Edge of Europe - A Belgian Interactive AAR

[Scrapknight]

I would like to announce that the NDP will run in coalition with the MLP as a junior partner, conditional upon the acceptance of the leader of the MLP.

And to my party members: don't forget to write-in the NDP on your general election ballots, even though we are in coalition.

Monseiur Loewen, while I am happy that you've made the decision to reverse positions, I only say that I wish you hadn't had to make it in the first place.

Savarin looks at the coin on M. Vanderhoof's desk.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

Party: Moderate Liberal
Candidate: Abstain
Preference Vote: Aimeus Aerts
Motion 1: Aye
Independence of the Civil Service Act: Aye

Gentlemen, let me make one thing clear. One of the main conditions for my support of Interventionism is that the State can afford it. Right now in Flanders, we are dealing with a situation where the people have little money, while our funds are more than sufficient. It would only be fair for the state to give back this money, by setting up a stable industry branch, which can make profit on its own and support a good amount of workers.

I do agree with Mr. Daret that rebuilding the same industries the same way will undoubtedly lead to a similar crisis in the future. Luckily, the current cabinet consists of a considerable number of successful businessmen and economics. We will find a good way to invest in Flemish industry, either through structural changes or by setting up a new, more profitable branch of industry.

- Prime Minister Maximiliaan van Brabant

 

[Thoctar]

An address from Daret to the MLP convention

I wish to start by saying that I did not put myself in the running out of a lack of respect for Monsieur van Brabant, but rather, because I want to ensure that we do not turn our backs on capitalism and the free market every time there is a problem. As a result I feel that I should tell you why I am still supporting liassez faire economics. Flanders industry did fail, yes, but there are several reasons for it, reasons that I believe many people are ignoring.

Flanders key industries were fabrics, canned goods, and cement making. Only one of these businesses is able to find what it needs right here in Belgium (cement), meaning that the others have to enter into the world market to find their goods. That alone will drive up costs, but there are other issues as well, these industries have to compete with giants like the United States and the UK, something that simply isn't feasible right now. So when M. van Brabant says that he will only carry on an interventionist policy until the crisis is resolved that worries me greatly. These industries cannot compete, and without constant subsidies they will go under again. Rather than drag out these companies lives at the expense of the tax payer, we must allow them to fail and convince capitalists to start new business ventures that are more in line with the resources here in Belgium.

On a side note, I believe that the unemployment number being thrown around is quite high, you have to remember that due to an error in the Ministry of the Interior, people were coming into the city in look of work in the factories when they were already running at full capacity (something that also likely lead to them closing as they needed to import more and more goods). These people will return to their old jobs once they realize that there is no work.

Party-Moderate Liberal
Candidate-Daret
Preference vote- Georges Savarin ((can I do this since we are in a coalition?))
Motion 1-Aye
ICSA-Nay

Party: MLP
Candidate: Michel Daret (All three men have my respect and all three would be great leaders for MLP. However, I chose Daret as he woved to protect private companies from government intervention.)
Motion 1: Yes
Independence of the Civil Service Act: Yes

And these great men are the reason I must support Minister Daret, although I have the utmost respect for Prime Minister van Brabant, I must vote with my fellow industrialists in support of laissez-faire.
Party-Moderate Liberal
Candidate-Daret
Motion 1-Aye
ICSA-Aye

 

[viola]

The Flanders are starving because of the massive failure that is laissez-faire and what is the reaction of the Jacobins?

Of course to propose more laissez-faire policies! By doing nothing and let the fat and corrupt capitalist ruin our country we shall fix all of our problems!
Certainly once every single person in Flanders will be dead of starvation there will no longer a problem of high unemployment, for obvious reason.

I wonder how much the greedy capitalist payed in order to keep their economic "privileges" intact...

- Baron Frederick Van Den Brucke
Exile in Austria

 

[Plutonium95]

An address to the members of the MLP

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who is supporting me in these primaries, and I hope that those who support Monsieur van Brabant will support me as well, should the time come.

I know that there is suffering in Flanders, but it is not as bad as many claim, we are looking at a brief period of instability that will be rectified soon. Until that time however, the people of Flanders can look to churches and other charitable organizations, to say nothing of friends and family, to look out for them. There are still many employment opportunities for those who are looking.

