or completely new faces. I think there is currently a lot of inexperience in the peerage. However I don't necessarily think that a bad thing. Inexperience can be tempered and were all great men not once inexperienced? I am one of those inexperienced candidates and I intend to temper my own inexperience by surrounding myself with competence and experience. In fact I actually find it very telling that none of the experienced members of the peerage are running, perhaps they can hear the proverbial clock ticking. But no I would not support such a bill, due to what I have stated and the fact I would not infringe upon the peerages right to both run and elect a Lord Chancellor."
Interviewer: "Well, no. Not all great men were once inexperienced. This Empire's rising foundations, the five Family Rebellion, set out a plan for the political elite that has been going on for nearly 300 years. Every Kade Chancellor, even the youngest at 16, was raised and bred with the intent to become Chancellor. While he had no official experience, from the age of 5 he was given lessons by his father, the previous Chancellor, to raise him as best as possible. Even the military masterminds of the Marshal cabinet spent more than a decade training and honing their skills at academies. By the time the Chancellor's position moved from the Kades to non-Kades, your family wasn't even ennobled yet. It is a general safe bet to believe that the majority of the nobles and people in the world believe that experience is not something you should be getting 'on the job', so to say, and that this is a bomb waiting to explode when it concerns a position as high-pressure and skill-dependent as the Chancellor. So in response to this question, am I supposed to write down that you think any position can just be taken by anyone with no experience or education in the matter and that it should be fine for them to learn on the job, if they are appointed to it or elected by higher powers? How are the voters supposed to read your comment on letting the arguably most important job in the world be handled by someone with no experience because it is 'fine for them to learn it on the job'?
Shouldn't you drop out of the race now, educate yourself and grow with as you say competency and experience, and then run for office? Should that standard not be applied to everyone?"
Mac Conall: "The whole reason I am running is because I believe I am the best man for the job, whether I am or not will be determined by the peerage. However I am not uneducated, I have attended the school of Marshalry and all the while has received education in both diplomacy, administration and economics. While it isn't the level of education most would expect of a lord chancellor I have my own advantages. I listen and consider all viewpoints. I bring with me a vigor and activity unseen in other candidates. I bring all this and more and while my inexperience is my key fault it is also something of a strength. As with inexperience comes ingenuity, and if there comes a point where my inexperience is a crippling factor to my term as chancellor I would encourage the peerage to remove me from the position if I do not step down myself. As for learning on the job, yes I will require some on the job learning. But due to the people I intend to appoint to what positions in order to help me I doubt that will have any meaningful effect on my tenure as chancellor should I be elected to the position."
Question: Over the centuries, Chancellors have gone from relatively old establishment figures to progressively younger candidates. In line with the previous question, will you support a minimum age for Chancellor campaigns, and if so, what age?
We hold a similar disdain for these responses, but nothing more ought to be said.
Mac Conall: "I would not support such a thing, however if after reading this the peerage see it fit to instate such a policy and it is the will of the assembly I would pass it into law. I think it's up to the peerage to choose who the Lord Chancellor should be and control the terms of the Chancellery."
Delmotte: "Without the presence of any data that would lend me an insight, any age I suggest will be entirely arbitrary. I am in agreement that a minimum threshold should be put in place, but I am yet to determine what that threshold should be."
Question: Even if the NDF was removed from the State budget, there are considerable tax problems. What measures of austerity, or increase in state income, will you campaign on?
Mac Conall can be commended for setting out an actual proposal to fix the budget deficit, however controversial it may be, Delmotte has no plan. We warn Mac Conall before hand that the Sovereign Tax has not been changed for centuries, because traditionally, the Sovereign realms do not actually receive that many benefits from being part of the Empire, save for exemption from the Navigation Acts, and the presence of regalian soldier garrisons to aid in the local defense of the Empire's borders. The matter of Federal integration has been pushed back time and time again as local governments assert suzerain autonomy over becoming just another province of the Archipelago's Empire, with only the recent acquisition of the Moor Kingdom south of the Archipelago succumbing to external pressure, because the last female ruler married one of the Princes. Delmotte's lack of actual financial commitments is concerning, we did research in the supposed plan to tax detrimental goods and services to the wellbeing of the Regalian state, but this seems like a hollow promise, as there currently is no actual financial record of detrimental goods and services in the financial sector. If Delmotte meant Void Artifacts and the like, they already avoid the import routine, so this would not help the deficit at all, and if he did not refer to them but for example Anahera Opiates, he may be remembered what happened last time the Opiate monopoly was suspended.
Delmotte looks much worse as a candidate in review here, unwilling to touch austerity measures in a feasible way, and proposing fantasy legislation for increasing income.
Mac Conall: "Revisiting the issue of sovereign state tax will definitely be on the table as well as seeking lines of credit in the event we need to consider deficit budgeting. Broadly speaking cutting projects within the archipelago and unnecessary spending will be paramount however I will have to first see the current budget and speak with the finance minister and hear her recommendations before I can truly take such actions"
Interviewer: "So to clarify, the Sovereign states can be sent a clear message that their taxes will increase if you win."
