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Region: Brussels
Party: BSU
Minister of Brussels: Pieter Hendrickx
Pieter Hendrickx
Party: BSU
Minister of Brussels: Pieter Hendrickx
Pieter Hendrickx
Submit a platform? What in God's name are you raving on about now?
~ A slightly (but only slightly) more cynical Liberal voter somewhat annoyed about the presence of socialist volunteers destroying the tranquility of his street.
A few miles off the coast of Congo a relatively big yacht is gracefully moving throught waves. Black letters on the side of the yacht form the name „Defiler“.
Dom Contravarius is sitting on the deck with a small smirk on his face and a glass of cognac in his hand. Intricacies of the human mind are sometimes indeed very amusing. A nominal Emperor with an extremely suppressed desire to rule, supressed either by the stagnating feebleness of his mind or the fear that cripples his every move, weak and controllable, an almost perfect puppet king walking the (somewhat) royal halls of Belgian Africa? Why not? Unfortunately, loyalty, another trait of a good puppet king, was too quite prevalent in this very engrossing character.
Contravarius looks back at the coast of Africa. Will they declare him a foreign spy again? Or a secret socialist? How would that fit in with the apparent try to install give more power to the Emperor? He laughs quietly. The next Commissar of Propaganda, whoever it might be, is indeed facing a field of pickles. Contravarius pulls carefully a small letter out of his chest pocket. And then there’s this, a still untapped resource.
Same rules apply.
((Oh, and since I'm now everything but a Commissar for the Nationalist Government in Africa...))
*Exactly one week later, a one-eyed figure walks up to the voting booth in Namur*
Region: Wallonia
Party: BNF
((Impeccable timing, was it not?))
Dom Contravarius is sitting on the deck with a small smirk on his face and a glass of cognac in his hand. Intricacies of the human mind are sometimes indeed very amusing. A nominal Emperor with an extremely suppressed desire to rule, supressed either by the stagnating feebleness of his mind or the fear that cripples his every move, weak and controllable, an almost perfect puppet king walking the (somewhat) royal halls of Belgian Africa? Why not? Unfortunately, loyalty, another trait of a good puppet king, was too quite prevalent in this very engrossing character.
Contravarius looks back at the coast of Africa. Will they declare him a foreign spy again? Or a secret socialist? How would that fit in with the apparent try to install give more power to the Emperor? He laughs quietly. The next Commissar of Propaganda, whoever it might be, is indeed facing a field of pickles. Contravarius pulls carefully a small letter out of his chest pocket. And then there’s this, a still untapped resource.
Same rules apply.
For Me, Old Gods, Every Thought, Every Deed.
((Oh, and since I'm now everything but a Commissar for the Nationalist Government in Africa...))
*Exactly one week later, a one-eyed figure walks up to the voting booth in Namur*
Region: Wallonia
Party: BNF
((Impeccable timing, was it not?))
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Region: Wallonia
Party: BSU
As premier of the BSU, Minister of the Zone Libere and Voice of the French, I preomiss I will do all in my power to restore your rights taken from you by those who wish to oppress you!
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As premier of the BSU, I also found a new society, the Belgian Republican society, for the propagation of the ideas of non-monarchical government and equality before the law, for how one on govern in the name of the people if one is not accountable to the people? I call for all peoples, whether Liberal, Socialist, Republican, Jacobin or of any other Belief, to join me in this new society, all are welcome, and together we can finally have the people vote whether they want to have a monarch or not, to finally Let the Belgian People Have A Say!
[video=youtube;aZ731aR_SBY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ731aR_SBY[/video]
((GM Approved))
Party: BSU
As premier of the BSU, Minister of the Zone Libere and Voice of the French, I preomiss I will do all in my power to restore your rights taken from you by those who wish to oppress you!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As premier of the BSU, I also found a new society, the Belgian Republican society, for the propagation of the ideas of non-monarchical government and equality before the law, for how one on govern in the name of the people if one is not accountable to the people? I call for all peoples, whether Liberal, Socialist, Republican, Jacobin or of any other Belief, to join me in this new society, all are welcome, and together we can finally have the people vote whether they want to have a monarch or not, to finally Let the Belgian People Have A Say!
