Liberal Party Conference

[Sbane]

I don't know what the hell this "Light" party stands for. I think we should stay together. I have not been taking a leadership role in this party. I am sorry for that. I trust people like Clinton 1996 will keep the party strong. I don't want a return to the JCP vs RPP days. If that is where we are headed, I will not be joining the JCP (otherwise known as the Labor party). I will be very comfortable being an independent.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I don't know what the hell this "Light" party stands for.

Pff, ask Nix, he's basically Light Party founder in absentia.

It's basically the Liberal Party, without "Liberal" in the name (so it's way more appealing, somehow) and an added dash of lip service to loving poor people.

I also think the idea that the Liberal Party would fall apart over this is kind of preposterous; you guys still have nearly 40 members.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Statement from Liberal President Clinton1996

"We are saddened by the exodus of some of our members in the past few days, but our resolve remains strong. Sadly though, at this juncture in time, I do not feel that we can function properly under the system that was voted on by the party last session. And so, I propose that we return to the previous system, with a President and Whip, along with 5 Regional Chairs. The changes voted on and passed by the party will take affect, but I just do not feel that now is the time. I would also like to send a message to Atlasia. Liberals will not fold and go silently into the night. We refuse to accept the return to a two-party system, welcome the further formation of parties, and relish the challenges they face. We as a party are strong and will continue to promote the values that have won us so many elections in the past, and we hope more in the future: That substance and results, not ideology or partisanship, are what move us forward as a nation. Thank you, and Dave bless."

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

I tried to come across as more
, but couldn't help sounding like
 trying to cease power.

[DemPGH]

Here's what I think, and I'm not involved with the Liberal party in any capacity other than being a member. The Party of Light / Light Party ("Light Party" sounds light, as in lightweight) is a mild shift to the right with a dose of religious leftism. Not sure if anyone caught the prayer-in-school business and a few other worked-in bits of religious leftism, some symbolic and others not, but considering Gov. Scott's interest in progressive Christianity, which is entirely fine, this should be no surprise. In all, it hedges its progressivism too much for me, and situates itself too close to faith both constitutionally and for me personally. I'll guess that many of our more conservative Liberals will find themselves in the Light Party.

I think the Liberal party should take the opportunity to become a more decidedly leftist party, and to consider a formal alliance with Labor. Liberal can have different leadership and can disagree with Labor on whatever as it works out, but "we get each other's backs," i.e., I would like to see closer collaboration with Labor. I know there was a rift before I got here between Liberal and Labor, but it's getting time to forget about all that. There are really hard-working and good folks in Labor - I've spoken with them and I've seen their work. Just my opinion. Hopefully, it's a small snag, but should Liberal step closer to the right or become less viable, I would join Labor without hesitation. 

[Zanas]

I figure that one of the main reasons some Labor were unwilling to cooperate with Liberal was the person of its protagonist, Napoleon. I'm not judging him, just stating a fact that some prominent Laborite (Snowstalker, Seatown mostly) were unwilling to work with him, and vice versa.

Now that he's gone from your party, I guess this should make things way easier.

[Napoleon]

I figure that one of the main reasons some Labor were unwilling to cooperate with Liberal was the person of its protagonist, Napoleon. I'm not judging him, just stating a fact that some prominent Laborite (Snowstalker, Seatown mostly) were unwilling to work with him, and vice versa.

FTR, this goes back to August 2012. Seatown and Snowstalker were running for Senate and I was about to endorse Seatown until they started a jihad against the Liberal Party- the entire party, not just me. They had no reason to, but I am told now that it was encouraged by a certain someone who left the forum. I can't verify the truth to that.

I do know that Snowstalker would have won had he shut his trap, but I instead asked another Labor candidate to run. That candidate won, and the Snowstalker and Seatown became the online equivalent of suicide bombers.

Now, you can accuse me of many things but unwilling to work with others is not one of them. That's why I reached out to Snowstalker to work on some domestic policy bills when we both got elected.

[Zanas]

(sigh)

I was not accusing you of anything Napoleon. Not everybody is accusing you of something all the time when they speak to you or about you. I was merely stating some difficulties that are undeniable.

[Napoleon]

(sigh)

I was not accusing you of anything Napoleon. Not everybody is accusing you of something all the time when they speak to you or about you. I was merely stating some difficulties that are undeniable.

You said prominent Laborites are unwilling to work with me and vice versa. How does that explain them attacking the entire Liberal Party and what evidence is there to suggest I am unwilling to work with them? What is the cause of these difficulties and what am I supposed to do to fix them?

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

I feel obligated to say, the Light Party was never intended to be to the left or right of anyone.  Yes, ideologically the party is left-leaning, but its primary objective is to inspire a sense of renewal which I fear other parties have not been able to deliver - especially, quite sadly, the Liberal Party. 