Last time I spoke to you I gave some practical reasons for why I support liassez faire economics. Now I would like to discuss my ideology a bit more. In my mind the purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people, with the goal of ensuring equality of opportunity. That is, everyone in Belgium should be treated equally under the law, and I believe that we are accomplishing that goal. But the government is not here to ensure equality of outcome for anyone, as some people seem to believe. This is one of the many reasons why I won't support interventionism in the economy. Flemish and Walloon capitalists both took risks when opening a business, and now we see some succeeding and others failing, but, all had the opportunity to succeed. By what right should we decide that some businesses need to be kept open when they could not perform like there counterparts? And even if we had such a right are we to take money from successful and hard working people to give it to those who failed, I say no.

If they wish to help others then God bless them. I have donated money to charitable organizations in Flanders myself, and I would urge many of you to do the same, but if you would rather not, then I don't feel it is my place to make you at the point of a gun. I care deeply for the people of Flanders who are suffering and I hope everything is righted soon. If we encourage capitalists to build factories in the region they will be able to return to industrial work some enough, but until then there are plenty if other option.

I hope I have not come across as callus and uncaring to the plight of the Flemish people, but I wanted you to know one of the reasons I think as I do, besides financials of it all.

- Michel Daret, Minister of Finance

((Viola, maybe you should make a second character for speaking in parliament like Otto did. I am sitting here laughing at the idea of your guy sitting in Austria sending us letters or something ))

 

[yourworstnightm]

((Viola, maybe you should make a second character for speaking in parliament like Otto did. I am sitting here laughing at the idea of your guy sitting in Austria sending us letters or something ))

((I'm imagining a random backbencher suddenly standing up reading Viola's letters.))

 

[viola]

((Viola, maybe you should make a second character for speaking in parliament like Otto did. I am sitting here laughing at the idea of your guy sitting in Austria sending us letters or something ))

((Think of them like public statements made in his reactionary club or in an interview in Austria that, sometimes later, became known to the Belgian public. ))

 

[Somberg]

I believe the members of the MLP have made it clear that they do not desire to have me as their leader at this time. In light of this, I shall be withdrawing from the race for leadership of the MLP. While I am disappointed that I must do this once again, I do hold hope that the party will be more supportive of having me as its leader in the future. I do believe that Mijnheer Daret will make an excellent leader of this party and an excellent Prime Minister. In accordance with this I shall be changing my vote.

Party: Moderate Liberal
Candidate: Michel Daret (from Willem Loewen)
Preference Vote: Maximilian van Brabant (from Michel Daret)

~ Willem Loewen, Minister of the Interior

 

[Otto of england]

Cheers for the complete idiocy of the liberals! So many in flanders cannot make ends meet because they neglect to help a once thriving and an ancient industry in its time of need. This is disgusting.

Klaas takes a really long swigg of wiskey

Its made obvious that the liebrals are all insane their stupid PM even. Etod my perfectly logical act, its just absurd why would you want to veto my act? My act? Gah all these liberals are tryin to stop the smart and well informed from runninthe country.

Klaas takes an even longer swig and his speach stops becoming intelligible.

- Klaas de Ridder

 

[ThunderHawk3]

The 1841 Conventions​

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The loss of the Belgian Constitutional Union reshaped national politics in way that no previous event ever could have done. With Fabian van de Velde, Charles de Ligne, and the Baron van den Brucke in exile abroad and unable to participate in the election, the conservatives and reactionaries had been denied some of their most key figures and leaders. Though their letters and rhetoric would continue to galvanize the sympathetic segments of the population, De Velde and Van den Brucke in particular would call for rebellion and revolution rather than a return to liberal-dominated partisan politics. Charles de Ligne attempted to secure re-entry into Belgium, but King Prosper-Louis never replied to his correspondence. Some say it was never even read. The Catholic Crown Party, therefore, could not count on their support.