[video=youtube;aZ731aR_SBY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ731aR_SBY[/video]
((GM Approved))
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"...I must confess that one of the things I am most proud of, all told, is the adoption of "Savarinism" as a conservative epithet for anything approaching liberal and democratic governance. I consider it a mark of a job well done. I realize that I ought not to congratulate myself in such a manner; my father and my wife deserve much of the credit as well. In all seriousness, I think it speaks volumes about the fascist and reactionary mindset: they fear change, they fear the people's will, and when they fear things they put faces to them that they can hate, instead of having to hate the people as a whole, who always demand and expect liberty. For whether the fascists and monarchists admit it or not, power and sovereignty come from the people. They do not come from a King, a Lieder or a God. If they did not have some understanding of this, they would not fear the people and they would not fear us..."
- Excerpt from Pierre Savarin's memoir, The Path of Freedom, published 1914
- Excerpt from Pierre Savarin's memoir, The Path of Freedom, published 1914
((I'm going to assume for the narrative that, since he was around to hear Vandermeer's petition, Contravarius left before his indictment arrived. But I like to think that he just suddenly clambered out the window.))
Roni Vandermeer was nothing if not fastidious. It was a tendency she had harboured all her life, and it had only heightened in politics, where ignorance was not bliss, but death. She was not about to appear before the Council of Commissars and improvise; every detail had been planned. She had expected trouble from Contravarius, who she considered to be far too covetous of power, suspiciously unorthodox in ideology, and, above all, of appalling taste. But her expectations had foundered; Contravarius appeared favourable to the proposal. The trouble was not his opposition, as she had feared, but his compliance. Just as she was taken for one turn, she was suddenly spun by another. For as much as she personally loathed Contravarius and considered him dangerous, she had no inkling of the plot he had hatched. And now her erstwhile enemy was on the run, vanished. Vandermeer smiled; all roads lead to Rome. Nonetheless, there was work to be done. As the tragedy unfolded before her, she quietly opened up her briefcase - only a crack - and removed a manilla portfolio. And so she waited, as the waves of recrimination lapped around her, quiet and contemplative, thumbing through the pages of the portfolio, absorbing every detail. Then, once an opening had presented itself, she stood up. Contravarius was dead, but he was still to be buried.
Roni Vandermeer was nothing if not fastidious. It was a tendency she had harboured all her life, and it had only heightened in politics, where ignorance was not bliss, but death. She was not about to appear before the Council of Commissars and improvise; every detail had been planned. She had expected trouble from Contravarius, who she considered to be far too covetous of power, suspiciously unorthodox in ideology, and, above all, of appalling taste. But her expectations had foundered; Contravarius appeared favourable to the proposal. The trouble was not his opposition, as she had feared, but his compliance. Just as she was taken for one turn, she was suddenly spun by another. For as much as she personally loathed Contravarius and considered him dangerous, she had no inkling of the plot he had hatched. And now her erstwhile enemy was on the run, vanished. Vandermeer smiled; all roads lead to Rome. Nonetheless, there was work to be done. As the tragedy unfolded before her, she quietly opened up her briefcase - only a crack - and removed a manilla portfolio. And so she waited, as the waves of recrimination lapped around her, quiet and contemplative, thumbing through the pages of the portfolio, absorbing every detail. Then, once an opening had presented itself, she stood up. Contravarius was dead, but he was still to be buried.
"Brothers, I share your grief at the report that has been delivered to us regarding the duplicity of Konrad Contravarius. I commend both Commissar de Lannoy for his fidelity and Commissar van Buskirk for his vigilance. I cannot, however, say that I am surprised. I must ask: who is Konrad Contravarius? He was an aristocrat, of course, though I confess his origins were totally impenetrable to myself. He was a brother Fascist; he had been so since shortly after the Great War, which makes him almost an elder statesman of this young movement. He was an entrusted friend of the Leader, who promised him power even before it was within our grasp, raised him to the Propaganda Commissariat - perhaps the most important institution for the success of the cause - and, in all things, considered him an asset and an ally. And so, regardless of suspicion or concern, he was beyond scrutiny and reproach.