If I only wanted to be in a center-left party, I would have stayed with the Liberals.  If I wanted to be in a party with socialistic values, I would have joined Labor.  But all I wanted was something new, and that's why I'm happy to see seven others who felt the same way, even if it's a small number.  It's a party that I want to stick with even if it loses its major party status, and I will always vote for the people who share those values and have proven that they're willing and able to do the job, regardless of their label.

I didn't make it just to rile people up, which is why I was especially surprised at Marokai's reaction to this, especially coming from someone who you'd think would act a little more like a leader.  If you think our platform (which hasn't even been fully drafted yet, btw) is too religious, too populist, too conservative, etc., that's fine.  My beef is with those who make a big deal out of it.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Napoleon made a post that I meant to respond to, but never did, and now he has subsequently deleted. The gist of that post was basically "It's clear Atlasia just wants a two party system so let's just give them what they want." That is retarded, and Napoleon's reasoning was completely incoherent and self-fulfilling.

Atlasia does not want a two party system, and the only way we're going to creep toward one is if people like Napoleon practically force it to happen just to spite people and prove some sort of weird and perverse point. I don't want a two party system, Griffin does not want a two party system, we're not even trying to recruit many people at all at this point because we want to remain as Labor-y as Labor can reasonably remain being.

Up until Napoleon randomly decided to leave the Liberal Party, we had two Labor Senators, two Liberal Senators, three Federalists, two independents (one of which is now a Light Party member), and a vacancy, which is likely to be filled by another Federalist, basically only because we had two people step up to fill the vacancy. I am the first elected Labor President; not the fourth in a long line of Labor dominance of the office, the first. Regional executives include a members of several different parties (none of which, unless you count MaxQue's sort of half-office, are Labor members, just fyi). Regional legislatures are fairly balanced. This game is not becoming a two party system in any way, despite the sudden weird alarmist attitude by some people here.

This party is only going to die if you let it. You have no one to blame if the Liberal Party collapses except for the Liberal Party. So stop letting it. You have nearly 40 members, and people only seem to be leaving for dumb reasons at this point. The only people who seem to want a two party system seem to be the people trying to force that as the only viable option by blowing up party after party. Labor isn't a villain here, and for that matter neither are the Federalists (though they are unfortunately more consolidated than any other group) so stop trying to contrive a scenario where we're looked at negatively when we do not want a two party system.

[Napoleon]

Griffin doesn't want a two party system, but he PMs Liberals to tell them that they are a conservative party anyway?

The only positive about the Liberal Party was that the newer members actually looked pretty promising. Now they don't even really have that. Its over.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Griffin doesn't want a two party system, but he PMs Liberals to tell them that they are a conservative party anyway?

Wanting to win does not mean he wants a two party system. Besides, this is not a Griffin thing, even Nix said he didn't want to join the Liberals because he was worried of it's more libertarian direction.

Nevertheless, I didn't actually know he was doing that and will ask him not to.

[Napoleon]

Griffin doesn't want a two party system, but he PMs Liberals to tell them that they are a conservative party anyway?

Wanting to win does not mean he wants a two party system. Besides, this is not a Griffin thing, even Nix said he didn't want to join the Liberals because he was worried of it's more libertarian direction.

Nevertheless, I didn't actually know he was doing that and will ask him not to.

That was a cover. It was obvious that Nix's position came down to "I just don't like Wolfentoad. At all." The Liberal Party has never been a libertarian party. We had libertarian members like Jbrase and Dallasfan before Nix even existed around these parts. At the party's peak, the best days the party ever had, it was Nix who was the only Liberal to not vote for our party, and he voted for a libertarian. A libertarian who wasn't even a libertarian by the time he joined the party, and isnt even in the party anymore. Of course the small minority of libertarians in the Liberal Party, all of whom I respect greatly, became a larger percentage of the party. Uh, that's what happens when people like Nix leave the party. Even Nix himself acknowledged that on a scale he would be about the center of where the Liberal Party is. Its just more of the stupid personality politics that most of us are sick of dealing with.

Obviously it isn't up to me to decide what parties other people join. But I am not going to sit here and pretend that the Liberal Party does itself any good ny continuing to exist when it can't even appeal to the people that should be making up the base of the party. I put too much time and effort into the party and too many times people just leave and move on to the next new thing like its no big deal. There is no loyalty at all. Why would I want to continue down that road? It sucked the first fifty times and it will keep sucking.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Just for the record, would this also deserve equal condemnation from you as "stupid personality politics"?

As for the alternatives - Labor won't do (especially with the current president)

[Napoleon]

Just for the record, would this also deserve equal condemnation from you as "stupid personality politics"?

As for the alternatives - Labor won't do (especially with the current president)

Yes of course. I don't pick my party based on one or two people I don't like being in that party. That is childish and destructive.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Y'all won't have to put up with me after June.  So don't worry about it.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

This escalated quickly. I'm locking this thread.