At their primary, the CCP's longstanding leader, Sébastien Delcroix, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels defeated the upstart Count of Arlon, Théodore Jules Lebeau. The conservative electorate ultimately favored Delcroix's moderated position of limited interventionism in the economy over Lebeau's doctrine of return to government-run regional monopolies and factories to attack unemployment in Flanders. Lebeau stepped down before the first ballot, leaving Delcroix the victor. The victory enabled the CCP to secure an alliance with the Flemish interest party, Vlaamse Beweging, promising a renewed prosperity for the embattled Flemish constituency. While many hailed this as an enormous victory, as some predicted Vlaamse Beweging's national presence would double in the coming election, others claimed that disaffection and radicalization in the Flemish population would render drive the party's representation in the Chamber of Deputies down, not up.

Far more spectacular was the GLP primary. While Sébastien Delcroix retained his title as leader of the opposition, Prime Minister van Brabant was not so lucky. At his party convention, where most had expected him to win the nomination easily, challenges from Willem Loewen and Michel Daret wore him down. Van Brabant, like Delcroix, had decided to move into the political center and favor more interventionist policies in Flanders, but he underestimated the strength of the party's laissez-faire wing. The non-interventionist stalwarts rallied behind Daret, and while Brabant took an early lead in the first ballot, he slid behind ex-industrialist Daret and ultimately lost the ballot. In the final moments of the vote, Willem Loewen withdrew from the race in favor of Daret and the contest was over. Michel Daret would lead the Moderate Liberals into the next election. Many commentators believed that the loss of the Flemish native, van Brabant, drove Vlaamse Beweging into the conservative quarter.

The NDP, which stood unanimously behind Georges Savarin, extended the same offer of coalition to Daret that they had to Brabant, but the offer had gone unanswered by the end of the MLP convention.

And so, going into the 1841 General Election only one thing was certain: the next government would not be Brabant's.[1]

[1]Although he had lost the leadership contest, Van Brabant would cease to be Prime Minister immediately following the election but not before that time. The Parliament was not in session during the campaign and as such did not vote in Daret as Prime Minister.

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Player Actions Needed:
Once again, I need platforms.

I can use your older ones if you like. As soon as I get your platforms, we can start voting in the General Election.

 

[Plutonium95]

((I am fine with the platform found here. And here is the picture for Daret. As far as a Coalition with the NDP I wanted to do that, but I wasn't sure how it worked since I wasn't party leader yet. Also, it doesn't really change anything, but Daret is still an industrialist.))

I want to thank the members of the MLP for selecting me as the next party leader. It is my sincerest hope that I can live up to the trust you have put in me. I feel that I must take this time to thank Monsieur van Brabant for his service to Belgium and the party these past five years. He was truly an effective guiding force and a wonderful first Prime Minister.

And now we must stand together once again to ensure that liberty and freedom are not abridged by the government. I hope that all liberals, even those who may have wished for intervention will support me in the upcoming election.

- Michel Daret, Leader of the MLP

 

[Dadarian]

Cheers for the complete idiocy of the liberals! So many in flanders cannot make ends meet because they neglect to help a once thriving and an ancient industry in its time of need. This is disgusting.

Klaas takes a really long swigg of wiskey

Its made obvious that the liebrals are all insane their stupid PM even. Etod my perfectly logical act, its just absurd why would you want to veto my act? My act? Gah all these liberals are tryin to stop the smart and well informed from runninthe country.

Klaas takes an even longer swig and his speach stops becoming intelligible.

- Klaas de Ridder

I move to immediately eject de Ridder for drunkness.

 

[unmerged(224181)]

Cheers for the complete idiocy of the liberals! So many in flanders cannot make ends meet because they neglect to help a once thriving and an ancient industry in its time of need. This is disgusting.

Klaas takes a really long swigg of wiskey

Its made obvious that the liebrals are all insane their stupid PM even. Etod my perfectly logical act, its just absurd why would you want to veto my act? My act? Gah all these liberals are tryin to stop the smart and well informed from runninthe country.

Klaas takes an even longer swig and his speach stops becoming intelligible.

- Klaas de Ridder

Mijnheer de Ridder, you disgust me and embarrass the legislature of this great nation! No wonder the great powers of this continent take little note in our musings, with you among our ranks. If you believe you are representing Flanders, you make them seem to be fools and drunkards! For the sake of those you represent, reconsider your disposition.

- Marcus van Laere

 

[Otto of england]

I move to immediately eject de Ridder for drunkness.