Mac Conall: "Depending on the state budget yes, but there will definitely be an effort to look specifically into the topic of Ithanian Taxation. However the sovereign states who do not wish to pay taxes will be offer alternatives they may find more to their liking."
Delmotte: "Increased taxation levied onto goods and services deemed detrimental to the wellbeing of the Regalian State, and to subjects thereunder is the first that comes to mind. I intend to communicate with the Minister of Finances to define what goods and services this taxation will effect, and what other measures can be put in place to compliment this effort."
Question: "If you are awaiting to see the data from the Finance Ministry after your election, why have you not done so already to inform yourself of your political situation before the actual election? Surely a Chancellor Candidate should already be informed of their position and work before they are even approved? Surely, a Chancellor who is surprised by the situation just after coming into office after having made no attempt to be pre-informed about the state of the Empire, is a bad Chancellor who takes no preparations?"
Mac Conall speaks in contradictions, first he states he has already spoken about the financial state, then he states that the Finance Minister cannot just disclose that information to anyone. He states he has taken efforts to pre-educate himself (Editor's note: He did not, see question about the Alms Ministry). Delmotte's response is diplomatic, but equally hollow. Both candidates come out unfavorable in this question, seeming uninformed, and only coming up with grandstanding, or quick commitments to seem less ill-informed about their position. They both have extensive lexicons to use when attacking each other, and have done research on undermining the other candidate, if only they had spent time researching the state of the Empire with equal vigor.
Editor's note: the Editor contacted the Finance Ministry and inquired with the Finance Ministry to comment. Here follows the exchange:
Interviewer: (after showing the quote from Mac Conall) "We are inquiring whether the finance minister considers the state budget to be sensitive data that is Chancellor's eyes only, or if the Minister believes that Mac Conall is throwing up an excuse for his lack of education, and that this statement with regards to the sensitivity of financial data was a false statement to ruse the interviewer"
De Azcoissia: "The finance minister considers certain intricacies of the state budget pertinent only to the chancellor & other such ministers such as the diplomatic core, however the finance minister has been open about the general state of things— and that deductive reasoning would allow anyone to pinpoint the largest cause of the financial strain. The Minister disagrees that Duke Mac Conall is excusing his lack of education, but rather is showing deference towards the structure of the bureaucracy, and perhaps wishes to be fully informed before he proclaims anything."
It is the Editor's belief that while the Finance Minister excuses Mac Conall of intentional ignorance, she has certainly clarified that the Duke has not taken all efforts to be educated as of yet.
Mac Conall:"I have already spoken with the finance minister about the financial state we are currently in. I have full faith that the finance minister and her ministry is ready to brief the new chancellor whenever they take office however such information cannot merely be disclosed to anyone. No matter however from the talk I have already had with the finance minister I have formed my already stated plans and ideas however i will require the information to formulate how best to put them into effect. I have taken many such efforts to pre educate myself on the situation we are in. However hard data is hard to come by and I am sure no minister would want to share sensitive data with no one save the lord chancellor."
Delmotte:"You are making the presumption that I will be leaving this meeting until after I am elected as Chancellor. There is still time for me to communicate with the Minister of Finances before the election is held."
Interviewer:"So that is a guarantee I can place. If I ask the Finance Minister whether you have had a meeting with her if and when you take office, she is guaranteed to say yes, and if she says no, your political detractors can attack you over this."
Delmotte:"Sure."
Both candidates were asked on whether they consider the Altalar Crown of the world a bargaining chip, which Delmotte was lukewarm about, and Mac Conall more willing to bargain. Another question was asked about Religious freedom, and giving more authority to the churches to safeguard the spiritual morality of the people. Mac Conall strictly stated that Noble Privilege is more important to him than the spiritual morality of the nobility, while Delmotte refused to make commitments he could not keep. Both candidates have committed to working with an interfaith council to discuss the matter of spiritual sanctity, but neither show interest in actually making commitments to reverse the loss of Unionist spirit in the people. We have opted to dis-include the answers and questions in this report, as the answers were not wholly relevant to the other texts. Another question about Url right was posed, where Mac Conall differentiated between his late father and himself, but both candidates are of one mind that the current limitation on Url rights should remain where they are, so Url should expect no softening of government stances.
Question: Ministers are often the backbone of the political machine, though history has shown some competent and less competent Ministers. Are there any Ministers right now that you feel confident you can guarantee will still have their job a month after your election? I will not take a 'I will have to see about their performance after I come into office' as a response, you have been able to see their performance for the past half year, everything is out in public, and you will learn nothing more or less by becoming Chancellor. I need names, or a blank 'I offer no guarantees', which is an answer in and of itself.
Delmotte has identified Duchess de Azcoissia, Duchess Sorenvik and Duke Telarel as guaranteed Ministers. Mac Conall has identified Duchess de Azcoissia as guaranteed Ministers, while keeping his commitment on Duke Telarel vague from wording. Mac Conall also plans to implement a Ministerial Whip to ensure that all Ministers do what the Chancellor wants, while Delmotte made no such intention clear.
