An Interview with the President
Conducted By: Isles (a.k.a. British Isles and Commonwealth Realms), Guest Interviewer
Editor Foreward: This interview was submitted by Isles on November 10th, 2020 EST to Everyday News Staff. The interview discusses President Druing's reasons for running, cabinet picks, past experiences, and other items.
Isles: Why did you decide to run in the first place? What were your thoughts before joining the race? When did you come upon this decision?
President Druing: ...I just felt I should. This was something I’ve been thinking about over the past several months over engagement issues within the region that have been apparent for that long. I came to the decision that I would run for the October Election a while ago, but ideally, I was hoping that someone more capable and better in general would run against me and win, but that didn’t seem to be the case. I definitely wasn’t expecting to be in the position that I am now, but I’ll give it my best.
Isles: You were a successful Minister of Foreign Affairs and it was under your ministership that a treaty was signed between the Union of Democratic States and 10000 Islands. How do you see your experience helping you in your duties as president?
President Druing: I can’t say my experience in the position will help me overall. Phoenix and I have similar stances when it comes to FA… Mostly because it was under him that I learned how to do it in the first place. Hopefully we can continue to improve our presence on the international stage, as well as the quality of our Foreign Affairs handling with Phoenix’s plans for the Ministry. My chief focus as I have said, is on attempting to reverse our nation loss freefall and increase civic participation in the region, which means that I won’t be working as closely with that Ministry as I will with say, the Census or Culture. But I should be able to handle Foreign Affairs issues when they arise. As of writing, we still have one treaty in negotiation. I aim to get this introduced to our legislature as soon as possible.
Isles: You were the only (serious) candidate running for office. Do you think that your victory was solely a lack of choice, or do you believe that the citizens of the Union genuinely voted for you?
President Druing: We’re also forgetting that this was, as far as I’m aware, the lowest turnout in a Presidential election we’ve had yet. I don’t think there’s anything to say about this at all, because there can’t be competition without participation. I will definitely say that, while it was fun, fruitful and great to see the other candidates’ platforms and the like, I think I would have to say that that was the second most unhealthiest Presidential election we have ever had. We need more engagement from citizens, otherwise we cannot grow as a region.
Isles: You choose Glaciosia as your running mate. Were they your first choice or were there others? Why did you choose Glaciosia?
President Druing: My first choice was actually Dome Artan - I approached them about the prospect back in May. Of course, that fell through. I sifted through some other options and eventually settled on Glac, since they’re pretty much the closest to Dome in what I was looking for - Someone who was active, dedicated and capable. Glaciosia fits all of those just as much as Dome Artan did.
Isles: The Senate has confirmed your cabinet nominations and your cabinet has assumed their offices. I shall not name all of your nominations in my question. Why did you choose them for their respective portfolios? Were they your first choices? How confident are you in them?
President Druing: I mean, the reason why I chose them, per minister, is all laid out in my opening address. I don’t think I need to be reiterating that here when it’s perfectly reviewable there. Kron, Zuk, Kanglia and Phoenix were my first choices, but NSM was a second choice pick after my first pick for MoC declined - Although I have just as much faith in NSM as I did my first pick.
Isles: What do you hope to achieve with your presidency? In particular, how supportive will you be of your cabinets’ individual enterprise and initiative? Or are you going to set all the policies yourself?
President Druing: Already I’m seeing great activity from my Ministers under their own initiative. They’re generating some amazing ideas and I look forward to helping them take form. It’s exactly why I chose them, because I knew they would contribute greatly and I have high hopes for their achievements in government.
Isles: The Union Day approaches and you will be a significant part of its preparation, and will be the central figure in all celebrations that come. Have you had any ideas about the day?
President Druing: I have not, but we’ve been throwing around some great ideas in the Executive and I anticipate that we’ll have something great prepared for the occasion.
Isles: As the President of the Union of Democratic States, you are the Commander-in-Chief of the UDSAF. Do you plan to join the armed forces? Or will you be a civilian president?