After a few hours with out a drink Klaas becomes intelligible again.

On what grounds good sir?

((Why the hate for Klaas?))

 

[Tapscott]

After a few hours with out a drink Klaas becomes intelligible again.

On what grounds good sir?

((Why the hate for Klaas?))

((Platform sent in))

I thank my peers for once again electing me to lead the Catholic Crown Party. I vow, working in tandem with the Flemish Movement, to eradicate the issue of unemployment in Flanders! Under a Delcroix Ministry, I promise jobs a plenty for the Flemish people!

~ Sébastien Delcroix, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels

((Dadrian proposed a law against drunks, and it passed. As such Klaas can no longer be a drunk in the chambers.))

 

[Otto of england]

((Platform sent in))

I thank my peers for once again electing me to lead the Catholic Crown Party. I vow, working in tandem with the Flemish Movement, to eradicate the issue of unemployment in Flanders! Under a Delcroix Ministry, I promise jobs a plenty for the Flemish people!

~ Sébastien Delcroix, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels

((Dadrian proposed a law against drunks, and it passed. As such Klaas can no longer be a drunk in the chambers.))

((I missed it -_- damn that takes the fun out of a drunk.))

 

[Dadarian]

((I missed it -_- damn that takes the fun out of a drunk.))

((There can only be one))

 

[Otto of england]

((There can only be one))

((Lol I guess you dont want anyone like popa eh?))

 

[ThunderHawk3]

The 1841 Parties​

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Moderate Liberal-National Democrat Coalition Leader: Michel Daret ((Plutonium95))​

Pro Military/Pluralism/Laissez-Faire/Free Trade/Full Citizenship [1+1+2+1+2=7]​

Hello everyone, we face a critical juncture in the nation, the industry in Flanders has failed and we must decide how we will respond. Are we going to turn to the government to support these companies, or will we let the market decide which companies should exist and allow people to succeed or fail on their own. I say we stay the course and continue to maintain Laissez Faire policies, I firmly believe that had it not been for the military coup our nation would not be in this position and our policies will work given time, as they did prior to the coup. I feel that I have been successful in working with both sides of the aisle both during the constitutional convention and during these last five years. I care deeply for the people of Belgium and wish to see this nation succeed, and so I wish to announce my candidacy for the Leader of the MLP.

Now on to what I want to do as Leader if chosen. My chief concerns are the Belgian economy and industry and the individual rights of the Belgian people and ensuring that they will not be infringed. As many of your probably know, Monsieur Delcroix and I wrote the Bill of Rights, and I promise to protect and hopefully even expand those rights. The people of Belgium yearn to be free as we saw nearly four years ago during the Second Revolution and as their representatives that is what we must give them. Belgium is not a large country; we cannot compete with major nations like France and the United Kingdom when it comes to raw production and exports. Instead we must ensure the Belgium is where the world looks for high technology and expertly crafted goods. As leader I would work to ensure that this is the case and that Belgium earns its place on the world stage.

I wish to work with the military in a pro-military manner to ensure that Belgium will be protected from outside threats and to rebuild our army. We must not fall into jingoism and a lust for war. Our nation should rise to power as an economic powerhouse, making ourselves vital to the world economy will all but ensure our safety in future wars.

I as I have said for the past five years in office, we must continue to follow a policy of Free Trade and Laissez Faire economics. Only through these options can our economy develop as it will need to. The government is too slow and unwieldy to be able to work with the market in any other way and even interventionism will impede economic growth and industrialization. It is not the tax payers job to support failing businesses either, no matter how much it may seem like a good idea.

I intend to follow a pluralistic policy with regards to religion. This goes hand in hand with with the promise of protecting the rights of the people of Belgium. All citizens may hold their own religious views, with no one religion being supported over others or infringing on their right to practice. I promise you all that there will be no special treatment or punishment for someone because of their religious choices if I am selected.

In a continuation of my promise to support the rights of the people, I am plan to pursue a policy of full citizenship. People should not be denied the rights of citizenship simply because they are immigrants or are of an ethnic minority. We are all Belgians and all have equal rights.

I hope that I will have the support of my fellow liberals when we vote on our new candidate. If anyone has any questions for me about something that I did not address in detail here please feel free to ask.

