Intergalactic Summit

Alright, alright, everything wasn't fine.

You know what, Pieter, keep your smug superiority to yourself alright. People could be dying down there for all we know and you're busy trying to prove your point. You know what, half the people around here would stop talking the moment something even slightly negative touched their precious faction. We're just dealing with the facts and doing what we can to help in the meanwhile.

You can take your petty pot shots later.

What absolute nonsense.

This is just indicative of usual Sociocrat behavior. They'll backflip and backflip and backflip again if it gets them closer to power.
I cannot believe the words of this bunch of autocrats who have become so desperate to maintain the scraps of power that the NAG has afforded their minority parties that they'd throw out core Federate values of free and fair elections.

I have been a member of the Gallentean Progressor Party now for most of my life, and I know that the situation that the radical Ultra-Nationalists and their Sociocrat partners describe would be unthinkable when it comes to the ideological foundation that drives the Progressor organisation. Unlike the U-Nats, we are not extremist fringe-dwellers, we are not warmongers. For the Social Democratic party in this region to associate openly with the likes of them in the subversion of democratic processes shows they are only proving that they are on the fast track to the same political oblivion that the U-Nats currently enjoy after their 'blip' of relevance in the Caldari-Gallente war!

In my heart, I know there is more to this story than what we are hearing. The fact that the Nationalist-Sociocrat partnership now controls the only interstellar broadcasting system operating on the planet is not only a devastating condemnation against their ideological drive for central control, but it is more than enough reason for me to believe that we are not getting the full picture.

I have faith in my Progressor colleagues in their ability to overcome this adversity and to find a way to present their evidence before the people of Mantenault and of the greater cluster. Until then, it is only reasonable to believe that the NAG will be unable to complete an unbiased assessment of their own wrongdoings at this time and so sovereign authority must come home to the citizens of the colony to determine their own affairs.

The murky legal nature of the NAG is insufficient, and it should recuse itself from any further involvement in colonial affairs until Progressor witnesses and evidence can be given the opportunity to be heard. New votes must proceed, and ISODE calls on all outside support to help assure that they are not corrupted in the same manner again.

Politics of humans...

They bore me. Let me know if anything significant comes of this, otherwise I don't understand why capsuleers would give a damn...

-Eran

Forgotten to consult you? Dear M. Favre, while you may be attempting to position yourself as such, the Sociocrat party is not some kind of Amarrian holder with dominion over the Progressors. There was no obligation on the part of the Mantenault branch to factor in your opinions to any decision made by the organisation.

The Institute and I continue to be deeply concerned about putting arbitrary goals on democracy that are as vague as the 'restoration of order'. It has taken several years for the topic of changing the NAG back into a citizen-based direct democracy to even be accepted by the council. The existence of the NAG was supposed to support short-term order and security then, just how long will the people of Mantenault have to wait now? With the failure of the NAG to maintain order and prevent the corruption of this election, how can the citizens have confidence that 'next time' will be any different?

The NAG's objectives are in opposition to the people's objectives. The people would not need to be convinced not to establish martial law, and by recognizing the government of the Ultra-Nationalists, the Sociocrats have given them legitimate means to move for such an action.

Your predecessor and the Mantenault Progressor branch had managed to effectively stop the ability of the NAG to harm civilians by refusing to recognise it. All you have done now is tied it right back into the structure of government, and made it that much more likely that the militia and other armed forces will obey whatever orders are put forth, legal or otherwise.

You've muddied the waters so you could have a 'bet each way'. By asking the Progressors to join you at the Ultra-Nationalist's side, you've asked them to seize power without a real continuing mandate.

I'm sure they'll seek their guidance from the true voice of the people, thank you very much.

ISODE is still attempting to contact other communications relays on the planet, do tell us if you can put us onto someone from outside of your cabal, won't you?

I'd like to take a moment to thank Laurentis Thiesant and ISODE for the live coverage. It was detailed, informative, and of a higher standard than most Federation reporting I've seen.

Potential Elusenian involvement in Mantenault political crisis as ELPIDA space commander recalled to homeland

Vale - Reports have surfaced that the Elusenian government may move to involve itself in the current political crisis on Mantenault VI, after the commander of ELPIDA's space forces Seriphyn Inhonores was witnessed returning to Caerleon just hours ago. The ESS Launcelot, a Talos-class battlecruiser captained by the Director-General's son, was seen docking in Vale after concluding a deployment to Brutor space in the Heimatar region. It is said that this development only came about after Seriphyn Inhonores was seen conversing with Vittenynese lobbyist Laurentis Thiesant in a public neurovisual channel. Sig. Thiesant is widely known to have vested interests in the crisis.

Political crisis erupted on Mantenault VI following a referendum that would see the current planetary administration dissolved in favour of a directly democratic system. Opposing political parties accused one another of sabotaging the voting process after the planet's relay network collapsed, resulting in a fragmentation of the world's government. While the Federation has nominally involved itself by dispatching FIO investigators to the planet, communications are currently down and the situation on the ground remains unclear.

How Elusenia may involve itself is not currently known, nor is it known if it will be able to acquire approval to do so from the Mantenault government. A spokesperson for Seriphyn Inhonores's staff confirmed that the ELPIDA captain is in meeting with the Directorate alongside the military command, but no additional word was given on the content of this meeting. No other government office has commented on the matter. For the timebeing, it is speculated that the Elusenian government may send electoral officers to independently facilitate a re-run of the referendum in a move to restore the Mantenaultian political order. With the communications infrastructure on the planet currently out of operation, it is unclear how this may be undertaken. The Agora is scheduled to meet tomorrow, and initial reports are unclear if the legislature will approve any foreign involvement by the Directorate.

This report is speculation and thus its content is subject to individual verification.

Franseza Quiniou
Political Correspondent
Caerleon Broadcasting Union

I think you might want to work on your interstellar wayfinding there.

If it weren't for U-Nats, the Gallente and Caldari would be at peace, hell, you could even argue that the Caldari would of never broken off in the first place.

Though the U-Nats are certainly very good at influencing the magpies, which seem to make up the majority of the voting bloc within the Sociocrat party. Hell considering that the Sociocrats are currently best friends with the Black Eagles, I'm not surprised that they are the puppets of the U-Nats. Supporting Sociocrats and U-Nats while scoffing at the totalitarian nature of the late Provist Regime over in the State is horribly ironic and outright hypocritical.

I'm quite confident that the explosions and dissent are all the U-Nats doing, they are well known for this type of thing.

No. It's nowhere near Black Rise.

Better luck next time.

The peaceful transition of power is a cornerstone of democracy, as is the ability for opposing groups to settle their disagreements bloodlessly. We have witnessed a failure to live up to these two principles, and by extension, a failure of democracy that must be rectified.

Democracy or not though, the collapse of a planetary relay network as a result of any manifestation of political unrest is newsworthy in and of itself.