There is no true review of who survived this question better. Mac Conall seems more authoritarian, but both seem to have opened their cards on who are their supporters, though an interesting question becomes: Who do de Azcoissia and Telarel support, if they enjoy the support of both? Surely, it is a good day to be Finance MInisterial Duchess Madelyne de Azcoissia, who seems so well liked by all candidates.
Delmotte:"The Finance and Alms ministry are the only ministries which I can guarantee with absolute certainty will not be removed from their responsibilities. And Foreign Ministry."
Mac Conall: "I must ask for clarification, are you asking about the ministries or ministers themselves."
Interviewer: "I am asking about Ministers. The ones in charge of the Ministries. For example, if you state 'I intend to keep Madelyne de Azcoissia', then you are stating that you absolutely have no intention to remove Madelyne de Azcoissia for at least a month, and are willing to stick to that promise."
Mac Conall: "Well that's a brilliant Segway. I intend to keep Madelyne de Azcoissia as finance minister. I intend to not only keep but expand the foreign ministry with both its roster and powers being expanded. I intend to keep all the ministries actually and create more when and if allowed. However effective immediately I will be bringing back the Secretary of the Whip."
Interviewer: "I'd like to know more about that. What do you envision the whip will do? Ensure that all Ministers do what you command of them? That is traditionally what a whip has done."
Mac Conall: "Oh yes the whip is there to oversee the ministries and assist the Lord Chancellor in ensuring everything runs smoothly. I envision it as such."
Something very interesting happens in the next question. Note, in previous question, Mac Conall committed to "not only keep but expand the foreign ministry with both its roster and powers", a statement made after the interviewer clarified that the question was not about the Ministerial institutions, but about the actual ruling Ministers, the people in control of them. With that context, it could be gleamed that Mac Conall intended to keep Duke Telarel as Foreign Minister. However:
Question: Inversely on the previous question, are there currently Ministers you would definitely fire as soon as you come into office?
Delmotte states specifically just the word no, while Mac Conall goes into a vague political threat towards Duke Telarel. The wording being 'keep an eye on the foreign ministry, as if there is no serious change in tune, then under my tenure, there will be a new Minister'. Mac Conall has likely lost a vote in the Assembly from Telarel today.
Delmotte: "No."
Mac Conall: "Not for definite I still need time to think on the matter as it is a big decision to make. With that said I would keep an eye on the foreign ministry, as if there is not a serious change in tune. Then under my tenure there will be a new minister."
Question: Final question, Once the election is over, in the face of the many wars the Empire is embroiled in, will you commit to a minimum of 3 months of political peace where you will not try to undermine the government or have the Chancellor ousted in a no-confidence vote, or can we expect you to try and cause the removal of the elected official from early on to trigger a new election and give you new odds at winning.
In response to the last question, Delmotte commits himself to co-operation, but leaves the door open for resistance should the opportunity arise. Mac Conall commits himself to co-operation, while also committing himself to not orchestrating or participating in the political planning to remove whoever defeats him in the race. In review to this question, Mac Conall seems like the more appealing candidate willing to support a unity government, while Delmotte is too obvious with keeping his cards open and willingness to obstruct the government should he not be elected.
Mac Conall: "Three months is a long period of time. However I would be a hypocrite to preach unity and then say I would undermine whoever is elected. If I am not elected, for three months I will not seek to undermine the government or bring fourth a motion of no confidence against whomever is elected chancellor. However if they are ousted I will run again, but I will play no part in orchestrating such."
Delmotte: "I am wholly prepared to work alongside any of my opposing candidates if it is to the purpose of shepherding in prosperity for the Regalian Empire. I will, however, not idle by if said Chancellor proves themselves inept or corrupt during this period."
In general conclusion, the Vultarin Mission concludes this:
Harhold:
- Not a real candidate.
- Distributive Negotiation for Mac Conall.
- Seems so ridiculous that it makes Mac Conall more appealing.
- Has no chance of winning.
Reinard:
- Either political mastermind, or political flouncer.
- Seems more appealing the less he says.
Delmotte:
- Well spoken, and does not engage in rhetorical fallacies.
- Has no tangible financial plan, and doesn't actually promise much of all.
- Will try to avoid war with the Allorn Empire with diplomacy.
- Seems to have broader support from the Ministers.
- Wants us to gamble for him.
Mac Conall:
- Speaks unclear and self-contradicting, while also using political dog-whistles and political post-truths.
- Has a tangible financial plan, but is riddled with mistakes and controversial points of view.
- Will guarantee war with the Allorn Empire before war with the Isldar or Sendrassians is concluded.
- Has threatened and used derision towards Ministers.
- Wants us to trust he will learn on the job.
Signed, Interviewer Reverend Idri Amadou of the Supremoclast Mission, and his Editorial team.
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