That is the myth - but who is the man? Who is Konrad Contravarius? Do we believe that the duality of man can be so great that he could be all these things, but also a traitor? Can treason spring from patriotism? No more, I think, than water can spring from a barren well. Treason is its own source; it is harboured, nurtured and blossomed. It does not simply seize a man without precedent. And this act of treason is great indeed, and all the more brazen for having been stowed away in the heart of the movement.
So who truly is Konrad Contravarius? If we are to judge a man by his actions, let us account for them. At the outset, he distinguished himself by a willingness to indulge that most degenerate strand of democracy, Bolshevism, and to bolster the polity that spawned it, Russia. He adamantly oppose a military intervention to liberate Russia from the Bolshevist hordes, instead demanding "closer relations with our revolutionary brothers in the East, so that we can once forge a united front". He condemned "thoughtless and inexcusable statements against our revolutionary brothers in Russia", as Fascism and Bolshevism "were together in this struggle", divided only by "small details". Can you imagine this, brothers? Our movement, destined by history to rule the world and eradicate every edifice of the sclerotic order that preceded it, no different from the band of brigands that would extinguish the flame of Fascism and plunge all mankind into darkness?
But I intend to demonstrate that vocal deviation and heresy is the least of the matter. Actions, of course, attest louder than words. In the calm before the storm of the struggle, Contravarius spent his time patronising various arthouses and societies; we will recall the so-called 'Société des amis de la Révolution Nationale et le Totalitarisme', and its successor, the 'International National Revolutionary Arts and Literature Foundation'. Though some may consider art an extravagant distraction, I maintain that it is a portal into men's souls, and that the 'totalitarian' art purveyed by these societies, with their debased, brutal aesthetics and obsessively proletarian subject-matter, were very far from Fascism indeed. The Foundation, which was openly pan-national, was soon to become a contemptible pit of unscrupulous characters, many who barely merited to be called 'Rightist', and who lauded the achievements of - none other than - Bolshevist Russia. We shall hear from the Foundation again.
For here we reach the crux of the matter: the years of struggle. Truly these were the years that partitioned the sheep from the wolves, and the wheat from the chaff. And here, to adopt the mannerisms of the sordid tale that this is, we are introduced to a new character: Valentin Íñigo dom Contravarius, relative to his namesake, a Spaniard born in St. Petersburg. I did not know of his presence in Belgium at the time, which I must infer, nor of his activities throughout the struggle. But we are informed that Contravarius himself performed bravely throughout the battle for Belgium. But did he fight for the fatherland and for Fascism? As I ordered the denudation of Belgium in case of our defeat, I discovered that in many ways, I had been pre-empted; various cultural artefacts had already been seized by Contravarius. But they were not bound for Africa. It was, indeed, not until two years later that I discovered that the International Foundation had resettled in Spain, that Socialist stronghold in Europe, with Valentin Íñigo as its chairman, and no doubt many Belgian treasures and minds in its midst. His heroism in Belgium had in fact been a cover for blatant theft and exploitation. Spain was the beneficiary of his actions, not Belgium.
And so I ask again: who is Konrad Contravarius? I think the answer is now clear, but let me establish it so as to remove all doubt. Konrad Contravarius was an unrepentant Bolshevist, and his presence in this movement can only be construed as infiltration and sabotage. His policy all along has been to foster insidious thoughts of collaboration with the Marxists, whose own policy, as we all know, is to exploit their allies as a stepping-stone to power and then destroy them. He consistently advanced an agenda of Fascist-Bolshevist confederacy that would have ended with the annihilation of this movement and Marxist supremacy. He is not merely a traitor, a liar and a heretic - he could not possibly betray a movement that he was never loyal to in the first place! He was an international agent of Bolshevism, undoubtedly on the payroll of Moscow and Madrid, working at their instigation to subvert the fledgling Fascist project. This so-called Fascist, this so-called comrade, was nothing more than a sheep in wolf's clothing, a pathetic pantomime of Fascism masterminded by the international Bolshevist front! He was the Marxist missionary, an envoy of oblivion, an ambassador of unrighteous, unpatriotic ideology!