Catholic Crown-Flemish Movement Coalition Leader: Sébastien Delcroix ((Tapscott))​

Pro Military/Moralism/Interventionism/Protectionism/Limited Citizenship [1+0+1+0+1=3]​

Coalition Policies:

• Protectionism
• Interventionism
• Moralism
• Limited Citizenship
• Pro-Military

Coalition Manifesto:

The following manifesto aims to elaborate on our policies, for the upcoming election, and seeks to offer an explanation as to why we feel such policies are necessary to ensure the prosperity of the Belgian people.

Spoiler

Economics:
Interventionism

The government of Belgium is honour-bound to protect the Belgian people, and should seek to do so in areas where the average Belgian citizen cannot alter the circumstances affecting them. This is most true of the economy, with the current economic situation in Flanders highlighting how quickly and cruelly men can lose their jobs to events beyond their control. A policy of interventionism will ensure that the people of Belgium can stay employed during the fluctuations that the economy brings.

Protectionism

The great industries of Belgium are the livelihood for many of the people of Belgium, but what happens when those industries cannot compete with the giant industries of the other powers of the world? Factories close and unemployment occurs, worsening the lives for many of the people of Belgium. A coalition government would pursue a policy of protectionism, seeking to guard Belgian industries from cheap foreign goods, and ensuring that the people of Belgium can enjoy steady jobs with a good standard of living.


Armaments:
Pro-Military

Belgian’s position in Europe is an unenviable one. We are a small nation surrounded by veritable giants, who all have huge manpower reserves and resource stockpiles at their disposal. Belgium must have a strong and healthy military to ensure that we remain protected from any potential aggression from our European brothers, but this does not mean we should pursue a policy of aggressive militarism within Europe. Defensive military expansion should be our aim for all European armament construction.


Foreign Affairs:
Adaptability and Friendship

As stated in the Armaments section, Belgium’s position in Europe is not one of strength. We are not in a position to use military might to influence the course of Europe, but we have the potential to have a substantial industrial base. We should strive to become recognized as a great power of Europe thanks to our industrial capabilities, and should take advantage of that position to create strong alliances. In the event that we cannot industrialize quickly enough to become a great power in the following term, then we must pursue a policy of friendship to all powers of Europe, seeking to ensure Belgium’s safety. Outside of Europe, in the uncivilized East, we should consider adapting to the changing political situation there, and carving out our own respective sphere of influence. Belgian must maintain good relations with her fellow European powers, and must take advantage of any situations that offer her benefits in Asia.


Citizenship:
Limited Citizenship

The people of Belgium are the Flemish and the Walloons, but this does not mean we discriminate against any immigrants who are not of these cultures. Those who are not natural Belgian citizens must undergo a ‘naturalization’ process before they can truly be regarded as being Belgian. We open our arms to immigrants, but not at the expense of the rights and responsibilities entrusted to the Belgian people.


Religious Policy:
Catholicism and the State

Belgium is a primarily Catholic nation, with the Catholic faith being not only the faith of most of the people, and the King, but is also constitutionally recognized as being the state religion of our nation. The Catholic faith must be preserved, and if possible expanded, throughout Belgium, but not at the expense of those who do not follow the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Belgium holds a sizeable number of those who do not follow the Pope in Rome, and as such they must have their religious views accepted and protected. Catholicism is the religion of Belgium, but the days of intolerance and inquisition are long-gone. Tolerance and a willingness to work with other Christians, regardless of their denomination, must be embraced.

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Player Actions Needed:
And once again, the general election has begun. VOTE! I need your vote for the Moderate Liberals, the Catholic Crown Party, or any minor party. Please vote for the party, not the candidate. The coalition that receives at least a majority (above 50%) of the votes will be able to form a government.

As always, remember to bold your votes or they might not be counted.

Sample Ballot:

Party: Any Party/Abstain

Abstentions will hereafter add just one seat to "independents", representing you. Normally, a vote is worth more than one seat in the Parliament.

Polls will close in two days, at 8:00 PM PST 8/11 (Sunday). As far as I know that's 3:00 AM GMT, Monday.

 

[Somberg]

Party: Moderate Liberals

~ Willem Loewen, Minister of the Interior