President Druing: No plans on joining the UDSAF. I’m aiming to be the Union’s first WA citizen President, to try and emphasise importance in our connection to it and the wider world of other regions, to our citizens, as well as establish some stronger support for our Delegate, build better awareness and rapport around the topic of the Delegate, as Asdersland’s re-appointment to the position was rocky and ideally, could have gone a lot smoother. As much as we need to be helping out unfortunate regions with the UDSAF, we need to ensure that we are okay at home base, as well. I firmly believe that this is the time to provide much-needed support to Asdersland.
Isles: What are your views on the General Assembly and the Election Commission?
President Druing: No comment on that - There are certain choice contentions rising within the region, which I feel that I should abstain from choosing a side and let the citizenry properly judge what the best way forward for those particular elements of the Union are. Whatever proposal regarding these contentions passes vote and comes my way for me to sign into law, I shall do so accordingly and without bias, provided that my Minister of Justice okays it as above board and constitutional, as per their job description.
Isles: Finally, I want to ask you to reflect on your predecessor Phoenix’s time as president and honestly answer my question. Was there a time when you thought that this could have been done better or this was a mistake or that should not have been done at all?
President Druing: That’s a bit vague; Are you referring to the entire constitutional shift to a Presidential system? Because that’s somewhat of a can of worms to open in discussion - Even though I was present on the tail end of the shift, I’m going to say that I don’t know enough about what the Union was like previously to make an informed comment on that state of affairs, although I can safely assume it was worse than what we have now. There are indeed some issues legally, that have a few of us scratching our heads in the Executive as to how we operate and I think a lengthy series of conversations are going to be had about how to properly alter our system and its structure so that it is better suited for future Presidents. If you’re referring to Phoenix’s Presidency overall… Well, I don’t really think anyone could have handled the Phoenix Administration better than Phoenix could. It had an awful lot more ambition than mine and had to deal with absurd teething troubles and happenstances that could not have been foreseen. When considering all the elements in play, Phoenix did an incredible job over the past two terms kicking the Union back into gear and trying to look for things that could have been done better would just be nitpicking at that point. My duty now, is to ensure that that wasn’t in vain.
Conducted By: Isles (a.k.a. British Isles and Commonwealth Realms), Guest Interviewer
Editor Foreward: This interview was submitted by Isles on November 10th, 2020 EST to Everyday News Staff. The interview discusses President Druing's reasons for running, cabinet picks, past experiences, and other items.
Isles: Why did you decide to run in the first place? What were your thoughts before joining the race? When did you come upon this decision?
President Druing: ...I just felt I should. This was something I’ve been thinking about over the past several months over engagement issues within the region that have been apparent for that long. I came to the decision that I would run for the October Election a while ago, but ideally, I was hoping that someone more capable and better in general would run against me and win, but that didn’t seem to be the case. I definitely wasn’t expecting to be in the position that I am now, but I’ll give it my best.
Isles: You were a successful Minister of Foreign Affairs and it was under your ministership that a treaty was signed between the Union of Democratic States and 10000 Islands. How do you see your experience helping you in your duties as president?
President Druing: I can’t say my experience in the position will help me overall. Phoenix and I have similar stances when it comes to FA… Mostly because it was under him that I learned how to do it in the first place. Hopefully we can continue to improve our presence on the international stage, as well as the quality of our Foreign Affairs handling with Phoenix’s plans for the Ministry. My chief focus as I have said, is on attempting to reverse our nation loss freefall and increase civic participation in the region, which means that I won’t be working as closely with that Ministry as I will with say, the Census or Culture. But I should be able to handle Foreign Affairs issues when they arise. As of writing, we still have one treaty in negotiation. I aim to get this introduced to our legislature as soon as possible.
Isles: You were the only (serious) candidate running for office. Do you think that your victory was solely a lack of choice, or do you believe that the citizens of the Union genuinely voted for you?
President Druing: We’re also forgetting that this was, as far as I’m aware, the lowest turnout in a Presidential election we’ve had yet. I don’t think there’s anything to say about this at all, because there can’t be competition without participation. I will definitely say that, while it was fun, fruitful and great to see the other candidates’ platforms and the like, I think I would have to say that that was the second most unhealthiest Presidential election we have ever had. We need more engagement from citizens, otherwise we cannot grow as a region.
Isles: You choose Glaciosia as your running mate. Were they your first choice or were there others? Why did you choose Glaciosia?