And so I say, death to spies! Death to conspirators and deceivers! The purity of our movement is worth the pain of their excision. But we cannot stop with 'comrade' Contravarius; the disease runs deeper. It is clear that the disorganisation of this movement is more serious than even my assessment had claimed. That such a charlatan could ever rise to this esteemed council is necessity enough for its dissolution. If we are to recover this movement from other such saboteurs, and deflect the death blows they wish to inflict on the Fascist project, then the Great Council of Fascism must claim the mantle of leadership."
That is the myth - but who is the man? Who is Konrad Contravarius? Do we believe that the duality of man can be so great that he could be all these things, but also a traitor? Can treason spring from patriotism? No more, I think, than water can spring from a barren well. Treason is its own source; it is harboured, nurtured and blossomed. It does not simply seize a man without precedent. And this act of treason is great indeed, and all the more brazen for having been stowed away in the heart of the movement.
So who truly is Konrad Contravarius? If we are to judge a man by his actions, let us account for them. At the outset, he distinguished himself by a willingness to indulge that most degenerate strand of democracy, Bolshevism, and to bolster the polity that spawned it, Russia. He adamantly oppose a military intervention to liberate Russia from the Bolshevist hordes, instead demanding "closer relations with our revolutionary brothers in the East, so that we can once forge a united front". He condemned "thoughtless and inexcusable statements against our revolutionary brothers in Russia", as Fascism and Bolshevism "were together in this struggle", divided only by "small details". Can you imagine this, brothers? Our movement, destined by history to rule the world and eradicate every edifice of the sclerotic order that preceded it, no different from the band of brigands that would extinguish the flame of Fascism and plunge all mankind into darkness?
But I intend to demonstrate that vocal deviation and heresy is the least of the matter. Actions, of course, attest louder than words. In the calm before the storm of the struggle, Contravarius spent his time patronising various arthouses and societies; we will recall the so-called 'Société des amis de la Révolution Nationale et le Totalitarisme', and its successor, the 'International National Revolutionary Arts and Literature Foundation'. Though some may consider art an extravagant distraction, I maintain that it is a portal into men's souls, and that the 'totalitarian' art purveyed by these societies, with their debased, brutal aesthetics and obsessively proletarian subject-matter, were very far from Fascism indeed. The Foundation, which was openly pan-national, was soon to become a contemptible pit of unscrupulous characters, many who barely merited to be called 'Rightist', and who lauded the achievements of - none other than - Bolshevist Russia. We shall hear from the Foundation again.
For here we reach the crux of the matter: the years of struggle. Truly these were the years that partitioned the sheep from the wolves, and the wheat from the chaff. And here, to adopt the mannerisms of the sordid tale that this is, we are introduced to a new character: Valentin Íñigo dom Contravarius, relative to his namesake, a Spaniard born in St. Petersburg. I did not know of his presence in Belgium at the time, which I must infer, nor of his activities throughout the struggle. But we are informed that Contravarius himself performed bravely throughout the battle for Belgium. But did he fight for the fatherland and for Fascism? As I ordered the denudation of Belgium in case of our defeat, I discovered that in many ways, I had been pre-empted; various cultural artefacts had already been seized by Contravarius. But they were not bound for Africa. It was, indeed, not until two years later that I discovered that the International Foundation had resettled in Spain, that Socialist stronghold in Europe, with Valentin Íñigo as its chairman, and no doubt many Belgian treasures and minds in its midst. His heroism in Belgium had in fact been a cover for blatant theft and exploitation. Spain was the beneficiary of his actions, not Belgium.
