Unity is dead, long live the Liberals

Andrew Blackhorse presenting the New Valtirian Plan in Kotavari this morning.

No one was quite sure what to expect of the 2016 Unity Party Conference, the fourth of its kind. Ever since Graham Müntz held the Conference for Unity on November 14th, 2012, in Caenia, the event has grown into a larger and much anticipated affair in the Kingdom, more so than its rival parties’ annual congresses.

Expectations ran high as preparations for the event took place. No one but leader Andrew Blackhorse and his inner circle knew what the conference’s agenda would be. The reformative leader has been known for his disrespect of tradition and old party structures, and has been successful in gaining the trust and loyalty of the native Southerners who remain, to his day, his main voter base.

Deputy Leader Qian An had been quoted saying “a new party platform for 2017 and beyond” would be presented at the Conference, but no one could have foreseen what Blackhorse unveiled at the blue party’s fourth congress in Kotavari: the death of the Unity Party.

Or at least, the death of the Unity Party as the Unity Party. The New Valtirian Plan, Blackhorse’s groundbreaking new party platform, no longer speaks of Unity as a thing.

It speaks of the Liberals. A new political class of Sabia and Verona, with no strings attached to the ancien régime. The Liberals don’t care about politics outside of Sabia and Verona, Blackhorse says, “we look inward to see what the needs of our nation are and pay no mind to ideological blabbering”

The party’s new platform not only sets the Liberals’ priorities straight in different areas, but also changes the way the party is sctructured. More decisions regarding the party’s policies will now be made by the party’s members, and the Liberal leadership will be subjected to yearly elections. This model is, Blackhorse admits, inspired in the NNS’s vetha.

Ra nel fégoras demokratik – A new democratic alternative, slogan of the Liberals.

The New Valtirian Plan apparently caused a good impression on most of the party’s membership, chiefly Southerners who resonate well with the idea of liberalism in Sabia and Verona. The plan was approved by 11 of the 16 party members attending the congress, adding up to a 69% support for the measure.

Several political commentators had pointed out the massive changes in Unity’s core ideology in recent times, facilitated by the political quake created by the post-Haronos environment in Sabia and Verona. So while the radical move that is the New Valtirian Plan may alienate the more conservative, rightwing, pan-Sabianist faction of the party, Blackhorse can rest assured they are a frail minority without voice in modern Valtirian politics.

A summary of the Liberals’ new platform:

• Privatization of all state-owned enterprises in Sabia and Verona, including 4T instutions;
• Promotion of a diverse and synchretic national identity;
• Strengthening and building closer ties to the Pahunist Church;
• Strengthening of the law and justice system by prosecuting politicians accused of being corrupt;
• Building ties with other micronations and macronations abroad by giving a more active role to the Foreign Division;
• Promoting population growth through the implementation of a comprehensive growth program;
• Annexing new territorial claims to increase Sabia and Verona’s green areas;
• Strengthening the Royal Auror Corps while stressing the symbolic nature of the Royal Armed Forces.

Advertisement