President Druing: My first choice was actually Dome Artan - I approached them about the prospect back in May. Of course, that fell through. I sifted through some other options and eventually settled on Glac, since they’re pretty much the closest to Dome in what I was looking for - Someone who was active, dedicated and capable. Glaciosia fits all of those just as much as Dome Artan did.
Isles: The Senate has confirmed your cabinet nominations and your cabinet has assumed their offices. I shall not name all of your nominations in my question. Why did you choose them for their respective portfolios? Were they your first choices? How confident are you in them?
President Druing: I mean, the reason why I chose them, per minister, is all laid out in my opening address. I don’t think I need to be reiterating that here when it’s perfectly reviewable there. Kron, Zuk, Kanglia and Phoenix were my first choices, but NSM was a second choice pick after my first pick for MoC declined - Although I have just as much faith in NSM as I did my first pick.
Isles: What do you hope to achieve with your presidency? In particular, how supportive will you be of your cabinets’ individual enterprise and initiative? Or are you going to set all the policies yourself?
President Druing: Already I’m seeing great activity from my Ministers under their own initiative. They’re generating some amazing ideas and I look forward to helping them take form. It’s exactly why I chose them, because I knew they would contribute greatly and I have high hopes for their achievements in government.
Isles: The Union Day approaches and you will be a significant part of its preparation, and will be the central figure in all celebrations that come. Have you had any ideas about the day?
President Druing: I have not, but we’ve been throwing around some great ideas in the Executive and I anticipate that we’ll have something great prepared for the occasion.
Isles: As the President of the Union of Democratic States, you are the Commander-in-Chief of the UDSAF. Do you plan to join the armed forces? Or will you be a civilian president?
President Druing: No plans on joining the UDSAF. I’m aiming to be the Union’s first WA citizen President, to try and emphasise importance in our connection to it and the wider world of other regions, to our citizens, as well as establish some stronger support for our Delegate, build better awareness and rapport around the topic of the Delegate, as Asdersland’s re-appointment to the position was rocky and ideally, could have gone a lot smoother. As much as we need to be helping out unfortunate regions with the UDSAF, we need to ensure that we are okay at home base, as well. I firmly believe that this is the time to provide much-needed support to Asdersland.
Isles: What are your views on the General Assembly and the Election Commission?
President Druing: No comment on that - There are certain choice contentions rising within the region, which I feel that I should abstain from choosing a side and let the citizenry properly judge what the best way forward for those particular elements of the Union are. Whatever proposal regarding these contentions passes vote and comes my way for me to sign into law, I shall do so accordingly and without bias, provided that my Minister of Justice okays it as above board and constitutional, as per their job description.
Isles: Finally, I want to ask you to reflect on your predecessor Phoenix’s time as president and honestly answer my question. Was there a time when you thought that this could have been done better or this was a mistake or that should not have been done at all?
President Druing: That’s a bit vague; Are you referring to the entire constitutional shift to a Presidential system? Because that’s somewhat of a can of worms to open in discussion - Even though I was present on the tail end of the shift, I’m going to say that I don’t know enough about what the Union was like previously to make an informed comment on that state of affairs, although I can safely assume it was worse than what we have now. There are indeed some issues legally, that have a few of us scratching our heads in the Executive as to how we operate and I think a lengthy series of conversations are going to be had about how to properly alter our system and its structure so that it is better suited for future Presidents. If you’re referring to Phoenix’s Presidency overall… Well, I don’t really think anyone could have handled the Phoenix Administration better than Phoenix could. It had an awful lot more ambition than mine and had to deal with absurd teething troubles and happenstances that could not have been foreseen. When considering all the elements in play, Phoenix did an incredible job over the past two terms kicking the Union back into gear and trying to look for things that could have been done better would just be nitpicking at that point. My duty now, is to ensure that that wasn’t in vain.
This interview was not edited by Everyday News. Any opinions and thoughts shared here do not represent the opinion of Everyday News.
FA= Foreign Affairs
MoC= Minister of Culture
NSM= Nuevo San Miguel, current Speaker and Minister of Culture
UDSAF= The Union of Democratic States Armed Forces, the Union's military
MoC= Minister of Culture
NSM= Nuevo San Miguel, current Speaker and Minister of Culture
UDSAF= The Union of Democratic States Armed Forces, the Union's military