And so I ask again: who is Konrad Contravarius? I think the answer is now clear, but let me establish it so as to remove all doubt. Konrad Contravarius was an unrepentant Bolshevist, and his presence in this movement can only be construed as infiltration and sabotage. His policy all along has been to foster insidious thoughts of collaboration with the Marxists, whose own policy, as we all know, is to exploit their allies as a stepping-stone to power and then destroy them. He consistently advanced an agenda of Fascist-Bolshevist confederacy that would have ended with the annihilation of this movement and Marxist supremacy. He is not merely a traitor, a liar and a heretic - he could not possibly betray a movement that he was never loyal to in the first place! He was an international agent of Bolshevism, undoubtedly on the payroll of Moscow and Madrid, working at their instigation to subvert the fledgling Fascist project. This so-called Fascist, this so-called comrade, was nothing more than a sheep in wolf's clothing, a pathetic pantomime of Fascism masterminded by the international Bolshevist front! He was the Marxist missionary, an envoy of oblivion, an ambassador of unrighteous, unpatriotic ideology!
And so I say, death to spies! Death to conspirators and deceivers! The purity of our movement is worth the pain of their excision. But we cannot stop with 'comrade' Contravarius; the disease runs deeper. It is clear that the disorganisation of this movement is more serious than even my assessment had claimed. That such a charlatan could ever rise to this esteemed council is necessity enough for its dissolution. If we are to recover this movement from other such saboteurs, and deflect the death blows they wish to inflict on the Fascist project, then the Great Council of Fascism must claim the mantle of leadership."
A small, economically left-leaning niche group of "loyalist" fascists suddenly seem increasingly more interested in the actions of the new Republican Society. It would even seem that they support its ideas, although their motivations for it are quite unknown.
((Knowing him, he probably had at least some kind of elaborate and very effective getaway plan ready at all times but I guess we can still allow a small clamber or two along the way.))
That very next morning Roni Vandermeer found a small bouquet of black roses on her desk along with a note that read:
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Fellow Belgians, now is the time for freedom; now is the time for liberty; now is the time for democracy! For too long, we have been deceived into thinking that we have a republic, but what is a republic with a King? All lovers of liberty and freedom should join the Belgian Republican Society, a society dedicated to the ideas of liberty and freedom!
~Rip van Winkle, delegate from Antwerp
~Rip van Winkle, delegate from Antwerp
Region: Flanders
Party: BSU
Minister of Brussels: Kristina van den Berg
I join the republican society, obviously.
- Kristina van den Berg
Party: BSU
Minister of Brussels: Kristina van den Berg
I join the republican society, obviously.
- Kristina van den Berg
"A Republican Society isn't worthy of the name without a Savarin in it, you know."
- Pierre Savarin, speaking at the inaugural meeting of the BRS
- Pierre Savarin, speaking at the inaugural meeting of the BRS
Sir, It is a Honour having you here, and by-the-ways, have you heard about the new International being held in Leningrad soon?
-Talking to Pierre Savarin at the Fist BRS meeting.
"Thank you, Monsieur. Now, you know full well that I am no Socialist, and the dictatorship in Russia is antiethical to everything us radical liberals believe in. Socialism is not just compatible with democracy - it requires democracy to better the lot of the people. If the Russians so vigorously destroy capital, they will destroy labor too. As I've always said, capital and labor should be allies, not enemies - allowing one to prosper does not preclude the prosperity of the other. Now certainly, there are measures to take that can improve the livelihood of the working man without destroying the capitalist - limits on the working day, common-sense safety measures, banning the labor of children - but I still firmly believe a free and open market with such common-sense regulations will do the most for the worker and the capitalist alike.
My, my, I seem to have sidetracked myself quite a bit! It's hell to get old. Good to talk to you, Monsieur."
- Pierre Savarin
An interesting point, although I believe that Lenin and Trotsky are working towards free elections, although, nothing can ever be "Free" in Russia can they?
The two laugh together
There people throw various rotting goods at him due to him being a bit of a slimy rotter
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